Synopses & Reviews
For generations, schools have aimed to introduce students to a broad range of topics through curriculum that ensure that they will at least have some acquaintance with most areas of human knowledge by the time they graduate. Yet such broad knowledge canand#8217;t help but be somewhat superficialand#8212;and, as Kieran Egan argues, it omits a crucial aspect of true education: deep knowledge.
Real education, Egan explains, consists of both general knowledge and detailed understanding, and in Learning in Depth he outlines an ambitious yet practical plan to incorporate deep knowledge into basic education. Under Eganand#8217;s program, students will follow the usual curriculum, but with one crucial addition: beginning with their first days of school and continuing until graduation, they will eachalso study one topicand#8212;such as apples, birds, sacred buildings, mollusks,circuses, or starsand#8212;in depth. Over the years, with the help and guidance of their supervising teacher, students will expand their understanding of their one topic and build portfolios of knowledge that grow and change along with them. By the time they graduate each student will know as much about his or her topic as almost anyone on earthand#8212;and in the process will have learned important, even life-changing lessons about the meaning of expertise, the value of dedication, and the delight of knowing something in depth.
Though Eganand#8217;s program may be radical in its effects, it is strikingly simple to implementand#8212;as a number of schools have already discoveredand#8212;and with Learning in Depth as a blueprint, parents, educators, and administrators can instantly begin taking the first steps toward transforming our schools and fundamentally deepening their studentsand#8217; minds.
Review
"The Learning in Depth project has brought to our students a completely new relationship to learning that has been surprising in its depth and quality. After seeing Learning in Depth at work in our school community, I know this has been a critical, missing element.and#160; It has proven to be everything we imagined (and much more we didn't) when we heard about Kieran Egan's remarkable vision.and#8221;
About the Author
Kieran Egan is the author of many books, including The Educated Mind: How Cognitive Tools Shape Our Understanding and The Future of Education: Reimagining our Schools from the Ground Up.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 The Problem
2 The Proposal
3 Objections and Responses
4 The Nature of the Topics
5 Some Operating Principles and Examples
6 Building the Portfolio
7 What Do We Do Next?
Conclusion
Appendix A: Foundations for Learning in Depth
Appendix B: A Brief Outline of the Learning in Depth ProgramReferences