Primary and secondary education in America has a fatal flaw. This flaw isn't centered around a lack of teachers, sub-par facilities or standardization of testing; the flaw is in the curriculum.
Think back to when you were in High School, how many opportunities were there to take classes that centered around what is considered the "liberal arts". For me, the closest that I came to a liberal arts class was history class, and even then those classes were more fact based.
This deficiency in the curriculum is a problem because that means that the only opportunity for adolescents to gain a quality liberal arts education in a traditional classroom setting is at college. But why do students need this education? There certainly is quite a stereotype that the liberal arts provide no practical applications
.
All joking aside, the liberal
arts are a very important aspect of a well-rounded education. A liberal arts education according to the Encyclopedia Britannica is a “curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum” (Source). While a technical curriculum is important for one to gain the skill necessary for a specific job, a liberal arts education
encourages critical thinking and expands ones ability to reason.
For example, a wood-shop class will teach you how to make a chair or a jewelry box, a very practical skill, while a Humanities class will present you with a piece of art and ask you what it means. Understanding what the piece means won't help you make a chair or fix a car, but the process by which you came to that meaning helps you develop better reasoning skills.
An example of a painting that has deeper meaning than is intially apparant is Picasso's Guernica. When looking at Guernica you may say "This looks completely unrealistic! A four year-old could've drawn this!", but when we understand that this painting was inspired by the bombing of Guernica, a small spanish village, then we can find connections. Picasso uses this art style to depict the horror and confusion of war.
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| Picasso's Guernica |
When you understand what Picasso is trying to say, then you begin to ask questions such as "How does the abstract nature of the piece contribute to the meaning?" and "How effective is the piece in conveying the meaning?". Analysis of this type encourages students to go beyond the surface of a problem and to look for deeper issues. In short, it teaches them to think critically.
I now understand this piece because it is one of many that we looked at in my Introduction to Humanities class that I took during the summer term of my freshman year at BYU.
When
I took that Introduction to Humanities I was just trying to fulfill a
general education requirement, but I soon realized that the class provided a very valuable experience. In the class we
looked at different art forms and how these forms conveyed meaning.
We analyzed both the artist's technical ability and the purpose for the piece.
Those experiences helped to teach us to question not only how things were done, but why they are worth doing. Here we see the true value of a liberal arts education. Science and math can provide the how, and liberal arts provide the why.
Those experiences helped to teach us to question not only how things were done, but why they are worth doing. Here we see the true value of a liberal arts education. Science and math can provide the how, and liberal arts provide the why.
Throughout my education I have enjoyed my science and math classes, in fact I am majoring in Chemical Engineering, but both
of these types of education are very important to me. They supplement each other and contribute to a better education.
One example of how the liberal arts contribute to science and math is seen when BYU engineering students used origami to solve a problem. The problem was that large telescopes in space require large mirrors that are too big to be transported into space. To resolve this issue, a BYU student came up with the idea to fold the mirror, an idea that she got when looking at an origami crane.
Something that can be seen as "useless" helped to solve a real-world scientific problem.
Science and math as well as the liberal arts help to refine students and both should be stressed in primary and secondary education. While Science and math receive much focus, the liberal arts are not stressed as much. Currently, the only way to truly gain a liberal arts education in a classroom setting is to attend college, which is not, nor should be, the only option for adolescents.
If this type of education were to be provided in primary and secondary schools, then college would not have to be the only option for many adolescents.
One example of how the liberal arts contribute to science and math is seen when BYU engineering students used origami to solve a problem. The problem was that large telescopes in space require large mirrors that are too big to be transported into space. To resolve this issue, a BYU student came up with the idea to fold the mirror, an idea that she got when looking at an origami crane.
Something that can be seen as "useless" helped to solve a real-world scientific problem.
Science and math as well as the liberal arts help to refine students and both should be stressed in primary and secondary education. While Science and math receive much focus, the liberal arts are not stressed as much. Currently, the only way to truly gain a liberal arts education in a classroom setting is to attend college, which is not, nor should be, the only option for adolescents.
If this type of education were to be provided in primary and secondary schools, then college would not have to be the only option for many adolescents.
Your argument that college is the only place to get a liberal arts education is interesting and i would say was correct a few decades ago. However, I think it is not the case now. I provide two counter points for your mental digestion:
ReplyDelete1. Where can information and education be accessed? Historically, colleges and universities were the access point. They combined resources to provide amazing libraries, gathered academic thinkers and sound researchers into one location. One had to attend the school in order to gain access to these valuable resources.
However, today that is simple not the case. What use to be in the university is now on the internet. I can access any and all journal articles from the confines of my own home. I can watch lectures from top nobel laureate professors on youtube. I can engage in discussion and argument in chat rooms. All of this on my own time and with little financial resources.
So why do we still go to college? One thought is that while all the information is readily available, we need some form of accountability to take full advantage of it. Therefore, we are willing to spend thousands of dollars for such commitment mechanisms.
2. The college experience is no longer based on education for education's sake. It is a business. As public schools receive less public funding they are forced to turn to the consumer for financing the education process. As a result you need to give the consumer what they want. A great experience in college (engaging professors, college sports, extracurricular activities, parties) and hopes of getting a job afterwards. If the labor market does not value the skills that liberal arts education provides, the universities will not emphasize it or even take it out all together.
I agree with what you are saying about the accessibility of educational tools. I realize now that college is not the only place to have access to a liberal arts education, but it currently is the only place to gain this education in a traditional classroom setting. To clarify, I am speaking more about public education than private education. There may be private schools that place more emphasis on liberal arts but I do now have any experience with these and therefore do not know the type of curriculum emphasized there.
ReplyDeleteIn my High School there were very few classes that explored the liberal arts. History classes could provide some instruction but were more fact based. English classes could do this to some extent but that was highly dependent on the teacher. Almost all of the elective classes that were offered were more vocational-type classes (wood shop, metal shop, etc.)
When I arrived at college in the summer I took Introduction to Humanities and realized that my education has been lacking a crucial component. While other classes did promote thinking and reasoning, the primary purpose of a humanities class id to do this while a math/science class primarily seeks to impart specific knowledge about the subject. Both are key features of a well-rounded education and should be important in classes before college.
I guess that I did not make my point clear in the post, while it is important to teach liberal arts in college, vocational training does have its place at a university. I am not criticizing college curriculum per se, I am making a comment on how there is little to no opportunity to gain a liberal arts education in a traditional classroom setting before one enters college.
I agree with you that both technical and liberal arts classes can be very valuable in a student’s education and in teaching them how to reason and think actively. However, I’m not sure I agree that the liberal arts are completely neglected in primary and secondary schools. Haven’t we all experienced reading a work of great literature and analyzing it? Students are almost always required to take English classes (or an alternative, such as writing or humanities) before they go to college, and many have the opportunity to take extracurricular classes like art or music which also provide this kind of liberal arts education. But maybe there should be a more equal balance between technical and liberal arts education? I think a good way to accomplish this would be to set up a school’s curriculum so that the information that students learn in different subjects at the same time is related (like studying Renaissance art while studying Renaissance history), so students can learn to create connections between different fields.
ReplyDeleteYour point that curriculum can be changed is a very valuable one. I agree that we should change up the curriculum, placing in it more options for students to take liberal arts classes.
DeleteI understand that you can currently get a form of liberal arts education in English classes and arts classes, but I do not feel that they provide adequate focus on the Liberal Arts.
English classes are a great way for high school students to read good literature and analyze it for meaning, but those classes focus on literature. Also, art classes do provide some history, but they are currently more focused on the technical aspects (making art) rather than why people make art.
There are opportunities for students to gain some liberal arts education before college but I feel that it is inadequate.
I believe that liberal arts is taught in schools, but it really just depends on the teacher. Curriculums and state-wide exams all have checklists of facts and skills that a student must learn in order to graduate from high school. Some of the most important learning skills, like analyzing, problem solving, and creativity, are not usually part of that criteria.
ReplyDeleteI can name a few specific teachers I had in high school that allowed me to delve deeper into the subject matter and inspired me to make learning an individual journey. While art and music classes are beneficial in creating a well-rounded person, it is the ability to interpret and comprehend everything around us that will set us apart throughout our future endeavors.
Maybe if these special teachers were awarded for the extra effort they put in making the learning experience more equal in it's liberal and technical applications, then more of these opportunities would be provided before a student embarks on their college campaign.
Wonderful teachers truly are what can make a class into and educational experience. I too had many exceptional teachers in High School, but they were spread out. Unfortunately, not all teachers in High School approach teaching with the same zeal.
DeleteI think that I need to clarify that I am not saying that liberal arts classes are the only one that help students to develop critical thinking skills, but they focus more on promoting analysis than say a Math class.
Many classes do help students to become better learners and people, but I think that If more classes that had a specific focus on the liberal arts (like a humanities class) then it would provide students with more educational opportunities.
To an extent, I agree with your claim that college is the only traditional place to receive a liberal arts education. I think that often times since attending college is so emphasized in high school, teachers sometimes assume their students will learn how to think critically in a college setting, and therefore look over the liberal arts aspect of education. However, I think that any good educator at any level will try to provide their students with a greater understanding of the concepts they are learning by moving beyond the curriculum and inviting the students to consider personal significance of a subject for reasons other than getting good grades. I know I have had plenty of teachers like this, and I think I will remember them forever because they made me enjoy thinking. On the flipside, there are plenty of teachers who fail to do this. I wonder if incorporating liberal arts into the curriculum at a high school level would be effective, or if it would merely become just that: another curriculum item. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteThere is certainly the possibility that a Humanities class in high school could become dull and meaningless, but all classes share that risk. I think that if we provide teachers with the opportunity to try and teach liberal arts topic then we would find that many students would enjoy the Liberal arts.
DeleteAll subjects will have the teachers that take the curriculum to the next level, inspiring a love for the subject in their students. This is the purpose of education, and it is accomplished by phenomenal teachers.
I simply believe that there should be more humanities specific classes in high school. This would allow students to gain some liberal arts education without having to attend college. If these classes were offered, there would be teachers who would enhance the curriculum, and those who make it boring.
I like the way you bring in examples of the value of liberal arts and the reality of their applicability. I must say, according to the definition you sited of Liberal Arts, “curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general intellectual capacities in contrast to a professional, vocational, or technical curriculum." That sounds like what we do from the time we start learning until the few times that we actually receive specialized or technical training. I would counter by saying, that it isn't until college, trade schools or further education that a public education actually offers a level of training that branches broader than developing our general intellectual capacities.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that we are developing "general intellectual capacities" throughout our entire education. The point I am trying to make is that students would benefit from classes whose explicit purpose is to do that.
DeleteTake, for example, a math class. Most people would say that the primary purpose of that class is to learn math. The primary purpose of a science class would be to learn that subject. The primary purpose of a humanities class is to impart that general knowledge.
This doesn't mean that those other classes can't impart that general knowledge, but students would benefit from a class whose specific purpose is to impart that general knowledge and enhance reasoning in a broad sense.