5 Ed Keys
To help you understand why we are doing what we are doing, there additionally are 5 key education methodologies that we live by. (There are lots more, of course, but we’ll save those for another day.) These five are at the forefront!
1. Integration is Fantastic
We desire to integrate the sciences heavily. To talk about the hummingbird for five minutes, bridge to the International Space Station for two minutes and then talk about Bone Building for ten minutes while bringing in how they all tie together can be very educationally productive.
Wise bridging makes science very interesting and also integrates scientific concepts in the way it is connected in people’s minds who deeply know science.
Scientists have minds that “mind-fly” to all sorts of topics when they hear someone speak about science. Those who know little of a subject “mind-fly” little because the they don’t yet have much info in their minds that new concepts can be crosswired to. Increasing “science mind-fly” is the way to build a truly “science mind”.
The greats of the past–Faraday, Einstein, Tesla, Franklin, Curie and the rest– all had “mind-fly” extensively in the area of science. They would talk to other scientists and their minds would bridge to dozens if not hundreds of areas.
Scientists can look at a journal that roars from topic to topic at light speed and have a ball because they see hundreds of connections that many people don’t. They also love to build their knowledge of many fields. This often carries the secrets to effective research.
This is also hugely helpful for long-term memory. It plays the key factor in the illusive effective MERGE between computers and education.
2. Wahoo Lesson Variety!
There’s a time to watch a video, talk with others, do research, have a discussion-debate, do an activity, go on a hike, perform an experiment, take a field trip, etc. We love variety in tasks and so do nearly all of the thousands of students we have taught.
3. Crosswiring a Foundation is a Huge Deal
We deeply desire to be a cross-wiring foundation for Science that all can be tied together for the glory of the Lord. If Life, Earth and Physical Science can be woven together, it will accomplish very great things. We’re working hard to this end.
Our hope in this is also that this would allow for adding great materials that God has raised up through many beloved people that otherwise might never have been used or known of. This brings us to #4.
4. “Stand Alone”? Ha! Lousy Idea.
We’ve said this already, but here it is again.
As more “Projects” are released, CWS will be able to be used as a “stand-alone curriculum.” However, a core value of CWS is to be eclectic and use many excellent resources others have produced.
So to say “Use CWS as a stand-alone curriculum” is an oxymoron, for we LOVE so many of the great resources others are creating. CWS is meant to be a thread that ties everything together with a strong God-glorifying science foundation. CWS is meant to free-up time so many exciting materials can be added to your children’s “Science years.”
Our hope is to start a revolution in how science is taught. And a significant part of this is using many wonderful resources others have created.
5. Use “Global Topics” to Weave all of Science Together
The 20 Global Topics (G-Topics) of CWS encompass every discipline of science. Our intent is to slowly release the remaining 18 Global Topics. These Global Topics are meant to be broadened and deepened over ten years with many other rich materials, from the beginnings of Elementary school through High School.
The Global Topics are chosen because of many reasons. Many are chosen largely because they integrate the Earth, Physics and Life Sciences well. A few have been chosen, not because they cross-wire well, but because they build a powerful understanding of a specific part of the world God has made. Sometimes going very deep in one area helps to go deep in other areas.
The object is to have a minimal amount of Global Topics. Less is more–big time! We’ll explain a little why in Gold Dig Info below.