Synthesizing
Synthesis is a familiar term in many different disciplines. To synthesize something in a lab is to create a product by combining reactants. In music class, a student may use a synthesizer to create new sounds. In English classes, students may synthesize poetry. It happens in all our disciplines. Synthesizing is creating a deep understanding of a concept from various viewpoints. When I say that, I mean that someone can have a deep comprehension of a subject or topic and be able to connect it in many different contexts. It's a hard concept to grasp, and I feel that it is one that can be constantly improved.
The greatest example that I can relate to synthesizing is understanding a sport on a deep level. Many people can understand the rules of a sport and may even play the sport well. However, there are few people who can comprehend the sport on a deeper level. I think this is why people pay a lot of money in order to see NBA players play a game. This is why organizations pay players millions of dollars to be a part of their team. This is why there are only thirty NBA teams in the league. (The NBA is only an example.) If there were more people that could understand and embrace the sport on such a deep level, then playing in the NBA wouldn't be as special as it is. The players, coaches, referees, et cetera, in the NBA understand the sport at all levels. They don't see the game as a series of parts; they acknowledge it as a whole. Excellent players, coaches, whomever, understand the game on the various levels. They view the statistics, and they watch film. They don't view the players like pieces on a chess board; they see the sum of everything happening and everything that is going to happen.
Perhaps my example seems trivial, and my explanation is incomplete, but to me this is one of the greatest examples of synthesizing. (Or perhaps I'm just misinterpreting what synthesizing is.) Students need to be able to grasp how art and science are connected. There is a reason we "raise something to an art form" or "break it down to a science." There are ways to connect different disciplines. I find myself trying different lessons and attempting cross-curricular projects in order to have my students understand how all of their education is interconnected. I've tried having students create songs or raps about photosynthesis. Too often we compartmentalize education, and this needs to stop so students can develop a deeper understanding of all that is around them.
The greatest example that I can relate to synthesizing is understanding a sport on a deep level. Many people can understand the rules of a sport and may even play the sport well. However, there are few people who can comprehend the sport on a deeper level. I think this is why people pay a lot of money in order to see NBA players play a game. This is why organizations pay players millions of dollars to be a part of their team. This is why there are only thirty NBA teams in the league. (The NBA is only an example.) If there were more people that could understand and embrace the sport on such a deep level, then playing in the NBA wouldn't be as special as it is. The players, coaches, referees, et cetera, in the NBA understand the sport at all levels. They don't see the game as a series of parts; they acknowledge it as a whole. Excellent players, coaches, whomever, understand the game on the various levels. They view the statistics, and they watch film. They don't view the players like pieces on a chess board; they see the sum of everything happening and everything that is going to happen.
Perhaps my example seems trivial, and my explanation is incomplete, but to me this is one of the greatest examples of synthesizing. (Or perhaps I'm just misinterpreting what synthesizing is.) Students need to be able to grasp how art and science are connected. There is a reason we "raise something to an art form" or "break it down to a science." There are ways to connect different disciplines. I find myself trying different lessons and attempting cross-curricular projects in order to have my students understand how all of their education is interconnected. I've tried having students create songs or raps about photosynthesis. Too often we compartmentalize education, and this needs to stop so students can develop a deeper understanding of all that is around them.