Inter-disciplinary Approach: A Tool in Understanding the Nature of Science

Abstract

School students are naturally curious about their expanding possibilities. They are bound to figure out who they are and where they belong in the world. Many students also think that the world they look at through the classroom window is distant and unconnected to the world of chalk boards and pop quizzes they inhabit between hours they spend in school (Duerr, 2008). According to George et al. (1992), an effective school atmosphere balances depth with breadth and provides experiences that help students become more connected to their environment. Teaching method that embraces a mix of traditional and modern ideas that accommodate students’ eagerness for individual choices, for first-hand experiences and for varied learning contexts should be what is in place in each classroom setting.

Current reforms in science education emphasize teaching science for all, an ultimate goal of developing scientific literacy (Bell, 2008) which can be achieved through understanding the very nature of science. However, it is observed that in most cases, in an effort to condense complicated topic into a single unit, the nature of science is somehow lost. Ross (2013) argues that in order to promote understanding of nature of science in the classroom, an approach that integrates sciences and humanities can increase students’ exposure to science concepts by relating them to the students’ interests and knowledge.

 In this view, science must go beyond simply teaching science as a body of knowledge. Teachers are now challenged to engage students in learning science in a much-broader sense—how scientific knowledge develops and evolves and the very nature of knowledge itself.

An emerging viewpoint emphasizes that a thorough understanding of today’s real-life problems requires interdisciplinary reflection. For example, in trying to solve for a heavy traffic in EDSA requires a lot of consideration from environmental, social, economic and political point of view all included in the bucket list when trying to solve such a complex issue. A truly interdisciplinary approach requires what professors and students find the common ground in order to make the connections across disciplines and not to isolate them. Prominent psychologist Howard Gardner (1983) established that students bring multiple forms of intelligence to the learning process. As a result, given that students are heterogeneous in their learning styles and have diverse learning backgrounds, interests, talents and values, he believes that drawing a broad array of frameworks and methodologies will enhance students’ engagement, and thus have significant learning (Fink, 2003).

In this review, analysis was done on how inter-disciplinary approach had been conducted in featured cases and how helpful had it been to teaching and learning. It also sought to connect the link between IDA and understanding of NOS as a barometer of promoting scientific literacy. Likewise, strengths, issues and downsides of the approach were also looked into.