A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
Classical educators endeavor to lead students to think and learn for themselves by instructing them in the essential tools of learning. Through Socratic discussion and layers of questioning, teachers prime students for the type of inquiry that ultimately allows students to discover for themselves and make decisions that align with what is good and beautiful.
As an art teacher, I feel a particular calling to contribute to this mission in the art classroom.…
This post is a follow-up to my recent post: The Case for Mini Whiteboards. If you have not read that post, I recommend you do so, as it lays out an argument in favor of the use of mini whiteboards in the classical classroom. This post will discuss the procedures, routines, and general advice that will allow you, the teacher, to get the most out of mini whiteboards in your classroom. …
Every classroom should have a set of mini whiteboards.
In the first part of this two-part blog post, I will make a case for why that statement is true. In the second part, I will give some practical guidelines for using mini whiteboards in the classroom.
One of the constant struggles of teaching can be boiled down to a simple question: “Are my students actually learning?”…
“But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”– George Eliot, Middlemarch
To learn calculus is, at its core, to learn the rules of playing with infinity: the infinitely big and the infinitely small, or infinitesimal.…
Last month, my students performed their formal recitation for the semester in front of their parents. This is a day of great anticipation and, sometimes, anxiety for the students. When we had finished our performance and returned to our classroom, my whole class was a bundle of excitement, adrenaline, and relief. We still had about 10 minutes before they needed to head to music class, plenty of time to fit in some math fact review or to go over our spelling list.…
I’ve just polished off the report card comments for another quarter of the school year (a process I usually dread, especially as a teacher of several hundred students) and I’m actually pleased as a step back from them. I am tired; one can only say “Johnny does great in music and is learning a lot” so many ways. But I am glad to look back at progress. …
When we study the framing of the Constitution in 4th grade, I highlight with my students how important it is that they understand the function of our government. Indeed, we discuss how, sadly, many Americans have not been equipped to really know the system outlined in this foundational document. Understanding the Constitution is an important conversation to have. Even at the simpler level in which we discuss it in my 4th grade classroom, it can be difficult for the students to grasp.…
One of the benefits of being an educator is witnessing the students’ progress. Effective parent communication is one way to help foster that growth, helping to create an environment of support for the student. Communicating well allows parents to stay informed about their child’s advancements and allows them to support you as their child’s educator.
Communication can come in many forms, and implementing an array will help ensure its effectiveness.…