|
Your Questions |
Our answers |
| |
|
How do I teach science classically? |
-
Call it Natural Science and recognize it
as one mode of inquiry and domain of knowing
-
Recognize the purpose of a classical approach to
the natural sciences: stewardship
-
Recognize that to actually teach science is to
teach students to identify the four causes of
the material world
-
Recognize its place in the curriculum
-
Recognize that you can only teach about science until they’ve
mastered the seven liberal arts
-
Use
text books as little as possible (don’t confuse
teaching reading or information culling with
science) and use the senses and imagination as
much as possible
-
When they are ready, discipline them in the mode
of inquiry suited to the natural sciences—i.e.
teach them to do
the natural sciences
-
When they are younger, cultivate an interest in
and respect for (wonder and awe) the natural
world of life, forces, and matter
-
Begin with a “poetic” approach to the natural
sciences
-
Go
outside
-
Grow gardens
-
Experience the world as a whole, living thing
-
Use all the senses and the imagination
-
Cultivate wonder
|
|
How do I teach history and literature classically? |
-
Name it rightly
-
Teach it according to its
nature
-
As humane letters—i.e. the art
of grammar (grammatikos—our accepted
categories are not up to the task of rightly
ordering our thoughts)
-
Use great books
-
Focus on ideas as embodied in
texts
-
7 arts first
-
When you begin to teach
literature itself be careful and make sure your
students distinguish grammar from literature and
learning about from doing
-
Same with history
-
Teach principles of criticism
-
Teach the main genres
-
Teach to identify symbols
-
Teach the archetypes
|
|
How do I teach reading classically? |
-
Recognize the three stages: Dependent, Decoding,
Independent
-
Teach phonics/syllables
-
Read to them well beyond their
years, especially great books
-
Only read books with good
taste
-
Don’t reduce learning to read to mechanistic
processes
|
|
How do I teach grammar classically? |
Approach it practically
-
Teach another language
-
Translate
-
Teach writing
Approach it theoretically
-
Drill on the basics
-
Analyze sentences
-
Memorize definitions
(diagramming is old and useful, but was not done in
the ancient world and cannot therefore be "required"
of a school for its program to be considered
classical) |
|
How do I teach math classically? |
-
Drill in the early grades
-
Use Fractions as transition to
algebra
-
Use geometry as essential
upper school math
-
Teach to understand after
getting fast
-
Be careful about the confusion created by the math
people
|
|
How do I teach the arts classically? |
-
Present models
-
Draw, paint, and sculpt
-
Focus on the elements of design
-
Teach to see/observe
-
Teach principles of criticism
|
|
How do I teach languages classically? |
-
Teach Greek and Latin to
usefulness
-
Constantly increase the
emphasis on Greek and Latin; never let them
diminish
-
Teach with an eye to
communication, reading and writing
-
Emphasize reading the great
works in the original languages
-
Teach the three stages of Sayers if you want
|
|
How do I teach social studies classically? |
-
Don’t teach them as social studies. Teach them
in the context of the
liberal arts or the humane sciences - or the facts of
life.
|
|
How do I teach writing classically? |
-
Drill on handwriting
-
Teach the disciplines, like
holding a pencil correctly
-
Read good and great books
-
Imitate
-
Teach the three canons
-
Have them write about ideas
-
Write about what they are reading
|
