What Does interdisciplinarity Mean
Interdisciplinarity is known as the quality of interdisciplinary (that is, what is carried out from the implementation of several disciplines ). The term, it is said, was developed by the sociologist Louis Wirtz and would have been made official for the first time in 1937 .
Interdisciplinarity supposes the existence of a group of disciplines related to each other and with previously established links , which prevent actions from being developed in an isolated, dispersed or segmented way. It is a dynamic process that seeks to find solutions to different research difficulties .
Interdisciplinarity implies an interrelation between different disciplines.
Relevance of interdisciplinarity
The importance of interdisciplinarity appears with the scientific-technical development itself, which led to the emergence of multiple scientific branches . This dynamic made the need to integrate situations and aspects to generate knowledge is increasing.
Although the first to mention this term was Louis Wirtz (in 1937), a consistent theory was only postulated in the 1970s. Smirnov did so, by developing the ontological and epistemological bases of this concept. In this study, he determined the importance of social integration , and assured that in order to really understand it, it was necessary to establish a new way of approaching knowledge .
A comprehensive approach
Thanks to interdisciplinarity, the objects of study are approached in a comprehensive way and the development of new methodological approaches for problem solving is promoted.
In other words, it can be said that interdisciplinarity offers a methodological framework that is based on the systematic exploration of fusion of the theories , instruments and formulas of scientific relevance related to different disciplines that arises from the multidimensional approach to each phenomenon.
Examples of interdisciplinarity
An example of an interdisciplinary science is oceanography , which is dedicated to the analysis of biological, physical, geological and chemical procedures that take place in the oceans and seas. Another example is medical mathematics , an interdisciplinary field of science in which mathematics is used to explain phenomena, procedures or facts related to medicine or biology .
In any case, at present, all sciences pursue interdisciplinarity when it comes to deepening and enhancing themselves. In fact, it is considered a fundamental element if you want to finish creative and innovative work .
Thanks to interdisciplinarity, specialists from different sciences or areas work together.
Inter, multi and transdisciplinarity
Some authors include multidisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity within interdisciplinarity, others prefer to elaborate the three concepts separately. The latter, assure that they consist of absolutely different processes and that to be understood they must be analyzed in isolation. In any case, they agree with the former in that all these concepts are similar in one thing, in that they are essential for learning , holistic practice and the development of skills .
The multidisciplinary approach refers to the search for knowledge, the desire to develop those skills that might exist but which has not been given importance. It proposes the exhaustive analysis of the same thing through different fields in order to have a wide knowledge of it. For example, a high school student who goes to math, science and literature classes and also plays sports, gets a multidisciplinary education.
The interdisciplinarity refers to the ability to combine several disciplines , ie to interconnect and thus extend the benefits each offers. It refers not only to the application of theory in practice, but also to the integration of several fields in the same work. From the educational point of view, for example, activities are proposed to promote learning combining various areas, such as music and mathematics, which will help students to associate concepts and obtain a comprehensive and non-fragmented education.
Por último, la transdisciplinariedad se refiere al conjunto de prácticas de tipo holísticas que trascienden las normales etiquetas del saber, sin por ello ignorarlas. Se trata de comprender la naturaleza pluralista de las cosas y encarar los conocimientos sin pensar en diferentes disciplinas, sino enfocándose en el objeto de estudio. Analizándolo desde el punto de vista educativo, podemos decir que un objetivo fundamental que deben tener los docentes es conseguir que los alumnos se enfoquen en el objeto de conocimiento, sin menospreciar las diferentes áreas pero sin encarar el estudio desde una óptica centralista, sino abierta e integradora.
Interdisciplinariedad para evitar la centralización
Dicho esto, cabe señalar que aún si se analiza los tres conceptos por separado o unidos, todos ellos hacen referencia a la importancia de no centralizar el pensamiento en una ciencia sino integrar a varias ciencias en ese estudio. Algunos sinónimos sobre la idea de interdisciplinariedad pueden ser razón de unidad, relaciones recíprocas, integración de disciplinas científicas, transferencia de métodos desde una a otra ciencia, entre otros muchos.
Cabe aclarar por último que la interdisciplinariedad es fundamental al hablar de desarrollo científico en la actualidad, porque por ejemplo para poder comprender los problemas sociales y proponer soluciones es indispensable la interacción entre aquellas disciplinas afines.