B ra d l e y H o r n, F redr ic k a S t oller, and Mar in S.

Robinson
U n i te d S t a te s

Interdisciplinary Collaboration:
Two Heads Are Better Than One

T
o meet the ever-changing team teaching (Dudley-Evans and St.
needs of students in the mod- John 1998; see also Teemant, Berh-
ern world, forward-thinking hardt, and Rodríguez-Muñoz 1996).
educators are crossing the traditional We have experienced both the
borders of their own disciplines to joys and challenges that such proj-
work with colleagues from other fields ects bring, having participated in
to develop novel approaches to teach- a multi-year interdisciplinary proj-
ing. Examples of cross-disciplinary ect involving chemists and lan-
efforts illustrate both the creativity of guage professionals. (See [Link].
their participants and the promise and edu/chemwrite for details on our
excitement that they hold for students: U.S. National Science Foundation-
Biochemists are working with business supported Write Like a Chemist
faculty (Keller and Cox 2004), phi- project.) Overall, we believe that our
losophy teachers are collaborating with experiences have led to improved
physicists (Jordan 1989), and mathe- learning for our students and tan-
matics instructors are teaming up with gible professional growth for us.
music teachers (Bamberger 2000). Sim- We recognize that many in the
ilarly, English language teaching (ELT) ELT profession are interested in
professionals are reaching out to col- forming similar cross-disciplinary
leagues from other disciplines (includ- alliances but may feel apprehensive
ing health, history, humanities, math, about where and how to begin.
psychology, science, social studies, and In this article, we share insights
sociology) at primary, secondary, and gained from our interdisciplinary
tertiary levels to develop innovative work in the hopes that other ELT
courses, materials, and instruction- professionals might benefit from them.
al approaches (see Appendix 1). The We explore several reasons why ELT
majority of these ELT/content-area professionals should consider inter-
specialist interactions are characterized disciplinary projects, and we discuss
by cooperation, collaboration, and/or specific steps that can be taken to

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 ensure successful partnerships. We focus on countries but have never written an
three key areas: initiating an interdisciplinary academic paper in English. Feeling that
project, establishing an interdisciplinary team, he has a duty to prepare his students
and working successfully with other disci- for advanced studies, the professor has
plines. Our discussion is organized around agreed to meet with Ibrahim to discuss
nine ELT scenarios, and numerous English the English language needs of his stu-
idioms, that illustrate the many issues that dents and to see how he can assist in
may arise in the course of interdisciplinary developing the new course. Ibrahim is
collaboration. (See Appendix 2 for a compila- sure that his friend’s contributions to the
tion of idioms used and their meanings.) course will be tremendously valuable.

Initiating an interdisciplinary project

=#<
There are many reasons for starting up Ibrahim’s situation can best be summed
an interdisciplinary partnership. Whatever up by the following idiom: Two heads are
the actual impetus is (whether it be to cre- better than one. Even if this common saying
ate a new course, write new materials, start seems clichéd, it reflects the primary reason
a new school, or meet the needs of new stu- ELT educators should pursue interdisciplinary
dent populations), the not-so-simple act of partnerships: When two people work together
crossing disciplinary boundaries can lead to to solve a problem (e.g., making educational
innovations that would be impossible without content engaging and relevant for students),
the merging of two disciplinary perspectives. they are far more likely to strike gold and find
Scenarios #1 and #2 (below) highlight some novel, effective solutions than if either had
reasons for collaborating with individuals tried to generate solutions on his or her own.
outside ELT. By crossing traditional disciplinary boundar-
ies, we can push ourselves (and our partners)
=#< to develop new ways of thinking and teaching
Scenario #1: Ibrahim has been asked that would never be possible if we had played
to develop an English writing course it safe and remained within the confines of our
for electrical engineering students own respective domains.
at the university where he teaches. In ELT, border crossings often entail work-
Although he has a Master’s degree in ing with content-area specialists to develop
TEFL and feels comfortable teaching courses and materials that will be more rel-
general academic English courses, he evant to specific groups of language learners.
has never tried to create a discipline- It is typically the ELT professional who seeks
specific course. He isn’t certain where to out the content-area specialist for the scoop
begin in designing the course. Initially, on the English-language needs of students in
he collected a number of electrical engi- a specific field. However, as English assumes
neering textbooks and journals from more predominant roles in different profes-
the university library to get a sense of sions, increasing numbers of content-area
the English language needs of his future specialists are likely to approach ELT profes-
students. Unfortunately, because of the sionals to get the 411 on students’ developing
many different areas of specialization language abilities.
within the field of electrical engineer- As language-teaching professionals, we are
ing, Ibrahim has found it difficult to well-suited to participate in such projects.
determine which topics would be most Whereas instructors in many other fields
relevant to his students. tend to focus on the content knowledge that
students need to succeed in their disciplines,
Luckily, Ibrahim has a friend who is a ELT professionals also ascribe a great deal of
professor in the electrical engineering importance to the nuts and bolts of teaching
department. As it turns out, this friend (e.g., how to make instructional content more
is quite concerned about his students’ accessible to students). Thus, in many inter-
abilities to use English in their engineer- disciplinary projects, the ELT professional is
ing studies. Many of them plan to pur- able to offer valuable insights into how best
sue graduate degrees in English-speaking to select and structure learning activities and

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 materials to meet instructional goals. At the more important. In other instances, those
same time, our content-area partners can needing further assurance might be interdisci-
offer informed perspectives on the knowledge plinary team members themselves. Even when
and skills most valued within their own dis- the original impetus to collaborate might have
ciplines, thereby providing key information seemed unproblematic, as challenges arise and
that can make or break a project. In effect, risks become apparent, it is only natural that
our working together makes the sum of our team members may need a little pat on the
contributions greater than either part. back to help them continue with the idea that
=#< initially sparked their interest.
In the face of such challenges, we must
Scenario #2: Rose and Grace work remind ourselves and our colleagues that there
together at a primary girls’ school. is a first time for everything. Following the
Rose teaches mathematics, and Grace well-traveled path may be a safe option, but
teaches English. Recently, they have it is unlikely to lead us to new and improved
been making plans to develop a series teaching practices. If we are hesitant to accept
of word-based math problems so that some degree of risk, we may not fail, but we
their students can practice using Eng- may not achieve new successes either.
lish to express basic math concepts.
Rose and Grace are convinced that Establishing an interdisciplinary team
this idea is worthwhile, but some of Collaborating and cooperating with inter-
their colleagues have objected, asserting disciplinary team members is most often
that the English class is for learning accompanied by a series of ups and downs.
English and the mathematics class is Forming a compatible team, nurturing effec-
for learning math—that the two do tive professional relationships, and working
not go together. Rose and Grace need to find common ground are essential consider-
to obtain permission from their school ations when pursuing interdisciplinary goals.
director to put their plan into action,
but they’re concerned that the director =#<
won’t see the value of their idea and will Scenario #3: Alberto, an experienced
take an unfavorable view of them for ESP instructor, has been hired by the
wanting to make changes in the exist- national flight training academy in
ing (and functioning) curriculum. his country to teach a special English
=#< course for new pilots. He is supposed
to work closely with the flight train-
Rose and Grace face a typical dilemma: ing coordinator to develop the English
namely, there’s a first time for everything. The course. Alberto has never met this man
novelty associated with most interdisciplinary before, so he wonders how well they
projects can be viewed as both an inherent will get along with each other.
strength and a potential challenge. Although
the end product of a successful interdisciplin- =#<
ary project offers the possibility of enriching Alberto faces a common dilemma: He has
the educational experience of teachers and been asked to work with someone he does not
learners alike, participants in collaborative really know, so he has no way of predicting
efforts are also exploring uncharted territory, how well they will work together. When form-
which entails certain risks. From the outset, ing an interdisciplinary team, it is important
interdisciplinary partners may have to take a to consider how different personality types
stand and defend their efforts in the face of might interact. Two idioms may apply in such
resistance from colleagues who may not recog- situations. The first denotes a favorable situa-
nize the potential benefits of collaborating with tion: To be like two peas in a pod implies that
others. If the doubting colleague is a chairper- two people are very similar or complementary
son or supervisor, the chance of having the to each other. The second idiom, in contrast,
wind taken out of one’s sails is even greater, and suggests a not-so-favorable outcome: Oil and
the need to defend one’s ideas or the goals of water don’t mix can describe two people who
an interdisciplinary project is therefore much are incompatible. Obviously, we prefer to work

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 with individuals we get along with, as opposed derstandings may arise. To avoid conflicts, it is
to people who are so different from us that we imperative that agreement on critical issues be
are not likely to see eye to eye with them. reached early. Our experiences have taught us
Collaborators who have vastly different that at least three issues need to be discussed
personalities and/or priorities may find it among team members in the earliest stages of
difficult to accomplish their goals if they get a project: (a) goals and expectations, (b) each
on each other’s nerves. Of course, there will member’s level of commitment, and (c) the
surely be times when we are asked (possibly terminology to be used in team discussions.
by a supervisor) to work with someone we do Agreeing on project goals and expectations
not really get along with. In many cases, we is the first step. If team members start off
simply will not have the option of saying no. imagining project outcomes in fundamentally
In such circumstances, it will be necessary to different ways, it may be difficult to realign
take action to minimize the potential negative goals after the project is under way. While it
effects of personality differences. is important to recognize that goals can evolve
Whether interdisciplinary team members over time, it is also necessary to make sure that
are like two peas in a pod or like oil and water, the original expectations of different group
a number of steps can be taken to ensure that members are not irreconcilable.
a project gets off the ground and continues In an ideal world, all partners embark
smoothly until project goals and new levels of upon an interdisciplinary effort with an equal
success are achieved. These steps are addressed sense of responsibility, which translates into
in the remainder of this article. a shared commitment to one another, the
successful completion of the project, and the
Working successfully with other
coordination of team efforts. Nothing is more
disciplines
frustrating than feeling like one is doing most
Successful interdisciplinary partnerships (or all) of the work, while one’s colleague is
are dependent upon good working relation- taking most (or all) of the credit! This is, of
ships. In the scenarios that follow, we showcase course, a worst-case scenario, but it highlights
practices and mindsets that can contribute to a common source of friction between partners:
positive and fruitful interdisciplinary efforts. If both members of an interdisciplinary team
=#< do not share a similar sense of commitment
to a joint project, then one team member may
Scenario #4: Elena is an EFL instructor
end up feeling like he or she is doing the lion’s
at a binational center. The director of
share of the work.
the center has asked her to serve on a
It is also vital that everyone speak the same
committee with several other teachers
language (a common idiom, used in a more
to develop a new English for Tourism
literal sense here). That is, it is important
course. All of the committee members
are excited about the project, full of new during cross-disciplinary discussions to avoid
ideas, and eager to work together. In overusing terminology from one’s own field,
their first meeting, however, they find especially highly theoretical jargon, just for the
that it is taking longer than they had sake of showing off one’s intellectual creden-
expected to agree on what the basic goals tials. The use of jargon may not only confuse
of the course should be and how they colleagues from other disciplines, but it may
should divide up committee work. also make them feel like they are unwelcome
outsiders. Of course, in some cases, it will be
=#< necessary to use discipline-specific terminol-
Elena and her colleagues might have been ogy, especially when such language is used
surprised or frustrated that it took them lon- in the project’s end product (e.g., a course
ger than expected to agree on the basic goals or a series of instructional materials). In such
of their project, but, in fact, they have taken circumstances, the person whose field’s termi-
an important first step toward ensuring that nology is being used will need to ensure that
their project will succeed. They have begun the meaning of project-essential terminology
by making sure everyone is on the same page. is clear, essentially creating a shared language
Whenever two people work together, misun- among team members.

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 =#< a raw nerve, thereby jeopardizing progress on
project goals.
Scenario #5: Fatma teaches in the pre-
While this point may seem obvious, keep-
paratory program at an English-medium
ing an open mind may be especially important
university in an EFL setting. The direc-
for language teachers. Most everyone, language
tor of her program recently attended a
teachers and non-language teachers alike, has
workshop on content-based instruction
had experiences learning and using languages,
(CBI) and is interested in transitioning
so it often seems that everyone wants to put in
the program curriculum from a more
his/her two cents’ worth about how languages
traditional model to a content-based
are best taught and learned. As language pro-
English for academic purposes model.
fessionals, it can be difficult to listen to other
The director has arranged for Fatma to
peoples’ theories about something that we
work with a professor from the econom-
consider to be “our territory,” especially if those
ics department to begin developing a
theories do not fit with the received wisdom
CBI course for business students.
of our field. Again, it is important to keep an
open mind toward such views. Indeed, they
In her first meeting with the econom-
can remind us that although we are language
ics professor, Fatma was encouraged by
professionals, we are not the final authority on
his enthusiasm about the project. He
all matters of language use. There will always be
suggested several books about business
much to learn from others about language use
communications for Fatma to look at and learner attitudes.
and offered some advice about what
should be included in the course. While =#<
Fatma appreciated his input, many of Scenario #6: Kofi is working with a
his views about teaching differed from colleague at his vocational high school
her own. Fatma hopes that they can to develop a reading course for students
reach some sort of consensus. who need to be able to understand
=#< technical manuals and other docu-
ments in English. Kofi has taught read-
Fatma’s story highlights the wisdom reflect- ing in most of his English courses, but
ed by another common idiom: Keep an open the reading passages he assigns cover
mind. Fatma has learned a lesson that most general topics and the language of
participants in interdisciplinary projects even- the passages is much simpler than the
tually learn: People in different disciplines language in technical manuals. In the
sometimes have (very) distinct ways of doing new course, Kofi’s colleague will be
things, including diverse ways of teaching, responsible for teaching students the
thinking about teaching, and talking about technical content, but Kofi still is not
teaching (see Barron, 2002). For example, sure how he should teach the necessary
small group activities, which are common- reading skills.
place in English language classrooms, may
not be favored in disciplines where lectures =#<
are the norm. It may be difficult to persuade The apprehension that Kofi feels is quite
colleagues from these disciplines that such normal for a teacher preparing a brand new
student-centered activities are not child’s play. course. Anxiety increases, however, when we set
Even when ELT professionals are convinced of out to teach an interdisciplinary course because
the value of such activities, having seen them we may be less familiar with the content than
work well in practice, colleagues from other we would like to be. Furthermore, when we
disciplines may be equally certain that lectures recognize that we are part of something new,
are the most effective form of teaching. When we often feel pressured to do everything in a
such impasses are encountered, both parties novel way. In such situations, it may be helpful
must remember not to be dismissive of the to remember the following idiom: You don’t
other team member’s views, no matter how need to reinvent the wheel. We use this idiom to
at odds they may initially seem. To reject the point out that it can be unproductive to create
other team member’s views out of hand can hit completely original materials and/or teaching

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 techniques when tried and true practices have well together and accomplishing a lot.
already been used effectively. At other schools, however, little progress
Believing that all aspects of an interdisci- has been made. Especially in schools
plinary project have to be entirely original can with more than one English teacher and
leave us spinning our wheels. The strength of more than one geography teacher, the
interdisciplinarity lies in the melding of dif- interdisciplinary teams have had trouble
ferent perspectives and areas of expertise, not agreeing on how the lessons should be
simply the fact that the given combination divided and who should be responsible
of disciplines has not been attempted before. for each part of the project.
Kofi is an old hand at teaching reading skills, =#<
and many of the teaching practices that he
developed in those earlier courses will be help- The dilemma that Somying faces reminds
ful in the new course. In consultation with his us of another idiom: Too many cooks spoil the
colleague, who understands and will teach the broth. This idiom suggests that if too many
technical content, Kofi can ascertain the read- people try to work on the same task, they can
ing needs of his new students. He can deter- ultimately ruin it. This is not true every time
mine under what circumstances the students more than two people are involved in a group
will read manuals and for what purposes. project, but it can happen if a large team is
Given information of this type, he will be not managed well. Put simply, without a coor-
able to structure his reading instruction. The dinator of interdisciplinary team efforts, the
point is that Kofi and his colleague, together, project may not turn out as planned.
are able to build on each other’s strengths to Successful interdisciplinary efforts depend
make their joint course more responsive to on the contributions of everyone involved, but
students’ needs. one or two people need to take responsibility
for running a tight ship so that the project as a
=#< whole progresses smoothly. Such an arrange-
Scenario #7: Somying is a teacher ment does not require project supervisors to
supervisor in charge of foreign language act in a top-down fashion or to micro-manage.
instruction in a rural school district. In fact, the weighing of different viewpoints
She recently learned about a national can be addressed by the group as a whole, as
education competition in which stu- long as a decision is ultimately made. Because
dents are asked to design a tourist consensus is sometimes difficult to reach, the
guidebook (in English) to promote supervisor may need to step in as the final
their local village or region. The win- decision maker to ensure that the project does
ners of the competition will receive a not progress at a snail’s pace or grind to a halt.
trip to their nation’s capital, where they In such circumstances, the supervisor should
will attend an awards ceremony hosted avoid dismissing team members’ ideas without
by the minister of education. The win- first carefully considering each viewpoint;
ning guidebooks will be published and ignoring team members’ ideas could have a
distributed to real tourists. This would negative effect on the project.
be a great honor. =#<
Somying has been promoting the com- Scenario #8: Deepa, an EFL teacher
petition in each school that she visits; at an English-medium international
she is encouraging English teachers to school, has been working with subject-
collaborate with geography teachers to area teachers for some time to revise
develop joint lessons in which students the curriculum so that language and
could design and write their guide- content classes are more closely aligned
books. A few weeks after first present- with each other. Because all of the teach-
ing her ideas and helping teachers start ers have multiple commitments, it has
their lesson planning, Somying visits taken them much longer to make prog-
the schools again to see what progress ress on the curriculum revision project
has been made. She learns that at some than they had originally expected.
schools the teachers have been working =#<

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 Typically, English language teachers like be changed—not everything. The idiom don’t
Deepa tend to burn the candle at both ends; throw out the baby with the bath water might
thus, adding one more task (like working encourage Vladimir. That means these profes-
on an interdisciplinary project) to a busy sors can keep what is good and discard only
schedule creates time and coordination chal- the parts that do not work.
lenges. When teachers commit themselves When developing materials for an inter-
to interdisciplinary projects, they often get disciplinary endeavor, it is advisable to create
sidetracked and leave the project unfinished. more than the project may ultimately need.
To avoid such unfortunate outcomes, teach- Such an approach is especially beneficial if
ers need to learn to take one step at a time. opportunities to pilot materials and solicit
Sometimes, it is unrealistic to expect to make feedback from colleagues are available. After
rapid progress toward achieving project goals. receiving feedback, the interdisciplinary team
Nonetheless, it behooves us to keep working can revise as necessary, keeping parts that
toward those goals, even if progress is mea- worked well and discarding those that did not.
sured in baby steps rather than great strides. It would be unwise to toss out everything just
Such persistence requires that team members because one component is not well-received
be patient—both with each other and with by others.
the overall pace of the project. One may well
find that what was originally envisioned as Conclusion
a short-term project develops into a much From our own experiences, we have come
longer effort, especially as early project goals to believe that interdisciplinary collaboration
are revised and expanded in response to new can lead to outstanding opportunities for
successes and new challenges. personal and professional growth. Making
=#< certain that those opportunities remain posi-
tive requires that all members of an interdis-
Scenario #9: Alexander teaches English ciplinary team strive to ensure the success of
at the national legal academy. For sev- the partnership and the project. Each stage
eral months, he has been collaborating of an interdisciplinary venture—from initial
with a professor of legal studies, Vladi- planning, to setting up the team, and, finally,
mir, to develop a specialized English to seeing the project through to comple-
course for future judges and lawyers. tion—can present new challenges. Working
When they presented the course syl- to solve those challenges together, rather than
labus and materials that they developed individually, is the key to success. It is our
to the director of the academy, she hope that the points presented in this article
praised their overall plan but pointed both inspire and prepare ELT professionals to
out several shortcomings that she wants cross disciplinary boundaries.
corrected before she will approve the
course. Alexander and Vladimir left the Note
meeting feeling unsure of how to pro- Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or
ceed. Alexander thinks that they should recommendations expressed in this article
just modify the syllabus and materials are those of the authors and do not necessar-
in response to the director’s requests, ily reflect the views of the National Science
but Vladimir thinks that they need to Foundation.
start over from the very beginning.
=#< References
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education settings, ed. J. A. Crandall and D. Principal Investigator of the Write Like a
Kaufman, 79–91. Alexandria, VA: TESOL. Chemist project.

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 A Sampling of Interdisciplinary Efforts
Involving Language Professionals
Interdisciplinary Collaboration… • Bradley Horn, Fredricka Stoller, and Marin S. Robinson

Author(s) Setting and Level Nature of the Collaboration

Arkoudis (2005) ESL (Australia), ESL and science teachers collaborate to plan an
grade 10 instructional unit on genetics

Bernache, Galinat, ESL (USA), ESL and content teachers co-teach core content
and Jimenez (2005) grades 7 and 8 subjects (Language Arts, Social Studies, Science,
Math, Health)

Bunch, Lotan, ESL (USA), Language Arts and Social Studies teachers
Valdés, and Cohen grade 7 collaborate with university faculty to develop a
(2005) curriculum for linguistically diverse students

Cargill and EFL (China), English for Academic Purposes and content-
O’Connor (2006) post-graduate area faculty collaborate to present workshops
to Chinese scientists seeking to publish their
research in English

Feryok EFL (Malaysia), University mathematics and language studies

(forthcoming) teacher training faculty collaborate to prepare secondary school
content instructors to teach English-medium
math courses

Hurst and Davison EFL (Thailand, EFL and content teachers collaborate to plan
(2005) International the core academic curriculum (History,
School), Civilization, Science)
grades 9–12

Iancu (2002) ESL (USA), bridge ESL and content professors (in, e.g., History,
program in higher Sociology) collaborate in the design of bridge
education intensive courses that incorporate content, tasks, and
English program assignments from regular university classes

Johns (1997) ESL (USA), ESL and discipline-specific faculty collaborate

university freshman in an integrated curriculum that links general
education, literacy, and campus-orientation
classes, and study groups

Leung and Franson ESL (UK), Language support and content teachers engage
(2001) grades K–12 in Partnership Teaching to develop curricula that
are responsive to mainstreamed ESL learners

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 A Sampling of Interdisciplinary Efforts
Involving Language Professionals (continued)
Interdisciplinary Collaboration… • Bradley Horn, Fredricka Stoller, and Marin S. Robinson

López Torres and EFL (Spain), English for Specific Purposes instructors
Perea Barberá university collaborate with university faculty, industry, and
(2002) an interdisciplinary research group to develop
an ESP course for shipbuilders

Martinez (2002) EFL (Argentina), EFL teachers and their students, who already
university have expertise in an academic area, collaborate
in the implementation of an advanced-level
course focused on the writing of experimental
research articles

Nagano and EFL (Japan), English and engineering faculty collaborate to

Koyama (2000) university develop and team teach a content-based EFL
course

Orsi and Orsi EFL (Argentina), English for Specific Purposes teachers work
(2002) workplace ESP with industry management to design and
deliver an ESP course

Perry and Stewart EFL (Japan), Language and content teachers team teach
(2005) liberal arts college task-based modules in anthropology, literature,
politics, psychology, religion, and sociology

Schneider and ESL (US), Sociology professor and language professional

Friedenberg (2002) university collaborate to shelter complex course content

Stapp (1998) ESL (US), Language instructor and employer collaborate

workplace in development of workplace English course

Stewart and Perry EFL (Japan), ESL and content faculty team teach humanities
(2005) liberal arts college and social science classes

Stewart, Sagliano, EFL (Japan), ESL and content faculty team teach humanities
and Sagliano (2002) liberal arts college and social science classes

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 Key Idioms (Listed in Order of
Presentation) and Their Meanings
Interdisciplinary Collaboration… • Bradley Horn, Fredricka Stoller, and Marin S. Robinson

Idiom Meaning

Initiating an interdisciplinary project

Two heads are better than one. Two people working together are more likely to solve a
problem than if they try to do the same alone.
(to) strike gold (to) achieve success
(to) play it safe (to) be careful and not take risks
the scoop current information or details
the 411 current information or details
nuts and bolts detailed practical information about how something
works or how something can be accomplished
(to) make or break (something) (to) cause either total success or total failure
There’s a first time for everything. Something that has never happened before can and will
happen.
(to) explore uncharted territory (to) go somewhere or do something that no one has tried
before
(to) take a stand (to) take a firm position and strongly assert one’s
opinions
(to) have the wind taken out of (to) make someone feel less confident or less determined
one’s sails to do something
a pat on the back a word of praise or encouragement for something that
someone has done well
well-traveled path the most common way to go somewhere or do
something

Establishing an interdisciplinary team

ups and downs the mixture of good and bad things that happen to
people
(to) find common ground (to) find shared beliefs, priorities
to be like two peas in a pod to be similar or complementary to each other (usually
said of people)
Oil and water don’t mix. Incompatible people don’t work well together
(to) see eye to eye (to) agree with one another
(to) get on each other’s nerves (to) annoy one another
(to) get off the ground (to) get a successful start

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 Key Idioms (Listed in Order of Presentation)
and Their Meanings (continued)
Interdisciplinary Collaboration… • Bradley Horn, Fredricka Stoller, and Marin S. Robinson

Working successfully with other disciplines

(to) make sure everyone is on the (to) reach agreement on basic assumptions before
same page moving on to more difficult issues
the lion’s share (of something) the largest portion of something (e.g., work)
(to) make sure everyone is (to) reach agreement on important issues
speaking the same language
(to) keep an open mind (to) consider differing opinions before making a decision
or judgment
child’s play something that requires no real effort to accomplish
at odds in disagreement
out of hand without thinking about it carefully
(to) hit a raw nerve (to) cause another person to be angry or uncomfortable
(to) put in one’s two cents’ worth (to) give one’s opinion in a conversation, often when it is
not wanted
don’t reinvent the wheel (to) try to do something in a completely original way
when it has already been done in an effective way
(to) spin one’s wheels (to) waste time doing things that achieve little or nothing
(to) be an old hand (to) have extensive experience
(at something)
Too many cooks spoil the broth. If too many people try to work on the same piece of
work, they may ruin it.
(to) run a tight ship (to) control an organization or team firmly and
effectively
to act in a top-down fashion (to) act like a boss; to take on the role of a boss
at a snail’s pace very slowly
(to) grind to a halt (to) slowly come to a stop, especially due to resistance
(to) burn the candle at both ends (to) work very hard without getting enough rest
(to) take one step at a time (to) work toward established goals in an incremental
fashion
baby steps small steps
Don’t throw out the baby with (to) keep what is good and discard only the parts that do
the bath water. not work

Definitions adapted from Makkai, Boatner, and Gates (1995) and The American Heritage Dictionary
of Idioms (2001).

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