The FIELD of Education

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matt 13

“The totality of our so-called knowledge or beliefs, from the most casual matters of geography and history to the profoundest laws of atomic physics or even of pure mathematics and logic, is a man-made fabric which impinges on experience only along the edges. Or, to change the figure, total science is like a field of force whose boundary conditions are experience. A conflict with experience at the periphery occasions readjustments in the interior of the field. Truth values have to be redistributed over some of our statements. Re-evaluation of some statements entails re-evaluation of others, because of their logical interconnections -- the logical laws being in turn simply certain further statements of the system, certain further elements of the field.” Two Dogmas of Empiricism, Quine, 1951

The wonder of a field

We often speak of "fields" when we refer to our studies or vocations. One reason for this is that "fields" provide both a subject and a context.

I have put together some thoughts on "education" as part of a larger field which might help us put
Education In Context.

Bob Love
January 2021

Finding GOD in Every Lesson

 

Whether one finds GOD in a burning bush like Moses or in a liberal arts classroom like Northfield students, the effect on us is always the same ... remove our shoes because the "ground" is holy.

As faculty, we need to understand how to teach in a way that will help our students find GOD in every lesson ... so that the awe-fullness of all things comes across loud and clear.

We have learned that the best way to do this is by following the pedagogical progression of the Trivium:

• first establish the grammar,
• then identify the logic and
• finally engage in the rhetoric.

If we will faithfully do this in planning each lesson regardless of the specific subject then the progression itself [which is the vital sequence for learning about any subject] will show thru in teaching every lesson and establish [over time] the conscious use of the progression in the student's mind as the path for all learning.

The linked essay titled "Finding GOD in Every Lesson" presents some thoughts and guidelines which I hope may prove helpful to old and new faculty alike in planning your lessons and teaching your students.

Bob Love, September 2020

Welcome

If you have questions about what it really means to get a "good education" you are in good company. We hope the materials in this blog will help you mine the treasures others have discovered ... and make them your own ... and [as you have your own "aha !!" moments] encourage you to share your questions and observations with others who have or will someday find themselves on the same journey you are on ... wondering which road to take.

You will see that we have some dedicated pages [which are still very much works-in-progress] for the important topics of

• the trivium
• the quadrivium
• faith
• imagination

which will recur from time to time and in more or less depth in every blog posting on this site, because they are themes interwoven into human cognition and action and thus into any comprehensive consideration of pedagogy. In respect for this pervasive presence, we thought it was important to give each one a separate and constant presence in our blog ... even though none of them occurs in isolation but rather in the constant context of all the others.

There is alot to consider ... and to contribute. We look forward to your participation and comments !!

nascantur in admiratione