This was a fascinating history of the educational debate between classicism and progressive ideology. My education leaned more heavily on the Western classical / liberal arts / Great Books approach; and I guess by nurture, I have a deep love for the humanities and have tended to appreciate that knowledge-centered approach. However, as a educator working with students who have special educational needs, I also know that this approach falls short. Many of my students do have to be taught how to learn in order to remove the barrier of entry to knowledge. I have had to differentiate with sources of knowledge, methods of teaching; a single piece of literature would not have reached all my students the same way.
And then there is the matter of colonialism and over Westernizing education to the neglect of other voices and contributors in the humanities. That was a significant goal of colonialism, imperialism, the residential school system -- to improve less-developed cultures and societies by spreading (typically) Euro-centric values and education. It is sad that in a world that supports democracy and idealistic freedom, we still imperialize and oppress (underhandedly and perhaps often unintentionally) by suggesting that only a certain slice of the planet has elevating truths to share.
This is an important reminder for me as an educator: the strength and beauty of so-called knowledge does not lie in itself, but rather in how it connects to people. That's why it's called the humanities, right? Because it captures the essence of the human experience and invites us to explore it and be in awe. The people -- both the students and those we choose to study -- matter too.
Thanks for sharing your son’s experience, Matt. Choice is powerful in teaching and learning. The example of knowledge from political science situated in a current issue sure to be of interest to many students is perfect. We can’t really use the word “child-centered” in this case, but we classify the approach as “learner-centered” in its attempt to allow for “opting in” even before the learner steps into the classroom. Interest, even a smidgeon, makes all the difference. Great comment! Thanks.
Beautiful!! I love this. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I often wish I had had a knowledge-based curriculum. I went to school in a small rural town in Illinois where my early grade teachers knew how to work with shy, backward kids coming from large families tucked away in the woods. When I got to the community college, I realized I knew so little about the world I would never catch up. When I transferred to state college and took courses in Shakespeare, Renaissance lit, Romantic poetry, and so on, I sat in rapture listening to professors read aloud from all these profound texts and understood deeply this privilege I had. I’m still filling holes in my knowledge and will continue in my project until I can’t. I LOVE this comment. Thank you, Gabrielle.
Thanks Terry for this historical perspective in what Steiner is advocating.
When I taught grad courses for future directors of instruction, I included articles from Steiner and Hirsch alongside more progressive content. I wanted to create a dialogue around what "counted" as being educated, knowledgable, etc. I had to ensure norms and working agreements were clear! :-)
As you note, this movement is about control and power. But we can have a knowledgeable citizenry without depriving people of autonomy and agency.
For example, my son recently attended a pre-college camp at a state school (WI). They could choose whichever lectures they wanted to attend. He enrolled in "Conspiracy Theories" - twice! He was fascinated by how people suspend objective reality in favor of ideas unfounded by facts. From the little he shared with me on the ride home from camp, the professor included quite a bit of information from political science to help students understand how these theories came to be.
So...present students with the gift of knowledge! Just wrap it up in "lifeworthy" (Perkins) topics, processes, and authentic opportunities to engage in the content.
This was a fascinating history of the educational debate between classicism and progressive ideology. My education leaned more heavily on the Western classical / liberal arts / Great Books approach; and I guess by nurture, I have a deep love for the humanities and have tended to appreciate that knowledge-centered approach. However, as a educator working with students who have special educational needs, I also know that this approach falls short. Many of my students do have to be taught how to learn in order to remove the barrier of entry to knowledge. I have had to differentiate with sources of knowledge, methods of teaching; a single piece of literature would not have reached all my students the same way.
And then there is the matter of colonialism and over Westernizing education to the neglect of other voices and contributors in the humanities. That was a significant goal of colonialism, imperialism, the residential school system -- to improve less-developed cultures and societies by spreading (typically) Euro-centric values and education. It is sad that in a world that supports democracy and idealistic freedom, we still imperialize and oppress (underhandedly and perhaps often unintentionally) by suggesting that only a certain slice of the planet has elevating truths to share.
This is an important reminder for me as an educator: the strength and beauty of so-called knowledge does not lie in itself, but rather in how it connects to people. That's why it's called the humanities, right? Because it captures the essence of the human experience and invites us to explore it and be in awe. The people -- both the students and those we choose to study -- matter too.
Thanks for sharing your son’s experience, Matt. Choice is powerful in teaching and learning. The example of knowledge from political science situated in a current issue sure to be of interest to many students is perfect. We can’t really use the word “child-centered” in this case, but we classify the approach as “learner-centered” in its attempt to allow for “opting in” even before the learner steps into the classroom. Interest, even a smidgeon, makes all the difference. Great comment! Thanks.
Beautiful!! I love this. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I often wish I had had a knowledge-based curriculum. I went to school in a small rural town in Illinois where my early grade teachers knew how to work with shy, backward kids coming from large families tucked away in the woods. When I got to the community college, I realized I knew so little about the world I would never catch up. When I transferred to state college and took courses in Shakespeare, Renaissance lit, Romantic poetry, and so on, I sat in rapture listening to professors read aloud from all these profound texts and understood deeply this privilege I had. I’m still filling holes in my knowledge and will continue in my project until I can’t. I LOVE this comment. Thank you, Gabrielle.
Thanks Terry for this historical perspective in what Steiner is advocating.
When I taught grad courses for future directors of instruction, I included articles from Steiner and Hirsch alongside more progressive content. I wanted to create a dialogue around what "counted" as being educated, knowledgable, etc. I had to ensure norms and working agreements were clear! :-)
As you note, this movement is about control and power. But we can have a knowledgeable citizenry without depriving people of autonomy and agency.
For example, my son recently attended a pre-college camp at a state school (WI). They could choose whichever lectures they wanted to attend. He enrolled in "Conspiracy Theories" - twice! He was fascinated by how people suspend objective reality in favor of ideas unfounded by facts. From the little he shared with me on the ride home from camp, the professor included quite a bit of information from political science to help students understand how these theories came to be.
So...present students with the gift of knowledge! Just wrap it up in "lifeworthy" (Perkins) topics, processes, and authentic opportunities to engage in the content.
Talk about a basket of deplorables…until she recanted (or saw the light) Diane Ravitch would join that list…
That’s why I didn’t include Ravitch. Would not have been worth the trouble to spend a paragraph explaining her change of heart.