Television, movies, and video games have become such a huge part of today’s children. As a result from such dependence, there are many more kids that suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. The project that I am proposing is to study these children to see if there is a difference in the way that they learn, or how as teachers we can help them learn better.
I think that this is such an important topic to study, because there are so many kids that are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, some of which do not even have it. I feel that in the future this disorder will become more prevalent in our school systems, and we are going to have to learn to teach them. There is the option for medication, but each child that has this disorder will not be taking the medication. We must be able to help these children achieve their full potential without taking time away from the other children.
As an IDST major with minors in Math and Social Studies and a concentration on education, I feel that we should study children with this disorder to see how best they learn in the separate subjects. For instance, math and science are closely related as well as English and social studies; I would like to see if kids with ADD/ADHD learn better in certain subjects and how they learn in those subjects. I would then like to find a way to structure the curriculum to help these students learn better, especially in the areas that they struggle the most.
I think that this is a very important aspect to a child’s learning that should be researched. I have talked to many elementary school teachers that have taught kids with ADD/ADHD and they did not exactly know how to approach it; or the kids were on medication and the teachers struggled on the days that these kids did not take their medicine. I feel that when teachers do not know how to handle these children, not only does in hinder the learning of the child with the disorder, it also hinders the learning of the rest of the children in the class. I feel that the prevalence of children with ADD/ADHD is only going to get worse in the future; so we should learn to teach these children now so we can maximize the learning of all the children in the classroom.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Discipline Research
Name of Discipline: Early Education
Discipline Subject Matter:
Teaching children grades PK-6 and instructing them in basic subject matter in different areas.
Definition of Discipline Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Early childhood Education spans the human life from birth to age 8. Early childhood education takes many forms depending on the theoretical and educational beliefs of the educator or parent. Early childhood education or learning focus on children learning through play. (Wikipedia)
Sub-Fields within a Discipline Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Subfields would include math, reading/writing, math, and science.(Thought of Myself)
Research Methods Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
This discipline uses a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research. (Myself)
Key Concepts Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Key Concept #1: Instructing (myself)
Key Concept #2: Discipline (myself)
Key Concept #3: Creativity (myself)
Leading Theories Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Leading Theory #1: Constructivism (learning theory) (Wikipedia)
Leading Theory #2: Behaviorist (Wikipedia)
Key Books/Seminal Texts:
Key Book/Seminal Text #1: Eager to Learn: Education our Preschoolers
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #1 is Important:
This book proves a coherent picture of early childhood learning and provides a clear path of improving this stage of life for all children.
Key Book/Seminal Text #2: Handbook of Early Childhood Intervention
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #2 is Important:
This is a reference in child care, early childhood education, and early intervention programs of value to a broad multidisciplinary audience.
Key Book/Seminal Text #3: Handbook of Early Literacy Research
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #3 is Important:
This book brings together current knowledge and understanding of how literacy can be best developed, nurtured and taught.
Key Thinkers and Practitioners:
Key Thinker #1: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky
Key Thinker #2: John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner, and Edward Thorndike
Key Thinker #3: Jacques Rousseau and Maria Montessori
Key Practitioner #1: Head Start Program
Key Practitioner #2: Jump Start Program
Key Practitioner #3: Rainbow Riders Program
Professional Academic Journals:
Academic Journal #1:
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Academic Journal #2:
Preschool Matters
Professional Academic Associations:
Professional Academic Association #1:
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Professional Academic Association #2:
The Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting
Name of Discipline: PK-6 Math/Math
Discipline Subject Matter:
Numbers and how they can be combined.
Definition of Discipline Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Math is the body of knowledge centered on concepts such as quantity, structure, space, and change, and also the academic discipline that studies them. (Wikipedia)
Sub-Fields within a Discipline Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Statistics, Geometry, Calculus, Algebra, etc. (Myself)
Research Methods Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Math would be quantitative research. (Myself)
Key Concepts Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Key Concept #1: Counting (Myself)
Key Concept #2: Adding and Subtracting (Myself)
Key Concept #3: Multiplication and Division (Myself)
Leading Theories Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Leading Theory #1: New Math (Wikipedia)
Leading Theory #2: Problem Solving
Key Books/Seminal Texts:
Key Book/Seminal Text #1: Mathematics Classrooms That Promote Understanding
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #1 is Important:
This book focuses on developing understanding of math in classrooms.
Key Book/Seminal Text #2: Multiple Perspectives on Mathematics Teaching and Learning
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #2 is Important:
This book looks at methods of math education.
Key Book/Seminal Text #3: Issues in Mathematics Teaching
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #3 is Important:
This book looks at the issues and problems with teaching math and possible solutions to it.
Key Thinkers and Practitioners:
Key Thinker #1: Tatyana Alexeyevna Afanasyeva
Key Thinker #2: Robert Lee Moore
Key Thinker #3: Toru Kumon
Key Practitioner #1: Robert and Ellen Kaplan
Key Practitioner #2: Leonhard Eulher
Key Practitioner #3: George Polya
Professional Academic Journals:
Academic Journal #1: Mathematics Teacher
Academic Journal #2: Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School
Professional Academic Associations:
Professional Academic Association #1: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Professional Academic Association #2: American Mathematical Society
Discipline Subject Matter:
Teaching children grades PK-6 and instructing them in basic subject matter in different areas.
Definition of Discipline Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Early childhood Education spans the human life from birth to age 8. Early childhood education takes many forms depending on the theoretical and educational beliefs of the educator or parent. Early childhood education or learning focus on children learning through play. (Wikipedia)
Sub-Fields within a Discipline Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Subfields would include math, reading/writing, math, and science.(Thought of Myself)
Research Methods Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
This discipline uses a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research. (Myself)
Key Concepts Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Key Concept #1: Instructing (myself)
Key Concept #2: Discipline (myself)
Key Concept #3: Creativity (myself)
Leading Theories Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Leading Theory #1: Constructivism (learning theory) (Wikipedia)
Leading Theory #2: Behaviorist (Wikipedia)
Key Books/Seminal Texts:
Key Book/Seminal Text #1: Eager to Learn: Education our Preschoolers
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #1 is Important:
This book proves a coherent picture of early childhood learning and provides a clear path of improving this stage of life for all children.
Key Book/Seminal Text #2: Handbook of Early Childhood Intervention
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #2 is Important:
This is a reference in child care, early childhood education, and early intervention programs of value to a broad multidisciplinary audience.
Key Book/Seminal Text #3: Handbook of Early Literacy Research
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #3 is Important:
This book brings together current knowledge and understanding of how literacy can be best developed, nurtured and taught.
Key Thinkers and Practitioners:
Key Thinker #1: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky
Key Thinker #2: John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner, and Edward Thorndike
Key Thinker #3: Jacques Rousseau and Maria Montessori
Key Practitioner #1: Head Start Program
Key Practitioner #2: Jump Start Program
Key Practitioner #3: Rainbow Riders Program
Professional Academic Journals:
Academic Journal #1:
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
Academic Journal #2:
Preschool Matters
Professional Academic Associations:
Professional Academic Association #1:
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Professional Academic Association #2:
The Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting
Name of Discipline: PK-6 Math/Math
Discipline Subject Matter:
Numbers and how they can be combined.
Definition of Discipline Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Math is the body of knowledge centered on concepts such as quantity, structure, space, and change, and also the academic discipline that studies them. (Wikipedia)
Sub-Fields within a Discipline Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Statistics, Geometry, Calculus, Algebra, etc. (Myself)
Research Methods Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Math would be quantitative research. (Myself)
Key Concepts Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Key Concept #1: Counting (Myself)
Key Concept #2: Adding and Subtracting (Myself)
Key Concept #3: Multiplication and Division (Myself)
Leading Theories Plus Parenthetical Citation(s):
Leading Theory #1: New Math (Wikipedia)
Leading Theory #2: Problem Solving
Key Books/Seminal Texts:
Key Book/Seminal Text #1: Mathematics Classrooms That Promote Understanding
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #1 is Important:
This book focuses on developing understanding of math in classrooms.
Key Book/Seminal Text #2: Multiple Perspectives on Mathematics Teaching and Learning
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #2 is Important:
This book looks at methods of math education.
Key Book/Seminal Text #3: Issues in Mathematics Teaching
Why Key Book/Seminal Text #3 is Important:
This book looks at the issues and problems with teaching math and possible solutions to it.
Key Thinkers and Practitioners:
Key Thinker #1: Tatyana Alexeyevna Afanasyeva
Key Thinker #2: Robert Lee Moore
Key Thinker #3: Toru Kumon
Key Practitioner #1: Robert and Ellen Kaplan
Key Practitioner #2: Leonhard Eulher
Key Practitioner #3: George Polya
Professional Academic Journals:
Academic Journal #1: Mathematics Teacher
Academic Journal #2: Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School
Professional Academic Associations:
Professional Academic Association #1: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Professional Academic Association #2: American Mathematical Society
Arguement for IDST
1. Interdisciplinary studies rest upon serious conceptual confusion (Benson).
As Newell says, this statement comes the closest to being an argument against Interdisciplinary Studies. I feel that each person has a different definition of what Interdisciplinary Studies is to them, which makes it hard for other people to understand. Each person makes their own connections, and one person may see a different connection than another person does. So I feel that this make it clear “what it means to connect the disciplines” as Benson asks.
2. Interdisciplinary studies students lack a mature base in any discipline (Benson).
I feel that as an interdisciplinary studies student, I have a firm and mature base in both my discipline minors. By choosing this route to become a teacher, I have been able to take courses in many different disciplines, which I feel is something that every teacher needs to experience. Not only will this make me a better teacher, I feel that this major has helped me to understand how to teach somewhat better. I have been able to connect aspects of human development and psychology with core disciplines such as Math and English. I feel that by majoring in interdisciplinary studies has helped me to gain a mature base in my disciplines.
3. The commitment to undergraduate interdisciplinary studies programs impedes students’ development of disciplinary competence (Benson).
I feel that the commitment to interdisciplinary studies has not impeded my development of disciplinary competence, but it has helped me understand my discipline more. I think that being able to study more than one discipline has only helped my college experience. I am a person that will only learn things that interest them, and by having the option to study more than one discipline, I am able to have a more enjoyable and interesting learning experience.
4. Interdisciplinary studies is a dumping ground for the less than disciplinary competent (Petrie).
I find this argument offensive. I do not think that it is okay for someone to call an Interdisciplinary Studies major basically incompetent. I think that people criticize what they do not understand, and I feel that this is Petrie’s problem. I do not feel that IDST is a place for people that can not handle a single discipline, but for the people that get bored studying only one. I feel that IDST majors are very competent in disciplines; as well as more well rounded than some of the single disciplinary majors.
5. Interdisciplinary studies courses are shallow and lack intellectual rigor (Benson).
I feel that this argument has no truth to it what so ever. This being my third IDST course and having other disciplinary courses, I feel that the IDST courses are the most challenging. I think this because, many other courses deal with memorizing facts but IDST makes you think. I feel that I have to place more effort into my IDST courses, because they ask you to go beyond memorizing and spiting back facts. The courses ask you to use those facts to challenge yourself and gain something more.
6. The level of scholarship seldom exceeds that of a “glorified bull session” (Petrie).
The understanding I have of a “bull session,” is a lot of talking but no real action. I think that it is true that IDST majors discuss things in a lot of detail and it may seem that all we do is sit around and talk. However, the discussions that we have help to advance our learning. I think that IDST can be compared to “Salon” discussions in our history; the only difference is we are able to major in it. Some of the great ideas and discussions came from those Salons, so I feel that if our scholarship is nothing more than a “glorified bull session,” then the Salons of our history were nothing more as well.
As Newell says, this statement comes the closest to being an argument against Interdisciplinary Studies. I feel that each person has a different definition of what Interdisciplinary Studies is to them, which makes it hard for other people to understand. Each person makes their own connections, and one person may see a different connection than another person does. So I feel that this make it clear “what it means to connect the disciplines” as Benson asks.
2. Interdisciplinary studies students lack a mature base in any discipline (Benson).
I feel that as an interdisciplinary studies student, I have a firm and mature base in both my discipline minors. By choosing this route to become a teacher, I have been able to take courses in many different disciplines, which I feel is something that every teacher needs to experience. Not only will this make me a better teacher, I feel that this major has helped me to understand how to teach somewhat better. I have been able to connect aspects of human development and psychology with core disciplines such as Math and English. I feel that by majoring in interdisciplinary studies has helped me to gain a mature base in my disciplines.
3. The commitment to undergraduate interdisciplinary studies programs impedes students’ development of disciplinary competence (Benson).
I feel that the commitment to interdisciplinary studies has not impeded my development of disciplinary competence, but it has helped me understand my discipline more. I think that being able to study more than one discipline has only helped my college experience. I am a person that will only learn things that interest them, and by having the option to study more than one discipline, I am able to have a more enjoyable and interesting learning experience.
4. Interdisciplinary studies is a dumping ground for the less than disciplinary competent (Petrie).
I find this argument offensive. I do not think that it is okay for someone to call an Interdisciplinary Studies major basically incompetent. I think that people criticize what they do not understand, and I feel that this is Petrie’s problem. I do not feel that IDST is a place for people that can not handle a single discipline, but for the people that get bored studying only one. I feel that IDST majors are very competent in disciplines; as well as more well rounded than some of the single disciplinary majors.
5. Interdisciplinary studies courses are shallow and lack intellectual rigor (Benson).
I feel that this argument has no truth to it what so ever. This being my third IDST course and having other disciplinary courses, I feel that the IDST courses are the most challenging. I think this because, many other courses deal with memorizing facts but IDST makes you think. I feel that I have to place more effort into my IDST courses, because they ask you to go beyond memorizing and spiting back facts. The courses ask you to use those facts to challenge yourself and gain something more.
6. The level of scholarship seldom exceeds that of a “glorified bull session” (Petrie).
The understanding I have of a “bull session,” is a lot of talking but no real action. I think that it is true that IDST majors discuss things in a lot of detail and it may seem that all we do is sit around and talk. However, the discussions that we have help to advance our learning. I think that IDST can be compared to “Salon” discussions in our history; the only difference is we are able to major in it. Some of the great ideas and discussions came from those Salons, so I feel that if our scholarship is nothing more than a “glorified bull session,” then the Salons of our history were nothing more as well.
Intellectual Autobiography
I have never considered myself to be and interdisciplinarian, I however have always wanted to become a teacher. Since I was little, when my parents or grandparents asked me what I wanted to be when I get older, I always said I wanted to become a teacher. However, when I was applying to colleges, I was unsure if that is the direction I wanted to take my life in. I knew that I wanted to be a Virginia Tech Hokie, so I applied to Tech, was accepted, and moved into the dorms in August. I was undecided when I first came to college and figured that I had time to make up my mind. I then met my friend Bridget, who also wanted to become a teacher, and I decided that teaching was what I wanted to do.
When I found out that there was no longer an Education undergraduate major, I was unsure of what I was going to do. Bridget then explained the IDST program to me, and I said ‘okay, I’ll go with that.” I was a still a little wary of the whole idea of the program, but I went ahead and took a chance on it. When I learned more about this program, I thought that this would really work for me. I had been having a hard time deciding on what I wanted to major in, because there were so many things that interested me. So I chose my minors to be PK-6 Social Studies and PK-6 Math with a focus on Education.
Math and Social Studies has been one of my favorite subjects since high school. I am not sure why I have always liked math, but I really think that it was my freshman year in High School when I really began to like it. I think that this had a lot to do with the different math teachers that I had. They always seemed to make it fun and looked like they enjoyed teaching it. One reason that I enjoy math so much, is the problem solving aspect to it. My favorite math to learn was Geometry, and I especially loved doing proofs. When ever I told someone that proofs were my favorite part of geometry, they would always look at me like I was crazy. I just always enjoyed figuring out the answers and solving the problems. Social Studies on the other hand, is a subject that has interested me since grade school. My interest in this subject I think comes from my 4th grade teacher who made it fun to learn. I also like the idea of learning how people lived generations ago. It has always interested me how things came to be the way they are, and we learn a lot of that from history and social studies.
So when it came to a major, I thought that it was great that I could combine two of my interests and use them as a way to reach my goal of becoming a teacher. Teaching, I feel is a problem that I want to use my Interdisciplinary tools to figure out. I view teaching as a problem because of the focus on SOL objectives. Since I was a freshman in High School, the main focus of a teacher’s curriculum was and is SOL objectives. I do not think that this is the problem, but the way that some teachers have lost sight of the fun on learning. Teachers are so concerned, especially in Virginia, about having the kids meet all the objectives that there is no fun in learning any more. This is the problem that I see. I want to use my ISDT major and find a way to bring the fun back to learning. I feel that if a child is enjoying learning, then chances are they are learning more.
I feel that by being an Interdisciplinary Studies major will help me to achieve this goal because I have been shown how to look at problems from the different angles and find different solutions to them. I feel that this will be a major part of making a course plan for my students. I will be able to look at the problem of the objectives that I have to teach and will be able to analyze these objectives from different angles and find solutions to make learning the objectives fun. This is my goal as a future teacher, to make the kids learn by having fun and enjoy it.
As I said before, I have never considered my self to be an Interdisciplinarian. Since being in Interdisciplinary Studies, I have found that I have some Interdisciplinary characteristics. I took a risk with this program, so I suppose I could consider myself to be somewhat of a risk taker. I have also considered myself to be reliable, flexible, patience, and sensitive to others. I would also like to think that I am a person that likes to take the initiative and can assert myself when needed. There are many qualities of an Interdisciplinarian that are discussed in our text book, all of which I hope to achieve in my lifetime. After reading the chapters in the books, I figured out how much of an Interdisciplinarian that I am.
When I found out that there was no longer an Education undergraduate major, I was unsure of what I was going to do. Bridget then explained the IDST program to me, and I said ‘okay, I’ll go with that.” I was a still a little wary of the whole idea of the program, but I went ahead and took a chance on it. When I learned more about this program, I thought that this would really work for me. I had been having a hard time deciding on what I wanted to major in, because there were so many things that interested me. So I chose my minors to be PK-6 Social Studies and PK-6 Math with a focus on Education.
Math and Social Studies has been one of my favorite subjects since high school. I am not sure why I have always liked math, but I really think that it was my freshman year in High School when I really began to like it. I think that this had a lot to do with the different math teachers that I had. They always seemed to make it fun and looked like they enjoyed teaching it. One reason that I enjoy math so much, is the problem solving aspect to it. My favorite math to learn was Geometry, and I especially loved doing proofs. When ever I told someone that proofs were my favorite part of geometry, they would always look at me like I was crazy. I just always enjoyed figuring out the answers and solving the problems. Social Studies on the other hand, is a subject that has interested me since grade school. My interest in this subject I think comes from my 4th grade teacher who made it fun to learn. I also like the idea of learning how people lived generations ago. It has always interested me how things came to be the way they are, and we learn a lot of that from history and social studies.
So when it came to a major, I thought that it was great that I could combine two of my interests and use them as a way to reach my goal of becoming a teacher. Teaching, I feel is a problem that I want to use my Interdisciplinary tools to figure out. I view teaching as a problem because of the focus on SOL objectives. Since I was a freshman in High School, the main focus of a teacher’s curriculum was and is SOL objectives. I do not think that this is the problem, but the way that some teachers have lost sight of the fun on learning. Teachers are so concerned, especially in Virginia, about having the kids meet all the objectives that there is no fun in learning any more. This is the problem that I see. I want to use my ISDT major and find a way to bring the fun back to learning. I feel that if a child is enjoying learning, then chances are they are learning more.
I feel that by being an Interdisciplinary Studies major will help me to achieve this goal because I have been shown how to look at problems from the different angles and find different solutions to them. I feel that this will be a major part of making a course plan for my students. I will be able to look at the problem of the objectives that I have to teach and will be able to analyze these objectives from different angles and find solutions to make learning the objectives fun. This is my goal as a future teacher, to make the kids learn by having fun and enjoy it.
As I said before, I have never considered my self to be an Interdisciplinarian. Since being in Interdisciplinary Studies, I have found that I have some Interdisciplinary characteristics. I took a risk with this program, so I suppose I could consider myself to be somewhat of a risk taker. I have also considered myself to be reliable, flexible, patience, and sensitive to others. I would also like to think that I am a person that likes to take the initiative and can assert myself when needed. There are many qualities of an Interdisciplinarian that are discussed in our text book, all of which I hope to achieve in my lifetime. After reading the chapters in the books, I figured out how much of an Interdisciplinarian that I am.
Personal Statement
I like to describe Interdisciplinary Studies as the buffet of college learning. By majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies, I have been able to study the subjects that interest me and have helped me prepare for the real world. When I first entered college I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I eventually settled on teaching. Since there is no undergraduate major for education at Virginia Tech anymore, I decided on Interdisciplinary Studies. This major has allowed me to choose two minors that interest me, these are PK-6 Social Studies and PK-6 Math. If I had not chosen IDST, I would have had to double major in Math and History to obtain my goals.
Interdisciplinary Studies allows students to study the subjects that most interest them. Also, IDST teaches students to use their minors, as well as other aspects of learning, to view problems from different angles and find a solution. I am not sure what types of problems that I will be able to solve using my minors, however taking the education route has allowed me to take a class in many subjects. Following the requirements for Education Graduate School, I have been able to take a class in just about every area that Virginia Tech offers. Also being an IDST major, I have been able to take classes in areas such as Women’s Studies, Judaic Studies, and Humanities; which are not required for Graduate School. Having classes in all these areas will help me in the future to educate children, which is the problem that I wish to solve for myself. Figuring out how to teach children and effectively help them to learn is a large problem that all teachers need to figure out.
I have taken a class in sociology, psychology, and will be taking a class in human development. These classes have and will enable me to understand how a child’s mind works and the most effective ways to teach them. My minors will also help me to teach children the subjects that they need to be successful. I want to teach kindergarten, and two of the math classes I have taken have given me the tools to learn how to teach math to children that age so that they are able to understand and learn it. Using my social studies minor, I am able to take different history classes that I can use in my kindergarten classes to teach the kids a little about history. The only problem that concerns me is the high level of education that I am learning and then having to break it down to be able to teach on a kindergarten level. This is where I figure that my Graduate School will help along with the tools of problem solving I have learned in IDST.
IDST is a problem solving major. I feel that this major gives students a chance to pull areas of study together to figure out a solution, rather than just being given the solution. IDST gives a student a better awareness of the world around them and how they can use their minors to help solve those problems. IDST also teaches a student to find more than one solution and to look at every aspect of a problem. Interdisciplinary Studies is also a major that is continually changing and evolving, and I am sometimes not sure what exactly it is all about. I do know that Interdisciplinary Studies is a major that allows students to study the subjects that interest them the most, which is what I love. I am the type of person that will only learn about the stuff that I am interested in and feel that I will use when I graduate. This major has allowed me to combine my interest in children with that of math and history, which is something that no other major on a college campus offers to students. I also feel that since IDST offers this type of freedom to students, they are often the students that graduate from college the most well rounded in all aspects of their learning. From my point of view, I feel that Interdisciplinary Studies is the major that will help me to become a well-rounded educator for the future, which is a trait that every educator needs to have.
Interdisciplinary Studies allows students to study the subjects that most interest them. Also, IDST teaches students to use their minors, as well as other aspects of learning, to view problems from different angles and find a solution. I am not sure what types of problems that I will be able to solve using my minors, however taking the education route has allowed me to take a class in many subjects. Following the requirements for Education Graduate School, I have been able to take a class in just about every area that Virginia Tech offers. Also being an IDST major, I have been able to take classes in areas such as Women’s Studies, Judaic Studies, and Humanities; which are not required for Graduate School. Having classes in all these areas will help me in the future to educate children, which is the problem that I wish to solve for myself. Figuring out how to teach children and effectively help them to learn is a large problem that all teachers need to figure out.
I have taken a class in sociology, psychology, and will be taking a class in human development. These classes have and will enable me to understand how a child’s mind works and the most effective ways to teach them. My minors will also help me to teach children the subjects that they need to be successful. I want to teach kindergarten, and two of the math classes I have taken have given me the tools to learn how to teach math to children that age so that they are able to understand and learn it. Using my social studies minor, I am able to take different history classes that I can use in my kindergarten classes to teach the kids a little about history. The only problem that concerns me is the high level of education that I am learning and then having to break it down to be able to teach on a kindergarten level. This is where I figure that my Graduate School will help along with the tools of problem solving I have learned in IDST.
IDST is a problem solving major. I feel that this major gives students a chance to pull areas of study together to figure out a solution, rather than just being given the solution. IDST gives a student a better awareness of the world around them and how they can use their minors to help solve those problems. IDST also teaches a student to find more than one solution and to look at every aspect of a problem. Interdisciplinary Studies is also a major that is continually changing and evolving, and I am sometimes not sure what exactly it is all about. I do know that Interdisciplinary Studies is a major that allows students to study the subjects that interest them the most, which is what I love. I am the type of person that will only learn about the stuff that I am interested in and feel that I will use when I graduate. This major has allowed me to combine my interest in children with that of math and history, which is something that no other major on a college campus offers to students. I also feel that since IDST offers this type of freedom to students, they are often the students that graduate from college the most well rounded in all aspects of their learning. From my point of view, I feel that Interdisciplinary Studies is the major that will help me to become a well-rounded educator for the future, which is a trait that every educator needs to have.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Key Terms
Disciplinarity- I would define disciplinarity as a tunnel vision of sorts. With disciplinarity, one views things in one certain way.
Interdisciplinarity- I define this as an integration of disciplines. This integration allows a person to pull ideas from different disciplines to find an answer to a question that can not be answered by one discipline.
Multidisciplinarity- Multidisciplinarity is pulling from different disciplines, but there is no integration of the disciplines. Basically, a question would be answered by each discipline the way it would relate to that discipline.
Transdisciplinarity- From the reading I have come to think of transdisciplinarity as a step farther than interdisciplinarity. Transdisciplinarity is interdisciplinarity that has become so integrated that the theory can not be claimed by any one discipline.
Cross-disciplinarity- The definition of cross-disciplinarity as I interpret, is using one discipline to explain another.
1. To say that the terms above are “essentially contested concepts” means that, each person has a different definition of the terms and the terms are constantly being disputed. Not only does the dispute of the terms make them contested concepts, but the fact that the terms are constantly being revised and renewed adds to the complexity of the terms.
2. Interdisciplinary studies programs began to emerge in American universities as early as the 1920s and 1930s with the creation of grant award agencies that were created to encourage collaboration in the social sciences. The first program was an American Studies program that combined the studies of different areas of American Culture and society. This in turn lead to area studies, that integrated knowledge about different geographical areas and cultures. Interdisciplinary studies was basically created as a means to integrate different aspects of life into one study.
3. Even though interdisciplinarity builds upon disciplines, interdisciplinarians have some criticisms of disciplines. First, disciplines fragment knowledge which is a problem for teaching undergraduates who want to find coherence to their education. Also, disciplines promote specialization in a certain area, which discourages integration of disciplines.
4. The framework of interdisciplinary studies seeks to overcome the limitations of disciplinary practice by integrating many disciplines in order to gain a better understanding of the world around us.
5. I would say that interdisciplinary studies is like a cake, you integrate the different “ingredients” or disciplines which end up as a cake or a better understanding to a problem and the world around you.
Interdisciplinarity- I define this as an integration of disciplines. This integration allows a person to pull ideas from different disciplines to find an answer to a question that can not be answered by one discipline.
Multidisciplinarity- Multidisciplinarity is pulling from different disciplines, but there is no integration of the disciplines. Basically, a question would be answered by each discipline the way it would relate to that discipline.
Transdisciplinarity- From the reading I have come to think of transdisciplinarity as a step farther than interdisciplinarity. Transdisciplinarity is interdisciplinarity that has become so integrated that the theory can not be claimed by any one discipline.
Cross-disciplinarity- The definition of cross-disciplinarity as I interpret, is using one discipline to explain another.
1. To say that the terms above are “essentially contested concepts” means that, each person has a different definition of the terms and the terms are constantly being disputed. Not only does the dispute of the terms make them contested concepts, but the fact that the terms are constantly being revised and renewed adds to the complexity of the terms.
2. Interdisciplinary studies programs began to emerge in American universities as early as the 1920s and 1930s with the creation of grant award agencies that were created to encourage collaboration in the social sciences. The first program was an American Studies program that combined the studies of different areas of American Culture and society. This in turn lead to area studies, that integrated knowledge about different geographical areas and cultures. Interdisciplinary studies was basically created as a means to integrate different aspects of life into one study.
3. Even though interdisciplinarity builds upon disciplines, interdisciplinarians have some criticisms of disciplines. First, disciplines fragment knowledge which is a problem for teaching undergraduates who want to find coherence to their education. Also, disciplines promote specialization in a certain area, which discourages integration of disciplines.
4. The framework of interdisciplinary studies seeks to overcome the limitations of disciplinary practice by integrating many disciplines in order to gain a better understanding of the world around us.
5. I would say that interdisciplinary studies is like a cake, you integrate the different “ingredients” or disciplines which end up as a cake or a better understanding to a problem and the world around you.
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