Classical Education

Dr. Erik Ellis is Assistant Professor of Classical Education at the University of Dallas. After graduating from the University Scholars Program at Baylor University with concentrations in Greek and Latin, Dr. Ellis received an MA in History from the same institution and served as a middle school and high school Latin teacher for five years in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Along with Latin, Dr. Ellis was privileged to teach history, logic, and French, the last of which had a decisive effect on his teaching of Latin. Two years into his teaching career, Dr. Ellis began researching and investigating communicative language pedagogy and its application to classical languages. After attending and offering workshops with the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers Association, SALVI, and Fr. Reginald Foster, Dr. Ellis left secondary teaching to continue his education. He received an MA in Classics, a Master of Medieval Studies, and a Doctorate in Medieval Studies at the Medieval Institute of the University of Notre Dame and studied at the Polis Institute and the Vatican Library in Rome. One of his research specializations was the history of education with a focus on the history of classical language teaching. Upon graduation, he worked for a year at Notre Dame’s Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures, where he received a certificate in Second Language Acquisition Theory and Methodology. Following this, he taught Latin, Greek, and general humanities courses at Universidad de los Andes in Santiago, Chile, and Hillsdale College before moving to his current role in the program in Classical Learning at the University of Dallas.

Show Notes
I had a delightful discussion with Dr. Ellis last year and invited him on to the show to discuss some really important concepts within the classical education movement. In order to rightly understand the tradition of a liberal arts education, we need to rightly define and understand the meaning of particular words. We discuss some wonderful words that are important to our understanding of the tradition which impacts how we teach. 
Some topics included:

• Expanding on how the mind works while teaching the liberal arts.
• Fascinating word studies on Greek and Latin as spoken languages.
• The inclusion of a wealth of material from Constantine VII, Historically, Philosophically, and Theologically. 
• Explaining anamnesis ( recollection): How this recollection through dialogue, song, and habituation, brings or makes things present. 
• Writing; Is the focus on analysis and understanding, or is the aim to be able to speak wisely with an idea or account of a story that is understood and will bring about a greater reality? 
• The meaning of the word "Logos."

UPCOMING SUMMER ANCIENT LANGUAGE WORKSHOPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS
Join Dr. Ellis at the University of Dallas for their summer intensive courses in Latin and Greek that they are hosting in partnership with the Polis Institute in Jerusalem.

More info here:

https://www.polisjerusalem.org/programs/international/

Resources
(Dr. Ellis's dissertation)  The Historical Semantics of the Contemporary Classical Education Movement: Principia: A Journal of Classical Education, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2023- https://www.pdcnet.org/principia/content/principia_2023_0002_0001_0025_0041

What is Classical Education? By: Erik Ellis - https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2023/07/what-is-classical-education-erik-ellis.html

Are the Great Books Enough to Revive Our Education System? By: Erik Ellis - https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2020/04/great-books-enough-classical-education-erik-ellis.html
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Beautiful Teaching online courses:

• BT online webinars, interactive courses, and book studies registration: https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/
• 2025 Annual Online Classical Education Conference with the Beautiful Teaching Team - October 24-25, 2025
• Reading Josef Pieper with Dr. Fred Putnam will take place on Thursday evenings Sept-Dec. Space is very limited. This is a seminar experience. Interaction with Dr. Putnam is essential for this online course. If you are interested in having this immersive experience with him, you can enroll here: https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/course/reading-josef-pieper-with-fred-putnam

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This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved.

About the Guest: Dr. Fred Putnam
Fred Putnam retired after forty years of teaching high school, college, and graduate school; for twelve of those years he was Professor of Bible & Liberal Studies in the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University (2012-2024), where he helped to design, and taught in, the program leading to the MA in Teaching [MAT] in classical education. 

Beginning as a seminary professor of Biblical Hebrew and Koiné Greek, his teaching expanded to include not only the languages and interpretation of the Bible, but also linguistics, translation theory and practice, English literature, philosophy, etc. During those years of teaching, experiences with students led him from being a fairly conventional teacher (lectures, quizzes, tests, grades, attendance, etc.) to a text- (or subject-) and student-centered pedagogy that others have identified as “classical”. The main thrust of his teaching has always been helping students learn to read-learning to attend to, reflect on, and respond to texts, whatever those texts may be (including poems, novels, Scripture, works of art and music, etc.). 

In the Templeton Honors College, he led undergrad courses on the Old and New Testaments, Hebrew, Greek, and seminars on Joseph Pieper, The Count of Monte Christo, and philosophy of education, and five masters-level courses in the MAT: "Classical Pedagogy I: The Culture of the Classroom", "Philosophy & History of Education II: The American Public School System", "The Ethos of a School", "Drama in the Classical School (With an Emphasis on Shakespeare)", and "Teaching the Bible as a Classic Text" (online through the Templeton Honors College). 

While homeschooling their daughters, Fred and his wife met weekly with homeschooled high-schoolers; he taught Shakespeare, poetry, literature, philosophy, Hebrew, and Greek, while his wife tutored individual students in reading and creative writing. 

Born in New Hampshire, he grew up on farms in northeast Connecticut, emigrated to PA in 1970, and insists that he is a New Englander on "southern assignment". He knows that hills are made of granite, Guernseys give the best milk, and continues to await a real northern-style winter. An ordained minister, he preaches in various churches in southeastern Pennsylvania, where he and his wife live near their daughters and grandchildren, and where he also reads, translates and analyzes the Hebrew and Greek Bible, and putters. 

Show Notes
In this episode, Adrienne and Dr. Putnam discuss the seminal works of Josef Pieper. They also do a deep dive into what a beautiful way of teaching really looks like. Some highlights include:

• How Dr. Putnam teaches (What is classical pedagogy?)
• Teaching & learning are relational activities-- the teacher's view of a student is central to the pedagogy
• His course: The Ethos of a School-- how a school can establish and maintain a humane identity even during major changes
• How Pieper can help teachers understand virtues and their applications in teaching
• How Pieper can help us understand what it really means to learn and how it affects being a teacher
• Understanding the nature of being a person and its implications for teaching

Resources Mentioned

• An Anthology by Josef Pieper
• Only the Lover Sings by Josef Pieper
• Leisure, The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
• The Courage to Teach: The Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life by Parker J. Palmer
• How Children Learn by John Holt
• Teaching with Your Mouth Shut
  by Donald L. Finkel 
• TedTalk: Kathryn Shultz on Being Wrong https://www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong?language=en

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Beautiful Teaching online courses:

• BT online webinars, interactive courses, and book studies registration: https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/
• Reading Josef Pieper with Dr. Fred Putnam will take place on Thursday evenings Sept-Dec. Space is very limited. This is a seminar experience. Interaction with Dr. Putnam is essential for this online course. If you are interested in having this immersive experience with him, you can enroll here: https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/course/reading-josef-pieper-with-fred-putnam

________________________________________________________
This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve

About the Guest
Jonathan Pageau is a French Canadian liturgical artist, icon carver, writer, and public speaker. With a YouTube following of 191K, he has become a sought out interpreter of the deep patterns in stories. His podcast entitled The Symbolic World features, in both English and French, Jonathan's interpretations and conversations with other artists, thinkers and culture champions who are interested in restoring a collective respect for and use of these patterns as the very stuff of the cosmos.

The Symbolic World Press is Jonathan Pageau’s new collaborative publishing venture specializing in skillfully bound and well-crafted books you can hold and read with your family and friends. SWP publications recall some of the most important and ancient stories out of the digital space and onto the printed page in masterfully designed books. The books are inspired by classic tales that are re-told in surprising ways that both compel the modern reader and resonate with the ancient traditions of storytelling.

Jonathan's Resources Mentioned Include:
God’s Dog by Jonathan Pageau

Jonathan Pageau Fairy Tale Series

https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/

Show Notes
I invited Jonathan Pageau back on my show to revisit fairy tales and go deeper than I did with my first interview (Season 3, Episode 14). I also wanted to expand a bit on his presentation for The Great Hearts Conference on how fairy tales reflect "The Music of the Spheres." I also wanted to dive a bit more into how to teach fairy tales to students. Some of the key points we covered include:

- Fairy Tales and “ Music of the Spheres” (His original presentation at The Great Hearts Conference is on YouTube)

- Patterns forming experiences and behavior 

- Narration: Retelling stories

- Developing an imagination

- Relationships, Analogies, & Faith

- Celebrate fairy tales with tea time

- Attention , Memory, Transmission 

- Teaching Fairy Tales to High School Students 

- Noticing symbolism in Fairy Tales and Bible Stories

Authors and Books Mentioned 

Jonathan Pageau

Snow White

J. R. Tolkien essay "On Fairy Stories" (Free in the public domain)

Martin Heidegger 

Charlotte Mason 

Albert Einstein 

Brothers Grimm

"The Fantastic Imagination" essay by George MacDonald (the last chapter in A Dish of Orts in the public domain)

Walking on Water Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle
Until We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

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Beautiful Teaching online courses:

• BT online webinars, interactive courses, and book studies registration: https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/

________________________________________________________
This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve

About the Guest
Kolby Atchison serves as the head of school at Clapham School, a classical Christian school in Wheaton, Illinois, that implements the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason. He is a founding director of Educational Renaissance where he speaks, writes, and podcasts on classical Christian education, Charlotte Mason, and modern research. He lives with his wife and three children in Chicagoland.

Show Notes
In this episode, Kolby and Adrienne dive into the philosophy of a person and the role of a teacher according to Charlotte Mason. Recently, several neoclassical programs (Memoria Press and Classical Conversations) released videos answering the popular question, "Is Charlotte Mason Classical?" We decided to dive directly into what we believe is the fundamental difference in the tradition of classical ed (which Mason is closely aligned to) and the the progressive classical movement (otherwise known as neoclassical).

Resources Mentioned

• Neoclassical Vs. Classical Tradition: a comparison on Beautiful Teaching's website: https://www.beautifulteaching.com/neoclassical-vs-classical
• Memoria Press Latin Study
• The Core by Leigh Bortins (founder of Classical Conversations)
• Charlotte Mason Vol VI & Vol I
• Aristotle
• The Bible
• A Thinking Love: Studies from Charlotte Mason's Home Education by Karen Glass
• Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
• Educational Renaissance

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Beautiful Teaching online courses:

• BT online webinars, interactive courses, and book studies registration: https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/

________________________________________________________
This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve

About The Guests

Karen Glass is part of the Advisory of AmblesideOnline. She has four children, ages 13 to 27, who have been homeschooled using Charlotte Mason’s methods from beginning to end.  Karen has been studying and writing about Charlotte Mason and Classical Education for over twenty years and has written the popular books Consider This: Charlotte Mason and The Classical Tradition,  Know and Tell: The Art of Narration, In Vital Harmony, and her newest book A Thinking Love: Studies from Charlotte Mason's Home Education.

Dr. Robert Terry has over twenty years of experience in classical education. He has been a teacher of multiple disciplines, a curriculum designer, and has worked extensively in teacher training and development. He has served as the Curriculum Director and Vice President of Academics at a multi-campus University-model classical Christian school in the Dallas area. While academic head he successfully accomplished two ACCS accreditations. Before discovering classical education, Robert was a CPA. He has also served his school as a Finance Director in the past. Robert holds an MA in Philosophy focusing on the great Christian texts and a Doctorate focused on the work of the Oxford Inklings. He has been married to Elisabeth for twenty-five years and has been active in homeschooling their four grown children.

Show Notes
On this episode, my guests discuss the important connections that Mason made from reading Samuel Taylor Coleridge's On Method. We discuss how important this connection is to her philosophy, as well as how it has had an impact on the classical education movement. Some important discussion points include:

• The poet's influence on Mason
• The revitalization of Shakespeare, wonder, and a curiosity framework in education
• A deep understanding of ideas and making relational connections
• Method as it is tied to a pedagogy
• Mason's method of a lesson and how to properly interpret her 20 principles
• Reason for caution: Why reading Charlotte Mason in part can be misleading 

Resources
If you want to read Coleridge, Karen Glass recommends this version. It is a facsimile of the same version that Mason had in her PNEU library: A Dissertation On The Science Of Method ISBN:  978-1018198736

Karen's blog on Coleridge and Mason Connections: https://www.karenglass.net/page/2/?s=coleridge

Connections with Coleridge #1—A nod from Charlotte Mason

Connections with Coleridge #2—Introducing Treatise on Method

Connections with Coleridge #3—Law and Order

Connections with Coleridge #3.5—A Speculative Detour

Connections with Coleridge #4—Dipping into Method

Connections with Coleridge #5—In Pursuit of Method

Connections with Coleridge #6—Meet the Philosophers

Connections with Coleridge #7—Laws, Ideas, and Truth

Connections with Coleridge #8—A short history of the education of mankind

Connections with Coleridge #9—In Search of the Soul

Connections with Coleridge #10—A Few Final Words

Treatise On Method: Coleridge

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Coleridge 

Kuala Khan: Coleridge

Shakespeare

Francis Bacon

Plato

C.S. Lewis

Tolkien

Quintilion 

Pascal 

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Beautiful Teaching (BT) Resources:

• BT online webinars, interactive courses, and book studies registration: https://beautifulteaching.coursestorm.com/
• BT Newsletters: https://www.beautifulteaching.com/newsletters

________________________________________________________
This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserve

Guests 
Dr. Louis Markos: Houston Christian University: 

• Professor of English
• Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities
• Scholar-in-Residence

Dr. Patrick Egan: Clapham Christian Classical School

• Academic Dean
• Contributor of Educational Renaissance 

Jason Barney: Coram Deo Academy in Carmel, IN

• School Principal
• Author of Charlotte Mason: A Liberal Education for All (published by CAP)
• Contributor of Educational Renaissance 

Show Notes

• Common misunderstandings of Charlotte Mason (especially if you only read her principles)
• What does Mason say about memory work and how does it compare to Dorothy Sayer's view?
• Who in the Romantic era is good that Charlotte Mason embraced? 
• What did she reject from the Romantic philosophers?
• Various quotes from Mason that reflect her alignment to the liberal arts tradition
• What is her view of a child and how does it influence her pedagogy?
• How and why narration is classical and superior as a classical pedagogy
• What is Paideia? -- Does Mason have a paideia in her philosophy?
• How the habit training model of Charlotte Mason mirrors/agrees with the classical tradition

Resources Mentioned
The Great Books
John Locke, Coleridge, Wordsworth
Charlotte Mason: A Liberal Education for All by Jason Barney
For The Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass
Abolition of Man by CS Lewis
The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory
An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education by Charlotte M. Mason (Centenary Expanded Edition has restored her original essay, "Two Education Ideals" where she compares Rousseau's Emile unfavorably to her favoring John Milton's Of Education)
Metalogicon by John of Salisbury
Institutes of Oratory by Quintilian
Charlotte Mason's Great Recognition of the Middle Ages through the fresco (vol. 2- Parents and Children by Mason)

Charlotte Mason Quotes
Louis Markos: "Our schools turn out a good many clever young persons, wanting in nothing but initiative, the power of reflection and the sort of moral imagination that enables you to 'put yourself in his place.'"- (Mason, Vol 6, pg. 25)

Jason Barney:  "Almost anything may be made of a child by those who first get him into their hands. We find that we can work definitely towards the formation of character; that the habits of the good life, of the alert intelligence, which we take pains to form in the child, are, somehow, registered in the very substance of his brain; and that the habits of the child are, as it were, so many little hammers beating out by slow degrees the character of the man.  Therefore we set ourselves to form a habit in the same matter-of-fact steady way that we set about teaching the multiplication table; expecting the thing to be done and done with for life. " (The History and Aims of the P.N.E.U. pamphlet)

Patrick Egan: "But the Florentine mind of the Middle Ages went further than this: it believed, not only that the seven Liberal Arts were fully under the direct outpouring of the Holy Ghost, but that every fruitful idea, every original conception, whether in Euclid, or grammar, or music, was a direct inspiration from the Holy Spirit, without any thought at all as to whether the person so inspired named himself by the name of God, or recognised whence his inspiration came." (Mason, Vol 2, pg. 271)

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This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2025 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved

Guests

• Dr. Matthew Post:  Founder and Former Director of the Classical Education Graduate program at The University of Dallas; Served with The National Classical Education Symposium, The Institute for Classical Education, and The National Council for Classical Educators; Currently serves as Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, Honors College at The University of Tulsa
• Dr. Laura Eidt: University of Dallas- Affiliate Assistant Professor of Modern Languages, Humanities Program Director, Director of UD's K-5 Latin Curriculum Latin Through Stories
• Dr. Robert Terry: Over 25 years at a Classical University Model School teaching and serving as curriculum director and faculty development, Masters in Great Books, Doctorate of Theology (ThD in Inkling Studies)
• Jonathan Fiore: Formerly homeschooled, Graduate of Hillsdale, Masters in Classical Education from The University of Dallas, Humanities Teacher at Holy Innocent's Catholic School

Topics Covered

• What are the essential criteria for a school to be considered classical?
• There are 4 touchstones that make up a classical education: Christ-centered, cultivation of wisdom and virtue, appreticeship in the 7 liberal arts, and a focus on the timeless and traditional
• Community and leadership must have an understanding of the tradition for success
• Atmosphere is central to the success -- order and harmony (beauty) is really important
• Are the following things necessary?- Great Books, Socratic Dialogue, integration of subjects, Charlotte Mason, Trivium & Quadrivium, Latin? 
• Love and freedom are at the heart of classical education
• Does reading the classics or teaching ancient Greek history automatically define your school as "classical"?
• Are we preparing students to see themselves as part of a community and a country?
• How ought we assess students if education is rooted in love and liberty?-- What does the research tell us about good and bad ways to assess students?
• What are some common roadblock in classical education?
• Memory work should be meaningful rather than rote fact chants
• Seminars
• Formation of teachers and parents is necessary 

Resources we Discussed:

• Paradox of Education in a Republic by Eva Brann
• Jefferson's Natural Aristocracy
• Homer's Iliad and Odyssey

What is a book or poem that every classical teacher and board member should read?

• The Liberal Arts Tradition by Clark and Jain
• Plato's Gorgias
• The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
• Homer's Iliad (Fagles or Lattimore translation)
• Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis
• Paradox of Education in a Republic by Eva Brann

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This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved

About our Guest
Kiernan Fiore has worked as a teacher, administrator, trainer, and curriculum developer since 2011. Kiernan was classically home educated using a Charlotte Mason methodology, and her own educational experience is the inspiration for her work. She holds a BA in English from Hillsdale College and an MA in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College London and is certified in 4-8th Grade ELAR and Social Studies in Texas. After six years of working with the Founders Classical network of charter schools in Texas, she now serves as Dean of Curriculum at Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, CA. She also serves as a consultant on special projects and curriculum alignment with Beautiful Teaching, LLC. She has been married to Jonathan, also a classical educator, for six years and is the mother of three children.

Show Notes
This discussion drills down into to how to help children grow by offering them a living curriculum. The work of teaching is the cultivation of the whole child. As classical educators, we need to think deeply about our curriculum and pedagogy. New teachers often wrestle with what this looks like in the classroom. An understanding of curriculum and its incarnational role will greatly influence the development of the whole child.  Habit training is unpacked as an intellectual virtue at the heart of the entire foundation of a classical education.

Discussion Points:

• How can we best help children grow?
• What is curriculum?-- Is it the books you are reading or is it the standards, benchmarks, and roadmaps that drive the instruction in the classroom?
• How does our definition influence our classroom instruction?
• As Christian Classical educators, is there another way to view curriculum that is centered on an incarnational model?
• What are some challenges with having check lists? Are there helpful checklists?
• Why is habit training so important and in what areas do we need to focus on?
• How can our habit training influence our standards and grading rubrics?

Resources we Discussed:

• Andrew Zwerneman podcast interview has all the resources that will help you with grading: https://classicaleducationpodcast.transistor.fm/episodes/leading-assessing-seminars-with-andrew-zwerneman-from-cana-academy
• Classical Education Rubric Checklist: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VYej2Qw2GrEItZI_wZjAy0hf7OS3oYpz/view?usp=drive_link
• Catholic (virtue-based) Standards:
  https://cardinalnewmansociety.org/educator-resources/resources/academics/catholic-curriculum-standards/#standards-and-resources

  ________________________________________________________
  This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
  Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved

About our Guest
Chris earned a BA in Philosophy from Gettysburg College and an MAT in Elementary Education from Towson University.  He has been a classroom educator and administrator for 29 years, having served in public, independent, and classical schools.  His is an author, speaker, and consultant in classical education, as well as an online and in-person teacher, coach, and tutor.

Along with his professional pedigree, he is a lifelong practitioner of several of the common arts profiled in his book, Common Arts Education.  For more than thirty years, Chris has sought out training for and advanced his skills in 

armament, agriculture, material-working arts, ancestral skills, preparedness, and more.  He is a practicing musician, amateur radio operator, and avid outdoorsman, all of which serve to inform and shape his ongoing development of, and in, the arts.

Chris founded Always Learning Education in order to serve teachers, schools, homeschool families, and others who are interested in learning and propagating the common arts.   He lives on a small homesteaded farm in central Virginia with his wife and three homeschooled sons.

\https://alwayslearningeducation.net/

Show Notes
In this episode, Chris Hall shares a few of his favorite poems and discusses poetry for science lessons! This episode will inspire you in the delightfulness of integrating poetry and stories into science lessons.

Poems on this Episode

When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer By Walt Whitman

The Peace of Wild Things By Wendell Berry

Shakespeare's Sonnet 37
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Remembering Season 1, Episode 3 Chris Hall joined our podcast to discuss the common arts https://share.transistor.fm/s/a08b71cb
That podcast episode can be heard here. We discussed the following: 

• What are the common arts? 
• How do they relate to a classical education? 
• How do we bring up the whole human being, thriving in wonders of life and right ordered relationships? 
• How to balance and bolster both common arts and liberal arts in education. 

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SCL FALL RETREAT, 2024

Chris and I were both invited to lead the teacher track sessions at Society for Classical Learning's 2024 fall conference in Dallas the last weekend in October. We are collaborating and are creating not only some wonderful sessions on the theory of classical education but also practical sessions where you will leave feeling equipped.  You will discover the transcendentals (truth, goodness, and beauty)— through theory and hands-on practicum sessions. This conference is not only for classroom teachers but also for home educators. 

Tickets are on sale at the Society for Classical Learning website be sure to look for their link to the fall retreat so you can read more about this conference, our sessions, and register online.

https://www.societyforclassicallearning.org/fall-retreat-24/ 

________________________________________________________
This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved

About our Guest
Andrew J. Zwerneman serves as Cana Academy’s President and as one of their MasterTeachers. For 40 years, he has taught and consulted in secondary schools that emphasize classic humanities. For 19 years he headed schools—2 at the public charter school, Tempe Preparatory Academy in Tempe, Arizona, 17 at Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church, Virginia. He is the founder and owner of The Academy Project, LLC, which wrote the original curricula and trained faculties for Thomas MacLaren School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Trinity Academy in Portland, Oregon. Education: B.A., A.B.D., University of Notre Dame; M.A., St. John’s University. He is the author of History Forgotten and Remembered (2020) and The Life We Have Together: A Case for Humane Studies, A Vision for Renewal (2022).

https://www.canaacademy.org/

Show Notes
Leading seminars is one of Andrew's areas of expertise. Adrienne invited him back on the show to discuss the principles of leading great seminars and how to give grades that matter.

Discussion Points:
Referring to Zwerneman's "10 for 10: How to Grade Seminar Participation" the following are discussed:

• Why seminars are an important pedagogy for classical school
• The  principles for guiding good seminars 
• Distinguishing between the higher habits of mind and the skilled habits of work 
• What are some good reasons for grading seminars and how to grade them

Resources from Cana Academy

10 for 10: How to Grade Seminar Participation

https://www.history250.org/

8 Tips for Leading a Great Seminar Discussion

8 Tips On Coaching a Reluctant Discussant

https://www.canaacademy.org/free-resources : scroll down to Seminar Leadership Videos

https://www.canaacademy.org/shop

Example of Free Sample: 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57e9653aebbd1a90d5cf34c6/t/5dfbd171db0c927d0316e45e/1576784250891/IliadGuideFreePreview+Secured.pdf

________________________________________________________
This podcast is produced by Beautiful Teaching, LLC.
Support this podcast:

Credits:
Sound Engineer: Andrew Helsel
Logo Art: Anastasiya CF
Music: Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Violins in B flat major, RV529 : Lana Trotovsek, violin Sreten Krstic, violin with Chamber Orchestra of Slovenian Philharmonic
 
© 2024 Beautiful Teaching LLC. All Rights Reserved