Mark Clevenger: Integration
Integration is one of the five key principles at HSCA Christian Academy. Here are few reasons we feel Integration is so important at HSCA.
Making Knowledge Whole
The modern trend in education is to isolate fields of study into separate and unrelated subjects. While this has proven to be useful, the habit too often is only one way. Topics are pulled apart, but never put back together. In the end, this imparts empty knowledge – empty of “whole knowledge” with “whole meaning.” Children need meaning to help inspire them to learn.
Isolation vs. Integration
Our Classical education doesn’t isolate learning of one subject from the next. It doesn’t separate knowledge from meaning, history from the latest news, mind from heart & body or individual from community. At HSCA we unite and re-integrate important domains that were never intended to be sliced into separate isolated realms. I believe this provides our students with a sense of confidence about what they are learning.
Value-Neutral vs. Integrating Meaning
Post-modern education surgically removes timeless truth, beauty and goodness from knowledge, turning it into “value-neutral” information. This lack of integration between facts and ageless truth yields lives shallow in virtue, purpose and fulfillment. We are working diligently to connect all knowledge to something solid and lasting.
Classical is Practical
Teaching all subjects as interconnected is an age-old practice. Paradoxically, this Classical approach to schooling is even more relevant now. The rate of rapid change our students will encounter as adults is staggering. Our young scholars will have a unique advantage as adults, having acquired skills to meld new information into their integrated knowledge.
Integrated Learning & Integrated Person
Integrated learning helps students adapt to life and learn Wisdom. The purpose of our Classical education is to develop the whole integrated person: mind, heart and body.