9: The Association of Ideas

       In his ninth talk, James begins by explaining  our “thinking and feeling processes are largely subject to the law of habit” (p. 40).  He labels this occurrence as the association of ideas.  James states there are two laws of association , the law of contiguity and the law of similarity, and that we can trace the association of ideas backward, but cannot foretell future associations. 

       James further asserts that the teacher’s job is to build up useful associations.  “The more copious the associative systems, the completer the individual’s adaptations to the world” (p.42).  Cross-curricular teaching involves the application of knowledge to more than one academic discipline simultaneously.  The disciplines may be related through a central them, issue, problem, process, topic, or experience.  The organization structure of the cross-curricular student is a framework with goals that specify what students are expected to learn as a result of the experiences and lessons that are a part of the unit.  Cross curricular teaching is a way to address some of the fragmentation and isolated skill instructions and can be used to associate one subject area with another.  In real life, we do not use each subject skill independently from others. 

       For example, if I have a problem with a water bill, I gather information (science), calculate with numbers(math), and prepare an argument (language arts) to present to the water company.  Real world issues require you to think and work in cross-curricular ways.  If school is really about preparing kids for life, why do we often teach each subject independent of the others?  Wouldn’t better meaning be made through associating multiple subjects within the entire curriculum?

William's trip to the grocery