Sublime

The astute American commentator on education Neil Postman argued compellingly for a curriculum built around what he called ‘the three As’ (as distinct from the three Rs): astronomy, archaeology, and anthropology. Astronomy, favourite of the Greeks, would cultivate in the young a sense of awe, interdependence, and global responsibility. Archaeology

Wehave found that essential questions can be fruitfully framed around four categories of big ideas relevant to effective skill learning: (1) key concepts, (2) purpose and value, (3) strategy and tactics, and (4) context of use.

when we wantstudents to “know” the key events of medieval history, to be effective touchtypists, or to be competent players of specific musical pieces, the focus is on aset of facts, skills, and procedures that must be “learned by heart”—a

Skill refers not only to discrete techniques, but also to complex proceduresand methods. Here the designer commits to results that require guided practice and coaching, stating what students will be able to do by the unit’s end,

thegoal in understanding is to take whatever you are given to produce or findsomething of significance—to use what we have in memory but to go beyondthe facts and approaches to use them mindfully.