About as original to the discussion of a “university” experience is the idea that Liberal Arts education is important. In theory, it makes sense. The early Greeks determined that studying one thing myopically (say, Geometry), without studying how to communicate your ideas, the history of how those ideas came to be, other disciplines that may or may not make use of those ideas…was short-sighted. So, they included grammar, logic, and rhetoric as the core, with arithmetic, geometry, music, and even astronomy in the mix.
So it might be considered ironic that most professors and instructors, including those at Liberal Arts institutions, are so specialized. Professors of any given subject largely know that subject and little else, academically speaking. Even non-tenured professors typically do 80-95% of their professional development specific to their subject and their subject alone, they are surrounded departmentally by other SME’s, again with little influence or overlap from other departments, and even a full understanding of “human learning” is limited much of the time.
This strange juxtaposition may in fact be why Liberal Arts is flailing. Despite advanced education “roots” being so deeply embedded in the concept of Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts colleges and universities have been closing for years, with a likely acceleration of that trend (largely due to the pandemic) occurring in the coming months / years.
And whether you believe in the notion of a fuller, more rounded education or not, at least in this microcosm of the covid-19 pandemic, we may have some of the best examples as to why a holistic, connected education matters. From national fails in critical thinking, problem solving, organization, management, and more, a lack of a breadth of understanding is on display. From fallacious reasoning and arguments being perpetuated in the media, by politicians, and likely from your sequestered family to echo chamber / filter bubble-driven behaviors and actions, we are seeing a world that does not embrace the principles of a well-rounded, well-reasoned education.
Without systemic change, which is way beyond the scope of this blogger’s sphere, there is a way that YOU can fix this. Yes, YOU. It’s something that any Master Teacher can do, presuming that you have at least one colleague in another discipline who you are “friendly” with. This week’s quarantinote is a sizable bullet in your holster, believe it or not. That bullet? Curriculum Integration.
I hope you find this 16-minute video worthwhile, but more than that, I hope you find it inspirational. If you need more direction or more suggestions about how to (tangibly) do this, let me know. I have a 50 minute workshop I have developed and delivered countless times help instructors create this kind of experience. It’s a “recipe” you can follow. But in all likelihood, many of you won’t need that. Any one of the ideas here may create a catalyst for you.
I hope so. I know I talk about the importance and value of educational strategies a lot, but this one is really, really big.
Good luck and good learning.