I would love to design a course or a unit for children which is a cross-pollination of English and science, since these subjects were two of my favorites in high school. Why English and science, you might ask? Well, it goes back to C.P. Snow's idea of the "Twin cultures" of art and science, and how he feared that these cultures were becoming further and further derailed or separated over time. It would somehow be great to bring it home to young children that we need language to communicate scientific ideas--not just mathematical symbols but more so the symbols of written and oral language that can be shared between people. And, I think the best way (perhaps) of engaging such a course is by reading Shelley's Frankenstein alongside some science articles for children, as a way of encouraging children to think about the advantages and drawbacks of scientific ideas and innovations.
Too often, I see a sharp division between science/math on the one hand and languages on the other, particularly in grade and high schools. It is as though the precision of science did not require the kinds of imagination that are needed to process and understand a literary work. However, it seems that both imagination and precision are required to fully comprehend science and its implications. Being able to integrate science and language in a more reflective course about the opportunities and challenges of science might help people to stop associating science exclusively with mathematics. In addition, it challenges the idea that subject areas are bounded tightly and cannot cross-over into other genres. I believe that being able to cross genre boundaries is an important skill which allows people to reimagine familiar subjects in new and interesting ways. It also forces people to rethink what they once thought to be "doing science", adding an element of literary narrative to allow people to relate "abstract" science to the impacts on daily life
No comments:
Post a Comment