kweitz

Here's a quick recap of the retreat. The full recordings will be coming soon at Classical U!

I know there are plenty of you out there who probably have strong opinions one way or another. I would love to hear your arguments! What are the pros and cons of an "active learning" approach (like Oerberg's Lingua Latina) vs. "grammatical-translation" approach (like CAP's Latin Alive or Wheelock's)?

@Cheryl Floyd Good question! I've been immersed in C. S. Lewis lately, and I in mind had his words in Surprised by Joy about how too many subjects can actually destroy a student's standards. Dr. Perrin also referred to this in a recent article at Inside Classical Ed: https://insideclassicaled.com/1461-2/ So, I would say, yes, in my understanding, mastery in certain limited disciplines is indicative of a classical approach. Focusing on one question/discipline in a thesis will offer students a significant move towards mastery in the particular question or topic related to that discipline (not in an entire discipline — I should have been more specific). That has been a major purpose of the thesis I just finished for my master's degree. But of course, there could be other thesis questions that more broadly span disciplines. So I suppose it depends on the question that the thesis is designed to answer.

I agree with @Cheryl Floyd and @KarenG. I love your suggestion, Karen, of a senior project tied to talents and interests. I think that might also be a great addition to a transcript package, showing deep involvement and hopefully some level of mastery in one discipline.

It's a question we are likely to be asked as homeschoolers or Scholé Group directors, and one we should have settled in our own minds. It's a good idea to have your answer at the ready. I share some thoughts toward an answer on the March Scholé blog. "Towards" because it's a question I am constantly turning over in my mind. Would love to hear your thoughts, too!

@Jennifer Dow could you help with the facility question?

Dear Meg, The one-time consult is available at any time, so yes! You are welcome to take advantage of it. Just contact one of the Scholé Mentors to set it up. Blessings, Kathy

Hi Cheryl! I think it totally depends on the selection. We read Plutarch aloud to students as young as 6th grade, in bite-sized chunks. And Shakespeare, of course! Same with poetry - we read Wordsworth and Donne and Hopkins and Burns, etc. to students as young as K, with lots of repetition. Pilgrim's Progress, Dickens, etc. can be read aloud pretty early. Good for you to be reading Inferno with younger children! What a delight. I could see Les Mis working that way also, although the themes are fairly intense for young children, so that might give me pause. I would avoid explaining anything, but let them tell you what they are understanding (narration), especially if it is a work they will revisit later! I would also add that reading the King James Version of the bible aloud is a great way to expose your children to beautiful language patterns. We use ESV for Bible study, but KJV for all other reading aloud and for composition exercises. We do use thoughtfully abridged versions (usually older well-written children's versions from excellent authors) for some stories like the Odyssey and the Aeneid. If the tale in its original setting would have been known in the general culture before reading/listening, then it's probably good to familiarize our children with the storyline in that way. In fact, I often have older students read a well-written children's version before they begin a challenging read, especially one from antiquity or Christendom. Otherwise, we pretty much avoid abridged versions of classics, and spend more time with younger students reading fairy tales, fables, and worthy children's lit.

Check out our newest Scholé Blog post by Kimberlynn Curles about pursuing scholé in the midst of personal suffering. Such encouragement! Come back here and discuss it after you read.