Education Commons^™

An Argument For Interdisciplinary Learning In Middle School, Isaiah Gillian

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Interdisciplinary education is a pedagogical approach that is beneficial for adolescent learners. Using this approach, students can integrate knowledge from one subject into another and form a holistic understanding of the real world we live in.

“It’S Part Of Your Life Now Because Someone Has Exposed You To It”: The Experiences Of Adult Learners Of Color In The Clemente Course In The Humanities, Charity Anderson

Journal of Research Initiatives

At 30 sites across the United States and Puerto Rico, the Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities provides economically and socially marginalized adults with a free college course in the humanities. The experience of non-traditional adult students, particularly adults of color, is often missing from academic literature, exacerbating past injustices and increasingly marginalizing the historically underserved people and communities of color by higher education. This paper, which draws from a two-year critical ethnography of Clemente courses, examines the perspective of the adult learners of color who participated in the course. Interview and participant-observational data indicate that adults enrolled in …

Sense Of Belonging Of Lgbtq+, Racial Minority, And Religiously Affiliated College Students At Binghamton University, Nusrat Islam, Leah Cingranelli

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Binghamton University and institutions alike have put forth certain rules and efforts to ensure that students of the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and students who are religiously affiliated feel safe. The reality is that many of these students feel unwelcome and ostracized due to their social identities (Blakmon et al., 2020). The aim of this non-experimental study was to investigate if there was a significant difference in sense of belonging among minority groups of undergraduate students who attend Binghamton University, as well as those who are not part of minority groups. We hypothesized that the sense of belonging amongst …

Young Adult And Canonical Literature Instruction In The High School Classroom: Assessing Students’ Reading Interest, Alexis Yang

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

In the high school English classroom, classic novels are taught as cornerstones of the curriculum. Although these canonical works such as To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) are revered for their literary merit, students often find them boring and skim through the readings or decline to read altogether. Young adult literature (YAL), a genre written for teens, may be an effective genre to teach in high school to boost students’ reading interest. This study aims to determine how teaching young adult literature in the high school classroom, as opposed to canonical works, might affect …

Leveraging Interdisciplinary Expertise In Developing An Alternative Mathematics Pathway, Beverly Wood, Debra T. Bourdeau

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

How many instructors does it take for amazing course design? Or perhaps we should begin with “A mathematician, humanist, communication expert and statistician walk into a bar.” This unlikely team has co-developed a pair of courses, Learning to Reason I: Art and Quotient and Learning to Reason II: Commerce and Flux, that deeply investigate quantitative reasoning from multiple perspectives. Blending elements of rhetoric, logic, and history with mathematical computation, representation, and application breaks through the perceived barriers between the unyielding, obstinate world of mathematics and the ambiguous, equivocal world of the humanities. Developing the courses as an interdisciplinary team of …

Reducing “Treble” With Performance Focused Music Programs In Medical School: A Student Driven Needs Assessment To Clarify Participation Barriers Amongst Undergraduate Medical Students, Alexander Tu, Tiffany Truong, Kristy J. Carlson, Matthew J. Brooks, Jayme R. Dowdall

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: The beneficial impact of performing arts involvement within undergraduate medical education, such as music, has been studied, but support for the arts varies significantly by institution. Research has suggested that medical student involvement in the arts can help develop their identities as physicians and may reduce stress and burnout, an increasingly difficult problem within the medical student community.

Methods: We used a mixed-method cross-sectional study design, using a questionnaire and semi-structured interview designed amongst a team of music professionals and healthcare providers with music backgrounds. Out of 511 enrolled medical students, 93 students participated in the study for a …

Integrating The Humanities With Engineering Through A Global Case Study Course, Kirsten A. Davis, Siddhant S. Joshi, Lori Czerwionka, Francisco Montalvo, Gabriel O. Rios-Rojas, Joe Tort, Jennifer Marston William, E. Nauman

Journal of International Engineering Education

As the world becomes more connected and globalized, the problems that engineers are called upon to solve are increasingly complex and interdependent. Unfortunately, engineering coursework has traditionally focused on abstract and closed-ended problem solving, offering few opportunities for students to develop these skills. In this practice paper, we argue for the importance of integrating the humanities and engineering to understand the multiple and intersecting layers of context in an engineering project. We then describe the Humanities-Informed Engineering Projects course, which we developed to help students acquire this perspective. The course was piloted in Spring 2021 in response to the obstacles …

Still Learning: Covid Through The Eyes Of A Medical Student, Alexis Strahan

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

As a first-year medical student when the COVID-19 pandemic found a foothold, I felt an overwhelming amount of emotions that accompanied the pandemic’s spread. Fear, although a reasonable choice, was not the first emotion that I experienced. In fact, it was a general feeling of paralysis. I had not six months prior taken an oath to commit my career and life to the service of the public’s health care needs, yet I could provide little more than the textbook knowledge of biochemistry or genetics from my first semester of learning. My hands felt unarmed and unskilled for the fight. What …

Stemm-Humanities Co-Teaching And The Humusities Turn, Hella B. Cohen

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Donna Haraway calls for a new Humanities that attends to the role of this traditionally anthropocentric field on a damaged planet. The Humusities, she offers, empower us to teach at the intersections of observation, speculation, and affective reasoning. This article considers co-teaching and interdisciplinary teaching structures as part of the Humusities model. Drawing from interviews and pedagogical materials of professors who have co-taught STEMM-Humanities classes, student feedback from these sections, and current research on interdisciplinary education, I theorize the possibilities and limitations of the interdisciplinary Humusities at the undergraduate level. The article explores how we translate the tenets of Haraway …

Working Across Disciplines And Library Units To Develop A Suite Of Systematic Review Services For Researchers, Nedelina Tchangalova, Eileen G. Harrington, Stephanie Ritchie, Sarah Over, Jodi Coalter

Collaborative Librarianship

Since their inception in the health sciences field, systematic reviews have expanded into many other subject disciplines. To address this growing need, subject librarians at the University of Maryland Libraries collaborated on a pilot program in three phases to introduce researchers to the process of conducting systematic and scoping reviews. This article describes the development of various collaborative efforts leading to the implementation of a systematic review service based on participant feedback. Assessment and evaluation techniques are shared to encourage further refinement of the systematic review service.

What Is Humanistic Stem And Why Do We Need It?, Debra T. Bourdeau, Beverly L. Wood

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Getting students who are planning on technical careers to value their general education courses, particularly in the humanities, is not an easy task. The experiences of two professors from disciplines that cross the so-called divide between STEM and Humanities motivate not only a series of courses blending the two to the advantage of their own students but also a virtual pedagogical community to support efforts taking place elsewhere.

Holocaust Education In Worcester Schools: An Evaluation, Spencer Cronin

Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal at Clark (SURJ)

This project sought to assess the state of Holocaust education in Worcester public secondary schools. The project was based on interviews conducted with roughly 30 students from two Worcester high schools as well as two of their teachers. In these interviews students were asked a series of questions to determine both their knowledge and understanding about the Holocaust, as well as their reactions to learning about it. The interviews with the teachers sought to uncover how the Holocaust was taught to students and with what goals in mind. Students overwhelmingly demonstrated levels of knowledge about the Holocaust below what could …

The Cost And Value Of Your Education, T. Perry Hildreth

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

This brief address explores the issue of the dominance of the economical way of valuing education over a more traditional idea of education as moral formation. An education in a Christian liberal arts university uniquely gives priority to the idea that education should shape the student's moral understanding and consequent actions. The address is an invitation to consider how one, professionally and personally, might serve members of a culture shaped largely by the idea that human meaning and purpose are reducible to economic value as merely producers and consumers.

Improving Equality Through Study In The Humanities. A Book Review Of Education And Equality, Jane Blanken-Webb

Democracy and Education

Danielle Allen’s recent book, Education and Equality, forwards a much-needed perspective for considering the relationship between education and equality in an era in which the value of education seems to be almost unquestionably commensurate with the economic payback it produces in terms of future job earnings. Rather than thinking of education only as a proxy for the transmission of technical know-how and skill that can lead to higher-paying jobs and ultimately improve conditions of economic inequality in our society, Allen took up the intrinsic relationship between education and equality in which the practice of human development, in itself, contributes …

Humanities Trek Across Sioux Falls, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Gathering Steam In Health Care: A Student History, Michael J. Leach

The STEAM Journal

In this reflection, I demonstrate STEAM in health care by outlining my 15 years as a university student engaged in formal education, extracurricular learning, research, and employment.

Fall/Winter 2016

Insights

Notes from the interim dean; Preservation of knowledge: Alumna strives to record Native American legacy; Students explore writing at DePaul in innovative course; DePaul Humanities Center sparks creative thought and engagement; Why Chicago? Professors reflect on integrating the city into the classroom; Meeting the needs of international students; Examining the world refugee crisis; The impact of Pope Francis's visit to the United States; Service-learning courses provide glimpse into the prison system; In brief; Faculty publications

Literacy Co-Teaching With Multi-Level Texts In An Inclusive Middle Grade Humanities Class: A Teacher-Researcher Collaboration, Kelly Chandler-Olcott, Kathleen A. Hinchman

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This article reports on a middle school literacy intervention implemented during a yearlong teacher-researcher collaboration. The purpose of this collaboration was to combine and adjust commonly recommended pedagogical approaches to address the literacy needs of a heterogeneous group of seventh graders attending an urban school. University researchers designed and implemented the intervention with an interdisciplinary team of three teachers. The intervention drew on sociocultural theories of language and learning. It had three main features: integration of English and social studies, multi-level texts, and co-teaching of heterogeneous groups. Qualitative data included field notes from classroom observations and planning meetings, transcripts from …

The Fabulous Promise And Practical Need For The Humanities In The Twenty-First Century, Liam Riordan

Maine Policy Review

Guest editor Liam Riordan in this overview article explores the relationship between the humanities and policy in general terms, identifying the recurring themes in the other articles in this special issue of Maine Policy Review. He contends that the humanities offer fabulous promise to enrich the quality of civic life in Maine and that this promise is firmly rooted in how the humanities address our practical need for meaningful human experiences.

Margaret Chase Smith Essay: The Urgency Of Democracy, William D. Adams

Maine Policy Review

In primary and secondary schools in Maine and across the country, classroom time devoted to civics and American political history, along with many humanities subjects, is under increasing pressure. William D. Adams argues that failure to teach these subjects is related to a decline in meaningful polit­ical participation and civic engage­ment of all kinds in the United States. He draws connections between a healthy democracy and democratic citizenship and the ability to think critically, to imagine alternatives, to advance the common good, and to feel empathy and respect for others that a robust humanities education encourages.

Humanities And Education: Section Introduction

Maine Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Not A Big Stretch: Community College Humanities, Ronald G. Cantor

Maine Policy Review

Today’s community colleges provide low-cost access to degrees in the humanities and social sciences as well as in technical fields and the trades. The humanities are key to developing the soft skills that employers demand most, and therefore they fit the workforce-development mission of community colleges. Since many students can afford no college other than a community college, their educational and career options would be significantly reduced (with negative economic, institutional, and societal repercussions) if community colleges did not offer courses and programs in the humanities. The humanities enrich our world while inspiring insights that help us to achieve practical …

What Are You Going To Do With That Major?: The Humanities, Jobs, And A Career, Patricia Counihan

Maine Policy Review

Based on years of experience in a universi­ty career center, Patricia Counihan outlines the value to both employers and future employees of the curiosity, flexibility, and open-mindedness that humanities majors develop through their coursework. A humanities education allows students to thrive in many careers and to be flexible, creative employees.

Philosophy Across The Ages, Kirsten Jacobson

Maine Policy Review

This article describes an outreach program called Philosophy Across the Ages (PAA). PAA connects a University of Maine philosophy professor and her undergraduate students with Orono High School students through exciting biweekly seminar-style discussions of philosophical texts from ancient to contemporary times.

Margaret Chase Smith Essay: The Right Of Independent Thought, Jonathan F. Fanton

Maine Policy Review

This essay by Jonathan F. Fanton investigates the relationship between the humanities and the right of independent thought, as described by Senator Margaret Chase Smith in her “Declaration of Conscience” speech. The author suggests that independent thought must be renewed continually and culti­vated at every turn, or it becomes fixed ideology that cannot adapt to changing circumstances.

A Medical Humanities Course: A Pertinent Pause On The Medical Beat, Kathleen Welch

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

This article summarizes the findings of one ethnographic study and demonstrates that, by emphasizing self- reflection and discussion, an interdisciplinary literature and medicine course provides medical students a brief but important, time for retrospection.

If Only Math Majors Could Write..., Bernard L. Madison

Numeracy

This text of the opening plenary address to the 2011 Summit of the Appalachian College Association and the meeting of the National Numeracy Network makes an argument that quantitative reasoning and writing should be taught together. The argument is set up by noting that humanists have historically banished quantitative issues from their study of the liberal arts and that science, engineering, and mathematics education suffers from lack of approaches to learning that promote complex, deeper understanding, most notably integrative and reflective learning. Therefore, everyone would profit from combining writing and quantitative reasoning. Five more specific reasons are discussed, drawing evidence …

A Review Of Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs The Humanities, Laura A. Desisto

Democracy and Education

A review of the book Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities, by Martha Nussbaum (Princeton University Press, 2010).

Elitism Versus Populism: The Continuing Debate, Ralph A. Smith

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

"Elitism vs. populism" identifies dichotomous stances that are increasingly causing acrimony among those concerned with defining cultural and educational relations. Not surprisingly, the controversy is one of the sundry things touched on by the Rockefeller Commission Report the Humanities in American Life.