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Upper Level Math Resources
russelpolk replied to Ashley Reese's topic in Teaching Math Classically (A Elizalde)
There is a "depth of knowledge" necessary to teach math, but what depth at what level? I can see the necessity in the Upper School levels, but in the Grammar school, it would seem to be more necessary to know the chants and "jingles" well. Perhaps alternatives if a student doesn't understand something when taught in a particular manner, but that takes more flexibility in method rather than depth of knowledge. -
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Hello, This is my first post. I didn't even realize there was a forum. I have had a question I have been struggling with for a year or two. I have taught in classical schools, I do classical education for our homeschool kids, and I read about education often. My regular job is a theology professor for an online MA program. I find it challenging to connect the things I gained from Classical U, or other resources, to the university level with all the interactions being online. Is there anyone out there that is writing about how to renew higher education (universities) in light of the classical education movement? That is a good place to start. Going a step further, is there anyone that is applying the principles and pedagogical ideas to online instruction? I could not figure out where to post this. Any feedback, from anyone, would be appreciated. Thanks! -Brandon H
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Curriculum Mapping
Veritas Academy of Tucson replied to schuknecht's topic in Essential School Leadership
We've recently started using CurriculumTrak and we like it. Just learning still. Everyone we've spoken with that uses it likes it a lot. Nick Dunlap -
I was intrigued by an article I read in online which said schools across the world are implementing the Singapore Math Curriculum. I used to order the Singapore Math Curriculum Workbooks for my kids when they were in Primary School. It might be a brilliant idea to begin classes in India. I am keen to get teacher credentials in the subject. Regards, Zeenath
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I am not sure how many of you know about Common Core's history and its pervasiveness into US education, but it has definitely begun to show its stripes at our classical Christian school our daughter has attended for 6 years now. We are concerned because the book used for 5th / 6th grades is the Big Ideas Math Book which is a premiere book for use to align with the Common Core standards. We were originally told that Common Core is just a stamp on the books and they would never adopt it, but we are seeing them use problems in the book which are just like the ones you see everyone upset about on YouTube, etc.... So, after much research, we know that the College Board, headed by the architect of Common Core David Coleman, has revised the SAT and the ACT has also been revised, both to align with the Common Core standards. So, given this, how are homeschoolers dealing with this change and ensuring your children can successfully take these exams? Or, is there another exam that is available that colleges take other than the SAT and ACT? Thanks, Pat -
Too Cool for Schools? Things NOT to do?
Cheryl Floyd replied to Cheryl Floyd's topic in K-3 Lower Grammar Forum
Yes, it is eye-opening to see how we as parents contribute to the disease running rampant in our culture. It is hard to figure out what is the balance. I have struggled being too complacent. Oftentimes wonder has to be wooed, sometimes woke! I am seeking wisdom in how to craft in my children hard work and diligence without crushing their wonder. -
I would like to have some clarification on one of the quiz questions. In Lesson 10 (More on Verb Conjugations) the quiz asks: "The verb "fero, ferre" is irregular because: a. It varies its spelling in unpredictable ways b. It does not end in a vowel as most verbs do. I selected "b" but was marked as incorrect. Can someone explain if "a" would be a better answer, why that is? I thought it was irregular because the stem 'fer' does not end in a vowel as most verb stems do. Thanks
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How would you best define classical education? A classical education teaches that which is true and beautiful. It teaches what helps us get closer to God and feeds our souls with what they need and want. A classical education does not necessarily teach us things that will give us a good job or lots of money. The things we learn can certainly help us attain those goals, but they are not the purpose of a classical education. The purpose of a classical education is to elevate our minds and souls to how they were before the fall of man, how they are supposed to be. How does the definition of curriculum as a course change your thinking about curriculum? Defining the word 'curriculum' as a course of study makes me feel less restricted in terms of what I can learn. If I created a curriculum for classical education that included only grammar, logic, and rhetoric, I would forget that classical education is more than those three subjects. If I think of a curriculum as a course of study, it reminds me that there are many subjects in a classical education. It's hard to explain what I mean, but this is the closest I could get. Classical education can be defined as parts that come together as a whole. Of the curricular, pedagogical, psychological, communal, and linguistic definitions, with which definition are you most familiar and why? How do the other parts expand your view of the tradition of classical education? I was not familiar with any of the definitions. If I had to pick one I am most familiar with, I would pick the psychological one. I define a classical education as one that teaches what is good and beautiful. It is an education that teaches for the sake of learning, not secular success or lots of money. It is an education with no concrete end in sight. It continues throughout one's life, as truth and beauty never change. -
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Hi everyone, I just wanted to post the discussion questions and my answers from Lesson 1 of the Introduction to Classical Education. Any feedback is appreciated! In your country and culture, what would you say are the ideals that the nation seeks, as revealed in the education system (curriculum, setting, etc)? In America I think that people learn only what they need to learn to get into college and get a good job. Education stops once you have a job that gives you a good salary. People are not learning to expand their minds and get closer to God. If something is not on a test or will not help them get their dream job, it is not worth learning. The public school curriculum is all about teaching students enough for them to graduate and get in a good college, because then the school can brag about how successful it is. The setting of most public schools is an overcrowded classroom with one teacher in charge of teaching thirty students everything they need to know with no help from the parents. The teacher does not have enough time to spend with every student to make sure that they are doing well and are reaching their full potential. The job of the parent is to make sure that the student is being sufficiently challenged and is completing their homework and understands it. But most parents put all the responsibility of their child's education on the teacher and blame the teacher when their student fails. Who is the student (what is a human being, what is the human being for)? A human being is a being created in God's image, composed of an immortal soul and a mortal body. Human beings were put on this earth by God to know, love, and serve Him, and to be happy with him in Heaven. A human being's goal is to get to Heaven. So, a student is a human being who is using his mind and body to learn that which will help him achieve his goal. What curriculum do we teach? Classical educators teach a curriculum that centers on grammar, logic, and rhetoric, with arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. These seven subjects are all connected to each other and all other subjects. Mastering grammar, logic, and rhetoric gives students the ability to master other subjects. Dorothy Sayers refers to these subjects as a knife and all other subjects as wood. Once you know these subjects, you can use them to whittle any wood you want. In what setting do we teach? A classical classroom consists of one teacher who assists the parents in teaching the students. Parents are heavily involved in a classical school, whether they are helping with extracurricular activities, assisting a teacher in teaching the class, observing the class, or helping their student with their homework and learning outside of the classroom. It is very different from a public school in that parents are very involved because they need to be and because they want their students to learn more than what is necessary to get them to college. The parent and teacher work together to make sure the child is learning the tools that will help him master any subject he wishes. The classrooms are disciplined, quiet, and peaceful. To what ends or purpose do we teach? We teach so that students can get closer to God and closer to how our first parents were before the fall. We teach so that students will have a lifelong desire to learn everything that is good and true and beautiful. We teach so that students will know how to know, love, and serve God best, and get to Heaven with him where everything is the best, truest, and most beautiful.
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Any suggested resources on teaching Common Topics in Rhetoric?
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TCA doesn't use curriculum mapping - I don't actually know what that is. Would love to hear more and find out how it could be of use to our school, too! Sara
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Too Cool for Schools? Things NOT to do?
cschwartzbaum replied to Cheryl Floyd's topic in K-3 Lower Grammar Forum
Oh my... this was primarily one of the reasons we chose to homeschool--especially points 3 and 4. Although my eldest child did excellent work, I got caught up with pushing excellence and the public acknowledgment. It was beginning to becoming an obsession. One graduate of the school where my son attended offered me her perspective. She said that students were suffering from IBS and anxiety starting in 9th grade. The pressure was killing them--sobbing over getting a GPA of 4.2. She opened my eyes to the sickness that has slowly crept into our home. My son was exhibiting anxiety behaviors. We were all co-conspirators in killing wonder, worship and wisdom (that Dr. Perrin spoke of in his lecture). I am thankful for these lectures & forums as I seek to find a love for learning again in our home & in all our lives. -
This is a question not related to the course content thus far, but I am curious if anyone uses curriculum mapping (i.e. Atlas Rubicon, Curriculum Trak). If so, which do you use? Also, can you briefly summarize the benefits to your school that justify the cost and investment of time? Thanks everyone! Troy
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That sounds like a beautiful thing to do and your experience could benefit many who are starting out on the classical education journey. I am just beginning but as yet have no students! At least in the classical sense. But friends and I have begun to come together to study and discuss the content on Classical U. Its very helpful to do with others.. -
Keith Nix quoted James K.A. Smith quoting someone else who said, paraphrased, the culture of my school is the sum of all conversations had by people from my school and about my school. This brings up two questions: 1) Does anyone know who said this and where they said it? 2) This is such an interesting (and terrifying) thought to me. To be sure, some of the conversations happening in and about my school are really great. But I worry most about the students. Does anyone have effective means of building student culture such that you would say their unmonitored conversations would reveal a strong and healthy school culture? Thanks! Troy Schuknecht Veritas Academy - Austin
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I've been using a catechism in the four classes that I teach at a private Christian school. The school is not classical in approach; they use Abeka curriculum for all subjects excluding math. As a part time "contractor," I have the privilege of teaching seventh and eighth grade literature as well as upper level Bible classes. I've been given a great deal of leeway to diverge from the Abeka curriculum, allowing me to use other books (Chronicles of Narnia, Shakespeare, etc.) rather than the basal readers. I started the year with catechisms, including Scripture (liberally copied from Joshua Gibbs's sample catechisms) and passages from the books we are studying, which are now bearing fruit. The principal of the school pulled me aside yesterday to say that she was reading a devotional to the seventh grade in homeroom, and upon reading the Bible verse, the students all joined in and recited the rest of the passage from memory! She was surprised and excited by the experience. I can't wait to see what will happen throughout the year as we progress and more material is committed to memory by purposeful "accident."
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As a recently “retired” or “unemployed” homeschool parent, I have felt somewhat lost. Then I watched a lecture in which Andrew Kern talked about Classical Christian Education in terms of “perceiving and receiving” truth as well as “beholding” and “becoming.” That is what led me to ClassicalU and this beautiful introductory course by Dr. Perrin. It occurred to me that as I continue doing what I love (studying, wondering, sharing, becoming), I might also become a potential guide through this empty-nest transition for younger homeschooling moms in my established homeschooling community. I’m already a leader amongst the families, so it would be natural. Since there is no time limit on the blessings of “beholding” and “becoming,” I’m looking to the classics in a new season of life. I wonder if there might be a sub-group of us at ClassicalU who have “lost” our traditional students. Is anyone else in my situation? Are any of you reaching out to fellow adults and fellow-learners as students in this way? -
The classical and Christian movement is growing. In it's growth, it found me at a typical Christian school. After comparing curricula, I was moved to join the movement myself. The focus on truth, beauty and goodness is wonderful. Classical teaching practices such as chants, songs, movement, discovery and discussion are really best practices for multi sensory learners. I am looking forward to diving in to this program. -
Hello I am interested in teaching the Great Books in a school and I am considering doing it in a book club form. Has anyone had any success doing this? Thanks in advance.
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Mortimer Adler (and Susan Weis Bauer) recommend reading a book through three times before fully forming your thoughts on the book. Joshua Gibbs lesson plans consists mostly of "Read and Discuss" even if that reading is only ten words. My question is are these methods at odds with each other? Should we discuss whether Odysseus is a hero before we know what he does to the suitors? Is the Adler method practical for a school, even a Classical one. Thank you in advance.
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I am currently going through this course online. I am wondering what would be the best latin dictionary to buy and are there any dictionaries that I should steer clear of? I am looking for the easiest to read and understand for both myself and my students. Thank you!
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Welcome, Sara! What has brought you to ClassicalU Forum?
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Thanks, saraluck9090. I decided to do Midsummer Night's Dream with the 8th grade after Lord of the Rings. I'll do some compare/contrast of the fairy story aspect in both. I decided to move forward with Kidnapped after the three Lewis books in 7th grade. I'm still not sure that it's a great choice, but saving the school some money by using what they already have is probably paramount at this point. I'm hoping that the difficult language will get them ready for deeper books in the upper grades.
