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, CADanielh@harker.org

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?

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The Harker School

Which is more useful? http://www.harker.org http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Har

ker_School

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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.

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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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Which is why we dress like this…

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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 - essential to learning

RhetoricLogic

Grammar

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Trivium

Copyright 1937, 1940, 1948

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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 Quadrivium

Not my department

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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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Sneak it in as pedagogy

Big 6

http://www.big6.com

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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

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Time for the Important - Not Urgent

The 21st century evolution of the Trivium

Gateway to the rest of the 21st century