Opinion
School & District Management Letter to the Editor

‘Natural’ Knowledge Systems Need Research

May 08, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

In “Reaching Beyond the Ivory Tower Into the Classroom” (April 4, 2012), University of Southern California President C.L. Max Nikias and USC professor William G. Tierney ask, “How can research universities become engaged in our public schools?”

I have a very specific suggestion—a way to operationalize their call to “knock down the knowledge silos.”

Humans—all humans—possess an amazing system for organizing, integrating, and creating knowledge. The power of that system begins to be evident almost from the moment of birth.

Formal schooling ignores that implicitly known system, opting instead for one based on the academic disciplines and school subjects. This “invented” system, formally adopted in the late 19th century, resists knowledge integration. And, because it arbitrarily compartmentalizes knowledge, it blocks the relating processes essential to creativity.

A research project that demonstrates the centrality of our “natural” system for constructing knowledge, and the ability of that system to contextualize and enrich our adopted system, would revolutionize schooling.

The country that does that first will move its young to levels of intellectual performance beyond the reach of today’s standards and measures of accountability.

Marion Brady

Cocoa, Fla.

The writer is a retired public school teacher, school administrator, and college professor.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the May 09, 2012 edition of Education Week as ‘Natural’ Knowledge Systems Need Research

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management How One Principal Got Kids to Pay Attention in Class
Utah principal Shauna Haney brought about one of the first classroom cellphone bans in the state.
2 min read
Cellphone wearing a sleep mask. Cellphone policy.
Irina Shatilova/iStock
School & District Management Celebrate Five Years of The Savvy Principal—A Newsletter Just for School Leaders
The Savvy Principal is full of news, insights, and actionable tips on school leadership.
1 min read
Close cropped photo of a laptop, planner and phone with ear phones attached to it. The phone is displaying an edition of Education Week's The Savvy Principal enewsletter.
Liz Yap/Education Week + Adobe Stock
School & District Management Worried About Withheld Education Funding? Here's How Leaders Can Speak Up
Education leaders must communicate the consequences of withheld K-12 funding to Congress and their own communities.
6 min read
Superintendents Dr. Alex Marrero, Alberto Carvalho, and Joe Gothard
Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero, left, Madison Superintendent Joe Gothard, and Los Angeles Superintendent Alberto Carvalho are among district leaders who've pushed for the release of withheld federal K-12 funding. The three have also sought to explain the consequences to their own communities.
David Zalubowski/AP, Andy Clayton-King/AP, Anthony Behar/AP
School & District Management Opinion ‘You’re Woke’: A Former Superintendent Responds to Intense Backlash
My critics hurled “woke” at me like a verbal grenade—but we need education leaders who are wide awake.
Robert Sokolowski
4 min read
Diverse group of multiethnic multicultural people silhouette. The weaponization of woke.
iStock/Getty Images