Liberal arts math is just like any other type of mathematics, except it uses literature, history, and philosophy to teach concepts. The term “liberal art” comes from Plato, who coined this term in his dialogue The Dialogues of Socrates. He used this term to refer to literature because he felt that reading good books would make people intelligent and educated.
The first step in liberal arts math involves teaching students how to add and subtract using place value. Students should be taught that there are two ways to learn place value. You can either learn them through context or by practice. Context-based learning happens when you understand the structure of place values as they relate to numbers. For example, if you know that the number 5 has its own place value (0), then you would know that 4 + 5 equals 9 with a 9 having its own place value (1).
Practice-based learning means going beyond just knowing what place value each integer has but also how to apply them. This way is more conceptual and applies to the whole process not just individual parts. Beyond place value, students must also be able to determine whether an addition or subtraction is greater than zero and have formulas for doing so!
After students are confident adding and subtracting using place value, they will move onto multiplying and dividing integers. Here, instead of finding one common denominator, students will find many different ones depending on the product.
Students will then shift gears and work with fractions.
History of the liberal arts
Before there was math, there were stories! Stories that taught us lessons through example. Through time, these stories have evolved to include other components, such as art, literature, music, and philosophy. These are known as the “liberal”arts because they emphasize knowledge of the humanities (the study of literature, history, etc) over pure education in a specific field.
The term “liberal arts” comes from an ancient Greek word which means “those who teach people how to live well.” The term stuck around until the 19th century when it became less common due to growing emphasis on educating students for careers.
Today, though, the importance of the liberal arts is once again rising along with technology and the influence it has on our lives. For instance, studies show that giving kids more opportunities to learn about the humanities helps them form deeper relationships, gain self-confidence, and enjoy life more than those who don’t. This impacts their happiness and success in school, social situations, and career paths later in life.
There are many ways schools can implement the liberal arts into their curriculums including by requiring courses like English, history, or art. Some professors also choose to combine different disciplines together under one course title so instead of having separate classes called “History”, “Literature”, and “Art”, it becomes just “Historic Literature”.
Campuses across America are starting to offer more and bigger programs in the liberal arts thanks to growing popularity.
What are the liberal arts
The term “liberal arts” comes from an ancient Greek word that meant “the free life.” It was applied to courses like literature, history, and philosophy because these subjects teach you how to live as a well-rounded individual.
Liberal arts degrees focus on teaching students how to think critically about various topics and learn from others who have done so before them. These include bachelor’s degree programs in areas such as psychology, communication studies, humanities (literature, sociology, anthropology), or social work, for example.
Students in these fields also study things like art, music, and math, which are considered non-academic disciplines because they directly relate to what people do with their lives.
But advanced mathematics is still very academic! And just like other academic majors, graduates receive a college diploma after completing this coursework. Programs that offer undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts typically require at least one year of each major area, so there’s plenty of time to dive into numbers beyond high school algebra.
Connections between the liberal arts and job opportunities
One of the major benefits of studying in the liberal arts is that it can help you connect learning with the real world. Employers value education that teaches you how to use reasoning, logic, and concepts to analyse information as tools for improving your career.
Liberal arts courses typically focus on teaching students how to think more deeply about complex topics by using different strategies, techniques, and approaches. This helps them apply what they have learned into other areas of life.
Students of the liberal arts also learn how to collaborate effectively with people from various backgrounds. As such, many find their careers depend on their ability to work well with others, which is an important skill for success.
Furthermore, many employers look at academic achievements as a way to assess whether or not someone will be an effective worker under pressure.
Popular liberal arts majors
One of the main reasons why people associate liberal arts with math is because many popular liberal arts degrees include significant mathematics content or require you to take several mathematics courses per degree program. These programs are then marketed as helping students learn about humanities disciplines through learning how to apply math concepts to literature, art, and other areas.
This perception may be false though- some liberal arts departments have moved away from requiring large amounts of mathematics for graduation in order to reduce barriers to entry for students who do not necessarily feel comfortable taking advanced mathematics classes.
Furthermore, even if a degree does require mathematics beyond high school level courses, this mathematics can be of a lower level than what is typically studied in bachelor’s degree programs in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and medicine). For example, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry are usually considered baseline levels of mathematics for these types of studies whereas things like discrete mathematics, calculus, and linear algebra are more advanced.
Overall, there are few universal skills that come from studying liberal arts subjects such as English, history, or philosophy. This makes it difficult to identify one major area that comes across when talking about what education programs in the field offer their graduates.
How to get into liberal arts majors
Many students feel that going into business or engineering is their best option because of the hard math courses they contain. While this may be true, it also makes them missing out on the rich diversity in fields like art, literature, and music.
These general education classes are referred to as liberal arts mathematics or liberal arts calculus. They typically focus more on concepts than equations, and teach you how to apply these concepts to different areas.
General education courses can range from something simple like humanities (writing, history) to very academic like philosophy or even sociology. No matter what area of study you choose, taking at least one general education course is a good idea.
While most universities do not require you to take a liberal arts major, many departments expect you to know some basic skills beyond just math and science. These include writing, research techniques, and studying other subjects outside of your main field.
Ways to be more creative
One of the things that is getting lost in our education system today is the importance of teaching students how to apply mathematics outside the classroom.
We have become focused only on drilling mathematical concepts into students, but these drills sometimes go over students’ heads because they are not applied properly.
Students should know what math functions like exponentiation, multiplication, division, and so on mean, but they must also understand when to use them and how to use them in real life.
These applications include finding the area of a shape, solving equation problems, and figuring out costs for a product or expression.
Drilling alone will never help you do this!
Instead, your mind should constantly be thinking about ways to apply math to new situations, whether it is business, science, engineering, art, or anything else. This way, you will never run out of ideas. Your creativity can spring from anywhere at any time.
Learn to prioritize
In the recent past, there was an emphasis in college curriculums that focused more on using math formulas to solve problems. This is referred to as “plug and play” or “drill-and-practice” teaching methods. Many students feel overwhelmed by this approach because they have to take lots of courses together to get a degree, so they give up before going too far into concepts.
By having teachers that emphasize education instead of training, students lose out on important skills like prioritizing your studies, organizing your materials, and learning from others. These are all fundamental ways to learn and apply knowledge.
Liberal arts departments shift their focus away from just educating you in a body of topics, but rather helping you develop these academic skills. They teach you how to organize and manage time effectively, how to put quality over quantity when studying, and how to collaborate with people outside of school. All of these help you achieve your educational goals while also giving you life lessons.
These non-academic skills are what makes someone worthy of respect. You will gain confidence if you work hard and use good judgment, both in business and personal settings.
Become a lifelong learner
One of the biggest reasons why people drop out before completing their degree is because they believe that once they earn their diploma, that is all someone can ask from them. But this assumption is totally false!
Education is not just about earning a certificate or diploma, it is also about becoming an educated person. You will learn new things every day in college that you could apply to your career or life.
Liberal arts math courses focus on teaching students how to think critically about academic topics. This helps students develop literacy skills and knowledge of different subjects.
These skills are important to have as you traverse through life. Becoming more aware of the reasoning behind something makes you a thinking individual who values diversity and understanding various perspectives.
Furthermore, being able to read and analyze material gives you a leg up over others who may be limited to only studying what has been taught to them previously.
This is valuable both in education and in employment. There are many jobs that require you to read and understand documents, research potential products, and talk with other members of the team.
General studies classes at universities try to teach students about different cultures, time periods, and scientific theories. All of these help prepare you for future opportunities by expanding your horizons.
