One Subject Called Knowledge

2024/02/20

"It's not just learning that's important. It's learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things that matters." - Northon Juster

For years, a wall has been created between schools and students. Students began to dislike learning subjects without a clear understanding of why they were learning them and how it was applicable in their everyday lives. Practicality has become more important especially for the younger generations. Students find themselves asking their facilitators: Why are you teaching us all these topics and subjects? Are these subjects and topics going to help us succeed as well as improve our lives? Where and how are we going to use the content we are learning? How will the topics and content that we have to superficially memorize be useful?   When are we going to benefit from all of this learning? Today, we need to break down this wall by removing the “bricks” known as subjects, and instead replace it with a “bridge” that represents the overall knowledge needed by students to improve their lives and to become effective lifelong learners. To answer all of the students’ questions and to find the appropriate solution that properly motivates and inspires our students, we need to:

  • Facilitate the Inquiry and Acquisition of knowledge and skills to the students using a real life based educational approach.
  • Plan collaboratively and involve students in the lesson planning process.
  • Reach the benchmark of complete horizontal integration leading to the “One Subject Called Knowledge” pedagogical approach.
  • Generate Big (integrating at least 5 subjects) , Major (integrating at least 3 subjects) , and Minor (integrating at least 2 subjects) Ideas Timetables. There will be no more subjects on the timetables, just ideas that you will facilitate to your partners in education, the students within their classrooms without borders.
  • Generate Big, Major, and Minor Ideas while conducting the collaborative planning meetings.
  • Ensure that the Big, Major, and Minor Ideas use a real life based approach for all subjects.
  • Differentiate by Emotion and not only by Environment, Process, Product, and Assessment. (We need to reach the heart of the students in order to reach their mind).
  • Introduce and Conduct New Instructional Strategies within the classrooms based on:
    • Real Life Based Learning.
    • Passion, Relevance, and Attitude.
    • Personalized Education derived from Differentiated Education.
    • IT as a Crucial Layer in Education.
    • Students-Servant Leadership Approach.
    • STEAMS Education.
    • Inquiry-Based Learning.
    • Curriculum-Classroom Differentiation.
    • Fun Illusion Approach.
    • Nurturing the 21stCentury Learner Profile Traits.
  • Ensure that students acquire knowledge and skills predicated upon the pedagogical concept that knowledge and skills are two faces of the same pedagogical pillar and both equally important
  • Debate the WHY, HOW, WHAT, WHERE, and WHEN with the students within their classrooms.
  • Convey CMT (Constructive, Measurable, and Timely) Feedback to the students and make sure that they use this feedback to improve their skills and knowledge areas.
  • Do not tell students that you are their teacher, but rather tell them that you are here to help them be the pioneers of today’s and tomorrow's leaders.
  • Create a passionate student-centered classroom where knowledge and skills are brainstormed, facilitated, and governed by Big, Major, and Minor Ideas, and not by different subjects.