I'm late to reading and responding but I love this topic and think about it often. It makes me think of Hans Urs von Balthasar who spoke about inverting the transcendentals often used in the order of Truth - Goodness - Beauty to have Beauty lead us to Goodness which leads us to Truth. I think we know this intuitively that knowledge more often starts with the heart and then the hand and then to head knowledge.
Let me first add my appreciation of your essay to those of the other commenters. Not only is its content superb and badly in need of saying, but also it was a joy to read, exhibiting a quality of style that in some ways proves the essays point! I wonder if another point might be made in addition to those already made. As I read, I began to muse on Lewis's "sublime" waterfall. At least part of the point of the illustration is that the waterfall is sublime whether anyone recognizes that it is or not. Two things point to this. First, to introduce the theological, God has given it qualities that make it sublime—a certain kind of orderliness, a power that doesn't threaten but does need to be respected, a beauty of light and color, especially on a sunny day at certain times of day when the rainbow colors of the spectrum might be in evidence. And there may be others. Secondly, it is at least noteworthy that, while there may be those who have so killed their sense of the sublime that they don't feel anything when they view it, there are none that hate, or grow angry at, or laugh mockingly at the waterfall upon viewing it. In other words there is a unity among human beings about the beauty or lack thereof of many things (but by no means all!). This is especially so about so-called "natural" phenomena, which share one central factor, no matter whether they are a summer stream or a majestic mountain: they are all made by the same God. This unity of feeling cries out for a "facticity" (an ugly word, but the best I can think of right now) of its own and ought to be recognized by those who work in education, especially of children.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I am reminded of this quote from Iris Murdoch: “We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality"....to behold the beauty and order in God's creation.
Dr. Gary, thank you so much for this. I’m curious what you think of another C. S. Lewis observation on pedagogy, this one from a rather obscure essay called “The Parthenon and the Optative.” There, Lewis protests against a pedagogical approach that focuses too heavily on appreciation at the expense of core content knowledge. He argues, in fact, that learning the nitty-gritty of a subject matter (the moods of Greek verbs, for example, or the makeup of cells) is actually a pre-requisite for appreciating its beauty. I don’t think this is contradictory to your points here, but it might be a way to bring together the affective and the SLO.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Lewis, in his sermon/essay, "The Weight of Glory," suggests we can have awakened in us an intuition of the beauty of something new (Calculus, Greek, etc.). To be clear it is inchoate and nowhere near the experience of beauty the expert mathematician or linguist has, but it can ignite a spark. Careful study and intricate content knowledge is needed, but hopefully it is now desired.
May I recommend a new book on teaching that examines how this dynamic plays out in great classrooms, where teachers hold inspiration and content knowledge together: On the Edge of Their Seats: What the Best Teachers Do to Engage and Inspire Their Students by Mark E. Jonas PhD, Douglas W. Yacek PhD.
This is a really powerful set of reflections on how the tail has come to wag the dog. I am thankful that even if my syllabus needs to align with some of these "measurables," you and I still have the freedom that your teacher did to teach in a way that is driven by our vision for their appreciation of the fields of study we are in. Even in my teaching area of economics and statistics, I take up the challenge of helping my students learn to love and find beauty in the field. This piece really inspired me to double down on that!
Thank you for your kind words. So grateful to hear you are holding up the beauty and wonder economics and statistics, which are marvels that have transformed our world.
I'm late to reading and responding but I love this topic and think about it often. It makes me think of Hans Urs von Balthasar who spoke about inverting the transcendentals often used in the order of Truth - Goodness - Beauty to have Beauty lead us to Goodness which leads us to Truth. I think we know this intuitively that knowledge more often starts with the heart and then the hand and then to head knowledge.
Let me first add my appreciation of your essay to those of the other commenters. Not only is its content superb and badly in need of saying, but also it was a joy to read, exhibiting a quality of style that in some ways proves the essays point! I wonder if another point might be made in addition to those already made. As I read, I began to muse on Lewis's "sublime" waterfall. At least part of the point of the illustration is that the waterfall is sublime whether anyone recognizes that it is or not. Two things point to this. First, to introduce the theological, God has given it qualities that make it sublime—a certain kind of orderliness, a power that doesn't threaten but does need to be respected, a beauty of light and color, especially on a sunny day at certain times of day when the rainbow colors of the spectrum might be in evidence. And there may be others. Secondly, it is at least noteworthy that, while there may be those who have so killed their sense of the sublime that they don't feel anything when they view it, there are none that hate, or grow angry at, or laugh mockingly at the waterfall upon viewing it. In other words there is a unity among human beings about the beauty or lack thereof of many things (but by no means all!). This is especially so about so-called "natural" phenomena, which share one central factor, no matter whether they are a summer stream or a majestic mountain: they are all made by the same God. This unity of feeling cries out for a "facticity" (an ugly word, but the best I can think of right now) of its own and ought to be recognized by those who work in education, especially of children.
Dear Drew,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I am reminded of this quote from Iris Murdoch: “We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality"....to behold the beauty and order in God's creation.
Sincerely,
Kevin
Dr. Gary, thank you so much for this. I’m curious what you think of another C. S. Lewis observation on pedagogy, this one from a rather obscure essay called “The Parthenon and the Optative.” There, Lewis protests against a pedagogical approach that focuses too heavily on appreciation at the expense of core content knowledge. He argues, in fact, that learning the nitty-gritty of a subject matter (the moods of Greek verbs, for example, or the makeup of cells) is actually a pre-requisite for appreciating its beauty. I don’t think this is contradictory to your points here, but it might be a way to bring together the affective and the SLO.
Dear Dr. Wenneborg,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Lewis, in his sermon/essay, "The Weight of Glory," suggests we can have awakened in us an intuition of the beauty of something new (Calculus, Greek, etc.). To be clear it is inchoate and nowhere near the experience of beauty the expert mathematician or linguist has, but it can ignite a spark. Careful study and intricate content knowledge is needed, but hopefully it is now desired.
May I recommend a new book on teaching that examines how this dynamic plays out in great classrooms, where teachers hold inspiration and content knowledge together: On the Edge of Their Seats: What the Best Teachers Do to Engage and Inspire Their Students by Mark E. Jonas PhD, Douglas W. Yacek PhD.
I appreciate your engaging my essay.
Sincerely,
Kevin Gary
Thanks, Dr. Gary, that book sounds excellent!
This is a really powerful set of reflections on how the tail has come to wag the dog. I am thankful that even if my syllabus needs to align with some of these "measurables," you and I still have the freedom that your teacher did to teach in a way that is driven by our vision for their appreciation of the fields of study we are in. Even in my teaching area of economics and statistics, I take up the challenge of helping my students learn to love and find beauty in the field. This piece really inspired me to double down on that!
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for your kind words. So grateful to hear you are holding up the beauty and wonder economics and statistics, which are marvels that have transformed our world.
Sincerely,
Kevin Gary