Heinlein's Curriculum (Part II)

At the conclusion of my last post I left a couple questions unanswered. One of those questions dealt with the implementation of Heinlein's Curriculum, and whether it ought to be done in a subject based system like the one we have now, or should it be done using an interdisciplinary model? Having given it some thought, I've come to favour the interdisciplinary way. In this post I will attempt to explain how this curriculum could be implemented. One more reminder before I get going: this is a purely theoretical curriculum. I'm not saying that it should be taught in schools, I'm just asking what would school look like, if it were. 

In order to integrate all of things on Heinlein's list, there needs to be some sort of unifying theme. One example might be "birth, life, and death." In studying that theme students would cover things like caring for infants, butcher a hog, balance accounts, comfort the dying, pitch manure, cook a tasty meal, and die gallantly. All of these things can relate back to various aspects of life and death. 

Another unifying theme might be "war and conflict." Under that theme students could learn to plan an invasion, conn a ship, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, fight efficiently and die gallantly. These are all skills that are all involved in war and conflict.

One final example which includes some of the items not included thus far might be "industry and infrastructure." Contained within that theme are things like: design a building, balance accounts, cooperate, act alone, build a wall, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure and program a computer.

The only thing from Heinlein's list that was not included in the above was writing a sonnet, or more broadly speaking, written language skills—which could be implemented into all of the above.  

When broken down like that, it seems so simple, but these are all complex subjects of inquiry which take a lot of time and organization to deliver effectively. Only when several teachers with expertise in different subject areas pool their resources the above units of study are possible.

Another question that I posed in my last post was how to evaluate the above curriculum. For that, I think problem based learning might be appropriate. For example, in the "war and conflict" unit, the class could be posed a problem such as: in small groups, design and build a model of a fort using historical examples (i.e. Fort George) as a reference. Each member of the group could take a certain role, like chief naval officer, chief engineer, or chief medical officer. Each member of the group must research their own topic then incorporate what they've learned into their design. The roles could encompass any or all aspects of war and conflict and should be tailored to the students' individual interests. For example, the chief naval officer might learn about ships and naval warfare, so that the fort could be defended against a naval bombardment. The chief engineer could learn about palisade walls and how to build them so that attacking foot soldiers cannot climb over. Finally, the chief medical officer might discover what will be needed for medical supplies, food rations, etc. In the end, they would create a model of the fort using cardboard and/or popsicle sticks (or whatever other materials are available). They would also be required to create a written record of their design choices throughout the process. Teachers from various disciplines would oversee the process and include tons of ongoing feedback. Students would also be exposed to different methods of research, like text books, field trips, experimentations, etc. Ultimately, this type of curriculum could be as complex as time and resources will allow.

This has been a fun little thought experiment for me. The more I think about this type of curriculum, the more excited I am to begin teaching. To end things off I would like to return to the original quote from Heinlein. The very last line says: "...specialization is for insects." This is something I haven't really touched on yet, but I think it's important. One of the goals for 21st century education is to foster grit and resiliency. By focusing too much on one subject or subjects, students become less adaptable. In an ever changing environment, students need a broad base of knowledge and skills, so that they can become well-rounded citizens. I think Heinlein's Curriculum and others like it, if delivered effectively, can provide learners with all that they need to overcome the challenges they will face in the future.