On a Liberal Education
I originally understood a liberal education to be an education that places an emphasis on a higher level of competency in every discipline than that of a non-liberal education, while still striving for some sort of mastery in at least one discipline. I used the term “holistic” when referring to a liberal education, and understood that it entailed an increased amount of education and exploration in many disciplines. Afterall, no one discipline is the answer to the world’s problems. It takes all the disciplines working together. So educating each individual not only in their main discipline, but enough in the others that they have basic levels of competency in various disciplines makes perfect sense. And it also makes sense to combine the disciplines when educating. I had also heard the supposed emphasis a liberal education is supposed to have on freedom, however I often neglected to investigate, or merely let my mind dwell on, this idea.
However, upon reading Cronon’s “‘Only Connect…’ the Goals of a Liberal Education,” I began to realize that while all of this is true, the much more important meaning of a liberal education is one that fosters and leads to human growth and freedom, and that rather than focus primarily on what a liberal education is supposed to look like, it is better to focus primarily on what a liberal education is supposed to produce. Because how can we configure an education if we do not first fully know and understand its purpose? Cronon also explains that a liberal education is not a process that an individual goes through to make them “liberally educated,” but rather a way of living. It is a state, not something to achieve. Finally, Cronon explains that a liberal education is not intended only for the benefit of individuals, but for the benefit of the entire human community, and that it reveals that liberty is not about being able to do whatever we want, but about exercising our freedom in a way that leads to the betterment of the world. A liberal education is about celebrating love.
I think that the precepts of the Norbertine pedagogy fit very well alongside the concept of a liberal education. These precepts seek to explain a purpose for the work we do, as well as teach us about the reality of the human experience.
Growth Mindset
Reflections on EdTalk Experience
I believe that the EdTalk project in Educational Foundations 101 is a very valuable project, and I am very glad that I was able to be a part of it. Reading Young Adult books that deal with complex scenarios we may experience as future educators is a great way to begin to think about difficult topics. It gives us an opportunity to reflect on the wide variety of complex issues our students may face, and then on various strategies and methods we can employ to make a positive difference. The stories themselves present various scenarios, and we can then brainstorm responses to them. The stories themselves also include many examples of how other characters in the book (teachers, parents, friends, etc.) respond to the students in need. This gives us not only an opportunity to come up with our own responses, but also to study the various responses of various characters present in the book, and analyze the effectiveness of each.
In the book my group read, Kwame Alexander’s Rebound, I was able to differentiate between the response of the mother and the grandfather of the protagonist. The protagonist Charlie Bell is a young student who is dealing with the recent death of his father, and having a very difficult time with the grieving process. His mother tried to help him, but was having a difficult time actually engaging with her son, and thus her response did little to help him. This is not entirely her fault, she was trying her best, but she was just not equipped to respond in the best way. When she got her father-in-law, Charlie’s grandfather, involved he was able to respond better. He was more equipped with the knowledge and wisdom needed to help his grandson through the difficult time, and was a great example for us to learn from.
Overall, I think this was a very valuable project that I was able to learn a lot from.
from A Teaching Philosophy
As a beginning college freshman in teacher education I have much more to learn and experience before I form any concrete opinions, but based on what I have learned and experienced so far, I have come to these tentative opinions.
Of the five major teaching philosophies, there are most definitely some that are much better than others. However, after careful consideration, I do not see any reason why any one of these views must stand on their own. I think it highly possible that we are creating artificial divides between these philosophies, and it is perhaps better to draw pieces from each when crafting a teaching philosophy.
However, it must be acknowledged that the blending of two or more of these philosophies can be very complicated, and there is most definitely a reason why each currently exists separately. However, I think that at the very least attempts at this innovative blending should at least be considered and studied. In the field of education we must always keep open minds and strive to learn and grow as much as possible so that we can offer students the best possible educational experience. Because that is the essence of the mission of Education: finding the best and most effective ways to educate in ways that are engaging, creative, culturally aware, and nurturing to the growth and learning of young people.
