"I write this in the belief that, for all-round development of the brain, there should be in elementary and secondary education much more training of the hand, and of the power of expression through the hand, than is customary in the too bookish tradition which has come down to us from classical humanism. Such a subject as history is too apt to pass without challenge into the circle of those subjects which are taught out of books and from a literary point of view. We have to claim it as falling into the scientific division of the course not less than into that of the humanities. And there is need in the teaching of it for the use of the hand and of the constructive powers. From this point of view, handwork in the elementary school is not so much a subject by itself as a form of expression ancillary to several branches of the curriculum, namely, elementary science, geometry, geography, and history."If you want to see these principles in action, please arrange a visit to Clear Spring School, or pay regular attention to this blog.
This blog is dedicated to sharing the concept that our hands are essential to learning- that we engage the world and its wonders, sensing and creating primarily through the agency of our hands. We abandon our children to education in boredom and intellectual escapism by failing to engage their hands in learning and making.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Curriculum integration and the hands
The following is extracted from an interesting paper by Professor Sadler on "Handwork in History Teaching," and reproduced in Educational Handwork circa 1900 regarding correlation between handicraft and the other subjects of the curriculum. (correlation is the term previously used for Curriculum integration)
Hi Doug. Wondering if you've heard of this legislation and would want to comment. I heard about it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://thebabygardner.com/blog/2008/12/11/love-handmade-a-call-to-action-for-all-of-us/
here is a more informative link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/
I still haven't found a copy of thee actual legislation, but looking.
I reported on that legislation a week or so ago, but it is very good to be reminded. The site you list and the other one I shared, have resources for going from worry to action.
ReplyDeleteWe have become such a nation of idiots regulating things of no consequence and giving free rein to rich creeps.
It is so funny how the Securities and Exchange commission went after Martha Stewart, spending millions to rake her over the coals, but allowed the latest fraud to go on and on for years screwing people out of billions.
It pays to have friends in high places. Craftspeople don't generally tend to have such friends.
I would think the original intent was to regulate big industry and small guys got lumped into the mix.
ReplyDeleteEveryone wants government to protect us, but not when it comes to stepping on our own toes.
I was trying to cut through the hysteria and find some truth. I'll sort through your articles and see what you wrote.