Before
The Education major can closely relate to the multiple of these metagenres. Education majors are taught about different types of learners as well as their development and the differences of a learning environment. Through doing this, the Education majors will be using previous data about the learning types and the types of development of students to help in their future job and within their fieldwork, fitting into the metagenre of empirical inquiry. Fieldwork is completed while still studying at the university and is required to complete the major. The call for performance metagenre is used inside and outside of the classroom. As a student learning, one needs to apply their knowledge inside of the classroom, but also outside in the field. Through the education major, students are taught to apply their knowledge by teaching or shadowing in real classrooms.
After
Education majors are taught about different types of learners as well as their development and the differences of a learning environment. Through doing this, the Education majors will be using previous data about the learning types and the types of development of students to help in their future job and within their fieldwork, fitting into the metagenre of empirical inquiry. As a refresher, empirical inquiry answers questions by creating conclusions from data. Bartholomew thinks that this metagenre seems to be the most important in the Education major. Although these students will not be conducting their own research as teachers, research can be very useful. As teachers, students will use data to learn all kinds of things such as learning or creating new ways to do a lesson, or some of the above mentioned types of learning. This metagenre also is closely related to the other metagenre of a call for research from sources. This is when research is done and later used for its purpose. As previously mentioned, teachers use all sorts of research to help their teaching skills and plans. Fieldwork is completed while still studying at the university and is required to complete the major. The call for performance metagenre is used inside and outside of the classroom. This metagenre is the act of doing what one has learned. As a student learning, one needs to apply their knowledge inside of the classroom, but also outside in the field. Through the education major, students are taught to apply their knowledge by teaching or shadowing in real classrooms. This is brought out into the field when students are required to participate in field work, internships, and student teach. The last metagenre is problem solving. This metagenre is probably the most used. All aspects of life require one to use problem solving, not just a specific major. Because of this, this is why the problem solving metagenre can be used within the Education major as well as in any other major. In my opinion, any major can fit into the metagenre of problem solving. I also think that there may be a need for a new metagenre. The point of them is for a major or subject of study to fit best into one category, but the Education major can clearly fit into all four of them.
Conclusion
Even though some majors may not be considered to be enriched, all majors should fit into at least one metagenre, making it an important major. The Education major is taught within a liberal arts institution and therefore applies to many of Sheuer’s ideas of critical thinking, relating to Carter’s idea of metagenres. The Education major fits into many ideas from these articles. It is an enriched major according to Boyer’s definition of one. The major is both narrow and answers all three of his questions, “What is the history and tradition of the field to be examines? What are the social and economic implications to be understood? What are ethical and moral issues to be confronted?” (Boyer, 110). It also fits into multiple of Carter’s metagenres: problem solving, empirical inquiry, research from resources, and call for performance. It most closely relates to the ideas of empirical inquiry and call for performance. It also can relate to the call for research as well as critical thinking. I think it relates the least to the call for research. The idea of critical thinking is used in any major, so it may not necessarily need its own metagenre in my opinion.
