As I read the September 10th Cadalyst article titled “Santolupo's High School Students Tackle Real-World Design Challenges”, I was reminded of Professor Howard Gardner’s work in the area of learning theory. In his book Five Minds of the Future, Gardner talks about two types of understanding – “subject matter understanding” and “disciplinary” understanding”. He argues that schools place far too much emphasis on mastery of subject matter:
Subject matter can be viewed as the acquisition of what the literature refers to as “procedural knowledge”, i.e. understanding procedures, comprehending facts and information. Gardner asserts that subject matter knowledge can be too easily lost and forgotten because it is not connected to a larger conceptual framework. In contrast to subject matter understanding, he defines disciplinary understanding as “a distinctive way of thinking about the world and a distinctive way of analyzing”( p. 9). He suggests that a major goal of education should be to support students in developing the abilities and confidence to think like historians, scientists and mathematicians.
In his High School class in London, Ontario Canada teacher Mike Santolupo is working to help students develop disciplinary thinking- guiding them to “think like designers”. His 11th graders have been asked "to design a concept vehicle that would improve mobility in an urban environment for the physically impaired and accommodate both driver and wheelchair." Subject matter expertise related to engineering, math and ergonomics and a strong foundation of skill sets with programs such as Inventor and Alias provide the important foundation. But this project takes that subject matter knowledge and goes further by asking students to consider how their work fits into a much larger conceptual framework that includes consideration of the urban environment, smart use of natural resources and accommodating the needs of people with disabilities.
Subscribe
Comments