The Core Curiculum - CrossFit for the Brain

It's a hoary old argument in academia about the value of a core curriculum that all students must take. This causes some friction between teachers and students.

I loved the analogy below which was part of an article called Cross-Training for the Brain by Rob Jenkins.

The core curriculum is really a lot more like cross-training than like weight-lifting. Yes, to be mentally fit, we have to push against resistance. But we also must encounter different types of resistance and respond to them with different parts of our brain. That’s why math majors need to study literature and English majors have to sit through math classes and all of them need to take history and science and fine arts and so on.

What we have traditionally referred to as the “core curriculum” in reality is nothing less than cross-training for the brain.

In my academic training I have studied medical science, business and the humanities at postgraduate level. I can say from experience that the 3 different approaches taken in science, business and humanities cause different resistance in differing parts of the brain. This has been beneficial for my intellectual flexibility and problem solving.

DK

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Academic Novels

Seeing it is the academic break in the US, I bought a number of academic novels to read and the first two were fantastic. One was through the eyes of a first year student in the UK and the other is about a professor with Aspergers syndrome in Australia.

The titles are as follows:

Starter for 10 by David Nicholls and

The Rosie Effect by Graham Simsion.

Both books are available from Amazon in hard copy and Kindle formats. Just search from the box below:

DK

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Post Colonial Children's Literature

I recently found an excellent course on iTunes from La Trobe University in Melbourne Australia. it is on post colonial children's literature and it is fascinating.

The lecturer is very entertaining but brings the salient points across in a very clear way.

The themes of colonialism, post colonialism, the Aboriginal and European voice and who owns the story is gripping listening.

Not a book but about books. The story of Little Black Sambo in colonial times and it's form in post colonial times is provocative and challenging.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Academic Quote

Academia seems to have lost its capacity for inspiring the kind of indiscriminate curiosity so fundamental to developing a well-rounded intellectual and creative awareness about the world.

Maria Popova http://www.good.is/post/new-school-how-the-web-liberalized-liberal-arts-education/

Where does the Time Go

I can't believe that I have not posted to this blog since April. I really have been slack. Now I remember - I had an accident and was off work for 6 weeks, then I went to Greece for a months holiday, then I went to the UK for work and then I came home... That might account for it. At the moment I am encouraging people to read books. the book itself, not a book or article about the book. There is no substitute for reading primary sources, unmediated by other peoples opinions, learned or not!! I like to get the pure visceral response from reading a book without any learned intervention. This just seems to be purer. Keep well and hopefully I will post more often DR Kelp