Psychology

The learning sciences and liberal education

Document Type

Book Chapter

Abstract

Today we are engaged in a national debate about the extent to which liberal education, as currently conceived, leaves college graduates ready to find their place in the modern world. This debate includes a discussion of whether early apprenticeships in the form of internships, co-op programs, and the development of professional or disciplinary skills divert students from developing the broad knowledge and enhanced civic engagement that are the promised hallmarks of liberal education.

In this article, I will make the case for a new framing of liberal education based on several decades of research emerging from the learning and developmental sciences. This work suggests that general knowledge stems from acquiring both the habits of mind and repertoires of practice that develop from participation in knowledge-building communities.

Publication Title

College Teaching and Learning for Change: Students and Faculty Speak Out

Publication Date

1-1-2017

First Page

46

Last Page

58

ISBN

9781315302386

DOI

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315302393

Keywords

liberal education, college, education

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