Practice makes Perfect

        Ignoring the argument that really only PERFECT practice makes perfect, I would like to apply this title phrase to our civilization class.  While striving to teach a class about four different knowledge institutions, our professors have put into practice these variant types of knowledge and created a perfect class.  But maybe only in the Greek sense of the word, how Christ used it in Matthew, meaning to be complete, finished and fully developed.  We received a complete class, combining all the types of knowledge together to create the ideal environment.  By bringing in guest speakers and lecturers, sending us off on field trips, putting us in familial groups to learn together, and giving atypical assignments we experienced the different types of knowledge, instead of just learning about them.

        We had the feel of folk knowledge in our groups and strong community ties that were created by sharing knowledge in class and on the blog. I had a place to be, physically in the class (...Hey, that's MY seat!...) but also within a group that was mine to learn from and support in their own learning. We shared our life “folk knowledge” experiences, and it brought us closer together. I also had the opportunity to learn some new folk knowledge with my group: how to post and comment on a blog. There were also the more obvious experiences that we were assigned to participate in, where we had to teach and learn a folk skill, and then the amazing class about the gift of bread. Besides getting to eat something, I really appreciated the simple goodness of folk knowledge and the power its products can have in lives after her presentation.

        With oral knowledge, we had the responsibility to participate in a Greek Chorus recital of an Ancient American religious speech. When I delivered my part, I realized that my memory was an important tool in imparting knowledge to future generations and fellow classmates. Of course, the whole modern institution of a university course is based on oral instruction, lecturing, and excellent professors appreciate the true value of that teaching style. Dynamic lecturers teach what they know from memory and make sure you understand, then accept when you know more about a subject and they allow you to share those examples and participate in the teaching process. It is a give and take experience that is essential to the correct function of the oral institution.

      With written knowledge, there were several different opportunities that made the unit worthwhile. The opportunity to do our own writing and translating of ancient languages from civilizations around the globe was a unique, tactile exploration of what it meant to value a piece of information enough to take the time to write (or carve or etch) it. Throughout the course, we were encouraged to participate in activities outside class assignments, and our group did that, learning from each other about calligraphy and writing styles. A classmate commented in the salon today that the majority of this class was communicating ideas through the written word, even if the materials were different (keys and websites instead of pens and paper). The format of our “homework assignments” taught me more about a knowledge institution, how to really communicate with an audience through the written word.

      

      Finally, the print knowledge unit included brilliant guest speakers that helped me appreciate books in a new way. To see with my eyes the history of books in real specimens and to hear from other oral experts solidified the knowledge in a way abstract discussion could not have. The assigned, individual field trip had the same effect. The bibliography assignment (…we don't have to write a paper on it... scandalous...) was a eye-opener to the wonders of printed reference, to the library itself. I never realized how many books there could be, so specific on such obscure topics as the history of dictionaries or rhyming. Unfortunately with all these varying experiences and assignments, and other unnamed ones, it was a bit of a let-down to write a traditional academic paper.

      In the end, all the types of knowledge were employed to make a truly educational class. Folk communities and skills, oral lectures and interviews, written clay and paper and blog posts, and printed book discoveries all combined to make the class engaging, sealed together with new technology. Though I may not remember every word of every discussion, or every power point, I will be able to remember the different mediums and styles of learning that reinforced my knowledge on all sides. Combining two phrases, when you practice what you preach, you'll make perfect (at least in this instance).