2. Overhauling the Liberal Arts An opportunity for shared provocation, reflection, and refinement Daniel F. Hudkins, Director of Instructional Tech & Information Systems The Harker School, San Jose, CA Danielh@harker.org

3. 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?

4. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts3 The Harker School  Which is more useful?  http://www.harker.org http://www.harker.org  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ha rker_School http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ha rker_School

5. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts4 Agenda  Some History  Some Vocabulary  Why I think it matters  Where can you go from here?

6. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts5 Personal History  Took baths in a washtub in my grandmother’s kitchen  Phone number - Millington 7-1657  Built two outhouses

7. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts6 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.

8. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts7 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

9. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts8 Context for Good Teaching  Research summary from Kaneb Center for Teaching & Learning, Notre Dame  Designed for Higher Ed

10. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts9 Good Teaching - Classical  Writing and Discussion  Faculty-Student Contact  Feedback to Students  High Expectations  Assignment-Centered Course

11. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts10 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

12. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts11 Nothing new under the sun  The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know - Harry S. Truman

13. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts12 Liberal Arts  14th Century +/-  Birth of the University  First stab at curriculum defining a knowledgeable person  Not to be confused with Humanities

14. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts13 Which is why we dress like this…

15. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts14 What were the Liberal Arts?  Liberalis vs. Servalis Education for a free person

16. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts15 Trivium & Quadrivium Seven Elements Trivium - arts pertaining to the mind Quadrivium - arts pertaining to matter

17. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts16 Quadrivium - Arts Pertaining to Matter  Discrete quantity or number Arithmetic Music  Continuous quantity Geometry Astronomy

18. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts17 Trivium - Arts Pertaining to the Mind  Logic (Dialectic) Art of Thinking  Grammar Art of Inventing and combining symbols  Rhetoric Art of Communication

19. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts18 Trivium - essential to learning RhetoricLogic Grammar

20. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts19 Trivium Copyright 1937, 1940, 1948

21. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts20 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?

22. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts21 Information Revolutions  Writing  Paper  Librarians  Table of Contents  Alphabetic Index  Printing

23. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts22 Liberal Arts  A response to an information revolution  Creation of curricula and definition of essentials

24. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts23 Modern Quadrivium  Not my department

25. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts24 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

26. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts25 Trivium - the tools you need to learn everything else Rhetoric Information Technology Logic Computer Science Grammar Information & Media Literacy

27. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts26 So what? UrgentNot Urgent ImportantEasy ChoiceHard Choice Not Important Next Easiest Choice Bad Choice

28. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts27 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

29. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts28 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

30. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts29 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

31. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts30 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

32. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts31 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!

33. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts32 Add it to the curriculum?  Can’t be done And wrong anyway  Must be a part of every class  Requires enormous enrollment by faculty

34. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts33 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

35. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts34 Sneak it in as pedagogy  Big 6 http://www.big6.com

36. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts35 Big6 Provides common vocabulary  Lowers student learning curve  Focuses on organization  Encourages reflection

37. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts36 Liberal Arts  Context is easier to sell Back to Basics Terminology less threatening

38. July 16, 2007Overhauling the Liberal Arts37 Time for the Important - Not Urgent  The 21st century evolution of the Trivium  Gateway to the rest of the 21st century