ERIC Number: EJ1174464
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Dec
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1755-2273
EISSN: N/A
Riding Alone on the Elevator: A Class Experiment in Interdisciplinary Education
Frank, Anna M.; Froese, Rebecca; Hof, Barbara C.; Scheffold, Maike I. E.; Schreyer, Felix; Zeller, Mathias; Rödder, Simone
Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences, v10 n3 p1-19 Dec 2017
The ability to conduct interdisciplinary research is crucial to address complex real-world problems that require the collaboration of different scientific fields, with global warming being a case in point. To produce integrated climate-related knowledge, climate researchers should be trained early on to work across boundaries and gain an understanding of diverse disciplinary perspectives. This article argues for social breaching as a methodology to introduce students with a natural science background to the social sciences in the context of integrated climate sciences. The breach of a social norm presented here was to ask people whether the experimenter could ride on an elevator alone. We conclude that the approach is effective in letting students with a natural science background explore and experience the power of social reality, and is especially suitable for a small-sized introductory class.
Descriptors: Interdisciplinary Approach, Integrated Activities, Climate, Experiential Learning, Social Sciences, Social Behavior, Behavior Standards, Natural Sciences, Introductory Courses, Teaching Methods, Educational Practices
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A