How to Integrate Elements of HAST in Education

The principles of HAST (Humanities, Arts, Science, Technology) can be integrated into education through the development of the following key elements: Argumentative Introduction, Presentation of Evidence, Critique & Counterargument, Defense of Argument.

When students learn and develop these key elements of HAST, their educational growth and success should increase.  Students can then apply each of these elements to other areas of study, and in turn, encourage them to pursue further learning through higher education.

ARGUMENTATIVE INTRODUCTION
Introduce your argument with confidence, strength, and clarity.  Whether it is a scientific research paper, a classroom debate or discussion, or an expression of artistic freedom, without an argumentative introduction the chance to succeed will be reduced significantly if not eliminated.  Just as it is important for the track and field sprinter to get off the blocks cleanly and begin the race with a good first step, so should it be to the student who is presenting a theory, hypothesis, or statement.

PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCE
Your argument should be based on solid evidence from reliable sources.  As you introduce your argument, be prepared to present the evidence you have in support of it.  The best way to build your argument is through evidence, the best way to build evidence is through research.  Observe, inquire, and read, find out what is known, what studies are out there, and who has presented prior evidence that will be of help to you.

CRITIQUE & COUNTERARGUMENT
Having introduced your argument and presented evidence to support it, it is time to share it with the audience and embrace critique and counterarguments that could be made. Personal or professional disagreement, lack of confidence, strength, or clarity, questioning of the evidence presented, these and other reasoning can lead the audience to critique your argument and present their own counterargument when presented with your argument.  This is an important part of the process as it allows for adjustments to be made and new reasoning to be taken into consideration.

DEFENSE OF ARGUMENT
Your argument is your creation, defend it.  Find more evidence, collect more data, review the critique and counterarguments for validity and determine if they are to be regarded or discarded.  Try alternative approaches to introduce the argument or present the evidence.  Make adjustments to your argument by formatting or changing the approach.  Research that which can be used as critique and counterargument, and prepare your defense of argument.




Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2016.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

HAST Education

HAST Education
(Humanities, Arts, Science, Technology)

It is within our nature to make observations and take annotations in addition to recognizing patterns and identifying problems that may occur.

We also have a tendency, through ingenuity, to come with reasonable solutions that benefit us all as a whole.

HAST Education brings this together.  HAST greatly benefits the student's learning process through the integration of the core subject areas of humanities, arts, science, and technology.

With a HAST approach to education, students become better prepared to identify issues, solve problems, recognize patterns, take notes, and observe their environment.

A student's educational performance should flourish and be deeply rooted in a diverse academic field of knowledge.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

How to Bridge Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology

This question has been put forth in previous posts: How can humanities and science be bridged?  These two areas of knowledge, of academic wisdom, of human endeavor, have been at odds since the beginning of time.

Humanity has benefited greatly from scientific achievements that have allowed for the development of modern technologies and art forms.

Yet there have been many instances in which these same scientific achievements, modern technologies, and art forms, have caused some of the darkest chapters in human history.

HAST education, the integration of Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology, is founded on the four cornerstones which these four areas provide.

HAST education helps bridge the vast expanses that can form within these four core areas.  It keeps as a primary focus the effects that education and its applications have for the people, our communities, and society; while taking into account the benefits to humanity of our scientific achievements, newly developed technologies, and the art forms that are created from them. HAST education also brings to the forefront the dangers that can happen to us if we do not take these thoughts into consideration by bringing light to some of the most tragic events in humanity.


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

How Art and Technology Bridge Humanities and Science

It seems that science and humanities have been at odds since the beginning of time.  Science being deeply rooted in facts, formulas, and processes; while humanities being deeply rooted in the human spirit, life, and all their qualities.  Humanities has been described as everything that is not science, and science as everything that is not humanities.  Yet both have managed to coexist, throughout time, in many cultures and various places.

One way in which these two areas of knowledge can be bridged is through the arts and technology. At various periods of time the emergence of new technology and art have had an effect on the relation between humanities and science.  From telegraph, to television, to Twitter, each new technology expanded the art of communication in human society through scientific inventions.  Knowledge no longer staying localized, but rather began reaching a far greater audience, having a greater impact in opinions, reasoning, and thought.  Creating the need to begin a dialog about how each innovation can do both bridge and isolate.

The close relation between Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology (HAST) can serve as a foundation upon which a framework for the education process can be built.  HAST Education benefits those who participate in it by addressing how the human pursuit for knowledge has an effect on humanity.


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

HAST Education Lessons

How can we develop a HAST Education lesson?  What are some of the steps that educators can take to develop a lesson that is engaging for students, yet relevant to what they are learning, and can be applicable to the current problems which they are facing?  In this post we share some of the steps which we have found are helpful to develop a HAST Education Lesson.

• Develop the lesson around a central theme.  Choose a theme for your lesson, then incorporate the different strands of HAST education into it.

• Research the theme of the lesson.  Find what sources are available and can be accessed by students.  Make sure that they are up to date, and their information is relevant.

• Create variations of the lesson.  Do not limit yourself to the "one master lesson plan".  Adjust your lesson so it best fits the needs of your students.

• Use a diversified approach to present the lesson.  Present the lesson through various points of view.  Doing this can help engage students who may not be reached with the one lesson approach.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson.  Set the goals you want your students to achieve and compare them to those achieved by them.

We hope that you find these steps to be helpful as you plan your student lessons and incorporate that many aspects of HAST Education into the classroom.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

HAST Education Curriculum

HAST Education Curriculum should be created to best serve the students to acquire, demonstrate, and apply the skills and knowledge which HAST education has to offer.  Classrooms, schools, and districts who would like to implement a HAST education curriculum as part of their instructional process, should begin by establishing a team who will be assigned the tasks to research, design, and evaluate the implementation process.

In creating a HAST Education curriculum all resources available should be taken into consideration.  This includes, but is not limited to, facilities, faculty, funding, supplies, students, and parents.  The team should determine how to manage all these resources and put them to use.  A roadmap will also help to set goals and hold the team accountable for making progress toward implementation, while a framework will help to envision the finalized process.

One factor to also keep in mind is that of time. While the education process that students must undergo is to last throughout their lifetime, as educators we are limited by how much time we can be instructing them.  A well designed curriculum will take into account that there are time limitations to achieve mastery of HAST skills and knowledge, and that it must be held accountable through established measuring guidelines.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

HAST Education Benefits

What are the Benefits of HAST Education?

The benefits of HAST Education are many. It would be challenging to attempt and list them all, and if we were to assume that we had listed all of them, upon sharing them with others, we would soon realize that there were other benefits that we were unable to see for ourselves.  HAST Education can provide many benefits on a variety of levels: The student as an individual, the classroom as a whole, and the school as part of the community, just to illustrate three of the many levels which could benefit from a HAST Education.

Of the many benefits which HAST Education has to offer, an understanding of human interaction, an appreciation of the beauty in art, the application of scientific knowledge, the development of modern technology, and a cross reference multiple subject knowledge, are some which we might want to take into consideration. By working with students to develop the five benefits mentioned above, we would also be working with them in developing the skills needed to have a better chance of success academically, professionally, and socially.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

HAST Education Definition

Just as our DNA is composed of four building strands (A, C, G, T), so is HAST Education composed of four educational strands: Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology.

Humanities has its origin deeply rooted in humans and our ability of being human to our fellow mankind, people.  The humanities, then, can be studied through subject areas such as history and philosophy, where great intellect and feeling come together be learned. Humanities does draw an academic boundary around itself in order to distinguish itself from science.

The arts are about craft, creativity, and skill.  In the arts we are presented with the opportunity to apply what we have learned in order to express human emotions like happiness, sadness, beauty, pain, and share these emotions for others to experience as well.

Science is the search for knowledge.  Scientists study facts so they may develop principles, create systems, and establish methods. Science provides us the means, not only to search for such knowledge, but to also collect, organize, and present such knowledge with the scientific community and the public.  It is through science that we can ask and answer the following: Why?, I want to know why, Do you know why?, Let's find out why.

The art of applying science to the industrial and the practical is what gives us technology.  Technology is a tool that will forever continue to improve its usefulness, or risk stagnation and possible elimination.  It is through technology that we have expanded our communication with the development of the internet, television, radio, telephone, telegraph, and all the way back to the most ancient manuscripts preserved in papyrus, wood and rock carvings, as well as cave paintings where we have recorded the earliest of human knowledge.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

HAST Education Introduction

It is within our nature to be curious and tinker, to try and make sense of that which is around us, and that which originates from within.  We sense by sight and sound, smell and taest, in addition to touch, so that we may feel.  Then we take what we feel and think about whether it is good or bad, right or wrong, new or old, logic or not.  It is through these various processes, multiplied over time and divided among individuals, communities, society, and cultures, that we have created the humanities, the arts, the sciences, and technology.  These are the cornerstones which make the foundation of HAST Education.

To introduce HAST Education we should begin by looking at each component individually and how they can become interconnected.  At first glance, we may wonder how can humanities and science be bridged? How do the arts and technology relate to their counterparts? HAST Education gives us the opportunity to bridge both the humanities and the sciences through the arts, while technology provides the tools with which to build and maintain such bridge.

It is through these relationships that the four cornerstones of: Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology can be established as a foundation upon which HAST Education can be built.  HAST Education can be integrated in our schools through the development of skills and the application of the skills we develop, to further our education, to expand our knowledge, and to help build a better future.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved

HAST Education

Since ancient times, we have excelled in four educational areas: Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology.  Excelling in these four areas has allowed us to develop the great civilizations of the world and create cultural enrichment.  In recent years, there has been a focus on incorporating these core areas in education.  This has been the case in higher education, but it should also be so throughout all levels of education, including early learning.

HAST Education provides an opportunity to implement these areas into different aspects of the education process. Through the use of HAST Education we can establish a foundation, create a roadmap, and design a framework that allows students to have the opportunity to excel in all areas of HAST.  MRCR Education is dedicating this month to address different aspects needed to succeed in implementing HAST Education.  We hope that you find the information we share as valuable, and welcome your thoughts and feedback.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014. MRCR Educational Consulting Firm. All Rights Reserved.

April 2014

This month of April is dedicated to HAST Education.  HAST Education combines the areas of Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology.  Through the implementation of HAST Education, educators can create lesson plans and create a curriculum.  HAST Education can become part of the educational process of learners, and they will benefit from the core areas that are the primary focus of HAST.

MRCR Education is going to discuss and introduce HAST Education and in addition cover topics like: Defining HAST Education, Benefits of HAST Education, Developing a HAST Education Curriculum, and Creating HAST Education Lessons.  We hope that you find this month's theme of HAST Education to be of interest to you, and that you find our posts to be informative and educational in value.

The core areas that are the foundation for HAST Education provide great value to students, teachers, parents, administrators, and can have a great benefit toward the development of our communities.  HAST Education is a great source for educational development which we ought to invest and fund as part of our schooling.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014. MRCR Educational Consulting Firm. All Rights Reserved.

Thoughts on Humanities 2

Philosophy & Government

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

Our school year is closing, and the development of our students, in the humanities, is worth taking a look.  Students should develop the philosophical and governmental components which are part of humanities.  This school year, our students should have develop these two aspects which are beneficial to those who know and understand them.  Students should be able to demonstrate their own thoughts and ideas as well as present them by sharing them with others.  With student growth in philosophy and government, the student can demonstrate they are preparing themselves for the challenges that lay ahead.

Humanities

Humanities can be defined as the roots that grow within humans, whose branches expand to form a plant.  Human activity and interaction can be understood through the study of humanities.  Our understanding of these activities and interactions can be helpful in educating our students to become better learners.  By learning how people act and interact, we can learn what is good for the development of students.  The humanities are composed of many aspects, each reflective of human thought, and the effect it has had throughout the development of societies.  Philosophy and government are two important aspects for students to learn and develop.

Philosophy

Students should be thinkers who use what they have learned and study to become better students, and share their thoughts with others so they may benefit from what they have learned.  Philosophy is a love of learning that students should develop as they accumulate knowledge and understanding.  By demonstrating that they understand the knowledge they have accumulated, students show their philosophies.  Each student will develop a unique philosophy based on their own interpretation of what they learn.  Their philosophies should be as solid and firm as their knowledge and understanding are.  Philosophy is beneficial for the development of students as learners, because it can help develop a love of learning that allows them to become better students.

Government

From the time we are born, we come to know that there are those who are older that us.  They were born before us, and as a result they are older than us.  But as we grow, we learn that we have a place between those who are older that us, as well as those who are born after us, and are therefore younger than us.  Time teaches us that as time passes, those who are older than us begins to dwindle, and those who are younger that us begins to grow.  Yet us, those older than us, and those younger than us, can see the need to have guidance.  This guidance is demonstrated by humans in the form of government.  People can agree to be lead, and people can agree to the direction in which they will be led, and in doing so, people agree to be governed.  Demonstrating an understanding of government shows that our students know that leadership from the individual, to the classroom, to the school, and the world is needed to provide guidance and stability.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Thoughts on Humanities

History & Culture

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

The closing of the school year is approaching and it worth taking a look at the humanities development of our students.  We begin by focusing on the historical and cultural development which has taken place so far this year.  Starting with defining Humanities, History, and Culture, and ending with the application and demonstration of the knowledge gained by the learners; educators can measure the progress students have made in the classroom, and this will be helpful in preparing both learners and educators for the summer and into the next year school year.

Humanities

To define humanities we need but to look at the root word: Human.  Humans are the root of humanities.  Student development in the humanities allows our learners to understand human activity and interaction.  We acquire our understanding of human activities and interactions through the study of humanities.  As educators we experience the need to develop good humanistic skills by being present in our classrooms.  We see first hand the development of student interaction and student activity in our classrooms.  As educators, we hope that the development of students in our classrooms allows them to become better learners. 

History

History is everything that has taken place from the beginning up until now.  History is remembered, recorded, and retold today, so that we may see what could come tomorrow.  History prepares us for the future.  History allows students to learn of the events that have taken place throughout time.  How we as humans have come to have a global influence, and how that influence flows from the most remote parts of the globe.  We learn from what we have experienced, we learn from what we have lived through.  The development of historical knowledge by our students leads to a better understanding of our standing, as humans, in the world.

Culture

Culture is constructed from the commonalities that humans agree to hang on to.  Humans have constructed cultures of various sizes, in many places, at different periods of time.  Cultures can be constructed on a single agreeable commonality, or multiple agreeable commonalities.  Throughout time cultures have been constructed and destroyed, forgotten and found, preserved and protected.  Culture can bind humans together and allow them to develop great civilizations.  Culture can also lead to conflict where there can be no establishment of communication.  Cultures with clear lines of communication tend to demonstrate success, and this should be demonstrated in our students ability to communicate as a group whose commonality is to learn.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.