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Overhauling the Liberal Arts
An opportunity for shared provocation, reflection, and refinement
Daniel F. Hudkins, Director of Instructional Tech & Information SystemsThe Harker School, San Jose, [email protected]
I wonder
As our balance of payments gets worse, and our energy comes from offshore, what will we have to sell that the world will want to buy?What if the new economy isn’t as new as we think?
July 16, 2007 Overhauling the Liberal Arts 3
The Harker School
Which is more useful? http://www.harker.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Har
ker_School
July 16, 2007 Overhauling the Liberal Arts 4
Agenda
Some History Some Vocabulary
Why I think it matters Where can you go from here?
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Personal History
Took baths in a washtub in my grandmother’s kitchen
Phone number - Millington 7-1657 Built two outhouses
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Who am I?
Career #8 20 years in business - marketing 13 years in education
Taught English, Social Studies, Field Engineering, Political Science, Computer Science, Ethics
7 years Public School District Tech Coord. 4 years Silicon Valley independent school
1:1 8 years in H.S. Starting M.S.
July 16, 2007 Overhauling the Liberal Arts 7
History
2004 - Why operating systems don’t matter
2005 - Stop teaching applications 2006 - Why do we do what we do
(with laptops) 2007 - Overhauling the Liberal Arts
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Context for Good Teaching
Research summary from Kaneb Center for Teaching & Learning, Notre Dame
Designed for Higher Ed
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Good Teaching - Classical
Writing and Discussion Faculty-Student Contact Feedback to Students High Expectations Assignment-Centered Course
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Good Teaching - Contemporary
Collaborative work Explicit Standards and Criteria Help Students Achieve Standards
and Criteria Respect for Diversity Problem/Questions/Issues as
Sources of Motivation
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Nothing new under the sun
The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know - Harry S. Truman
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Liberal Arts
14th Century +/- Birth of the University First stab at curriculum
defining a knowledgeable person
Not to be confused with Humanities
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What were the Liberal Arts?
Liberalis vs. Servalis Education for a free person
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Trivium & Quadrivium
Seven Elements Trivium - arts pertaining to the mind Quadrivium - arts pertaining to matter
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Quadrivium - Arts Pertaining to Matter
Discrete quantity or number Arithmetic Music
Continuous quantity Geometry Astronomy
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Trivium - Arts Pertaining to the Mind
Logic (Dialectic) Art of Thinking
Grammar Art of Inventing and combining symbols
Rhetoric Art of Communication
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Trivium
I never know what I think ‘til I see what I say
If we cannot construct meaning & communicate it, how can we say we have succeeded?
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Information Revolutions
Writing Paper Librarians Table of Contents Alphabetic Index Printing
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Liberal Arts
A response to an information revolution
Creation of curricula and definition of essentials
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Modern Trivium
Logic (Dialectic) - Art of Thinking Computer Science
Rhetoric - Art of Communication Information Technology (application
and resource use) Grammar - Art of Inventing and
Combining Symbols Information & Media Literacy/Fluency
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Trivium - the tools you need to learn everything else
RhetoricInformation Technology
LogicComputer Science
GrammarInformation & Media Literacy
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So what?
Urgent Not Urgent
Important Easy Choice Hard Choice
Not Important
Next Easiest Choice
Bad Choice
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Computer Science
Digital Natives acquire tool skills differently from the rest of us
Knock out applications training and add this in
Language (Java, C++, Flash, etc.) doesn’t matter
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Logic, Dialectic, Computer Science
Goal is to learn the art of thinking Obstacles in schools
Trained instructors Expectation that students learn like
adults Advantages in schools
Software mostly free (Alice, BlueJay, etc.) with small footprint
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Rhetoric - Information Technology
Goal is clarity of communication Creating meaning in
comprehensible means Extension of presentations, public
speaking, clear writing, etc. Essentials are the same
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Rhetoric - Information Technology
Advantages in school Can use existing resources Good rubrics go a long way across disciplines Develops and exploits competencies across
media Works with existing content
Disadvantages in schools “It’s not real writing” Assessment challenges for experienced
teachers Digital Equity issues
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Grammar - Information/Media Literacy/Fluency
Goal is to understand inventing and combining symbols
Hardest to inculcate - and most important
Skill from Grade 17 to Grade 3 in 5 years
Many teachers do not have the skills Thank goodness for the librarians!
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Add it to the curriculum?
Can’t be done And wrong anyway
Must be a part of every class Requires enormous enrollment by
faculty
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Information Literacy
Advantages in schools Librarians are great resources (if you
have them) Administrators like the standards tie in
Disadvantages in schools Not enough librarians Perception that it’s an addition
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Big6 Provides common vocabulary
Lowers student learning curve Focuses on organization Encourages reflection
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Liberal Arts
Context is easier to sell Back to Basics Terminology less threatening