The Core Curriculum Teaches Connections

Posted on May 6, 2008 
Filed Under Homeschool, Learning Lifestyle, Reading

Whenever the weather permits, I eat lunch outside on the patio in the edge of the woodland. At this time of year, there are spiderwebs everywhere. It doesn’t matter that I come out every day and sit in the same chair, I still have to brush away an accumulation of delicate webs each day.

I hadn’t been sitting there for more than a minute or two today when I noticed that one fine strand of web had already been spun from arm to arm on my chair, rather like an airy version of the festive ribbon that outlines special seating sections at a wedding. Inevitably, my thoughts turned to the gossamer threads that link ideas and subjects, and from there to the single greatest benefit of the classic core curriculum.

Although many students never suspect it while they are in school, knowledge is not naturally divided into separate subjects. Math walks hand in hand with science, and both affect the course of history. Literature and the arts both reflect and forecast trends in the culture from which they arise, creating an enduring portrait of what is, and sometimes, what is to come.

The core curriculum, defined as the organized exposure of students to the basics in and the links between each knowledge area- history, literature, the arts, science, mathematics, language; touches the young person’s palate with variety, and ideally, introduces great ideas. Like a healthy diet, the core curriculum offers a varied smörgåsbord of intellectual nourishment, resulting in a healthy, robust mind.

I first discovered the web of great ideas through books I read on my own, rather than through the dessicated textbooks and neatly segregated subjects I encountered in school, and I suspect that it’s the same for many of you. It’s been a joy to introduce these idea-connections to my children– to touch their palate with big ideas, and to share the excitement of seeing ideas spark, connect, and catch fire.

Homeschooling is ideally suited for teaching the core curriculum as an interconnected web. Many of our best mentors and books — Charlotte Mason, A Thomas Jefferson Education, unit studies, classical homeschooling– offer ways to bring knowledge to our students in a way that emphasizes the connections, rather than the differences.

Teaching the core curriculum helps avoid the dreaded ‘gap’ problem, because each core subject intersects with many others, allowing knowledge to steadily multiply and stick. If your student has basic pegs of knowledge in each of the core subjects, and each year sees the connections between them increasing, he or she will instinctively understand how to structure and analyze new information as it arrives.

Each student will inevitably find one or more of the core subjects to be more fascinating or comfortable than others, and it’s certainly logical for him to major in those subjects. I have done it throughout my own life with literature, history, and the arts, but I can see where these intersect with math and science, and it is useful to know the vocabulary of each.

As you begin to plan for the next school year, remember the core curriculum, and for your children’s sake, erase the artificial boundaries that are often placed between the disciplines. Use real, living books, including classic literature, rather than dry textbooks, to bring knowledge to life. Education is far more than job training– it’s nourishment for the mind, and necessary for the whole person. Institutional education may have brushed aside those delicate webs of connection, but once you understand their power, I think you’ll be happy to preserve them.

Comments

2 Responses to “The Core Curriculum Teaches Connections”

  1. Mom Is Teaching » Blog Archive » Carnival of Homeschooling on May 13th, 2008 3:35 am

    [...] Campbell presents The Core Curriculum Teaches Connections posted at Janice Campbell: Taking Time for Things that Matter saying “As you begin to plan [...]

  2. SmallWorld on May 13th, 2008 4:59 am

    Fantastic post. I love that last paragraph.

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