This week’s module focused on the canon of western education, classical literature, and the use of direct instruction. Many classmates and myself discussed the benefits of direct instruction on low achieving students. The scaffolded approach to teaching that direct instruction offers gives a firm structure that students benefit from both academically and emotionally. When a student feels supported through the instructional process, as they do during the guided and independent practice portion of direct instruction, they are bound to feel good about themselves and their achievements as they are learning the content.
The other portion of the module this week focused on the benefits of teaching classical literature in the classroom. In the Paideia Program: An Educational Syllabus, Mortimer Adler discusses education as a democratic system in which all students should have equal access to the same information. This creates the idea of a canon or set group of information that all students should know. The list at the end of Adler’s article includes what are considered ‘great books’. The majority of the works included are from European or American authors, with a few authors of color added. This list raised a few questions for me. “What makes a piece of literature classic?” and “In what culture is that literature classic”, as well as “Can we expand the canon to reflect the current demographics of our schools?”
I do think it is wonderful that I can identify a piece of Mozart’s music, and have an understanding of Shakespearean society, however, there are many gaps in my knowledge as a global citizen. The biggest question I have in regard to the idea of a canon is, “Is it still considered a canon if it is fluid and ever changing to reflect our diverse, fluid society?”