Panel Discussions in 2024
PANEL DISCUSSIONS:
What is Socratic Teaching?
Andrew Salzmann; William Perales; Lauren Grudem; Joelle Hodge
This panel explored the Socratic mode or method of teaching. What is it? How does it proceed? What is the purpose or end of Socratic education? Is it the best means of teaching? What is the role and responsibility of the teacher in the context of Socratic teaching? Is it the the instructional means best suited to achieve the ends of classical education?
Finding the Right College for the Classically Educated Student
Jonathan Sanford; Jacob Howland; Richard Avramenko
Where should classically educated students go for their post-secondary education? How can classical schools guide their students towards institutions that will build on the classical foundation of their K-12 education? This panel heard from representatives from the University of Dallas, The University of Austin, and the School of Social and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University.
What Makes a Great Book?
Sir Jonathan Bate; Roosevelt Montás; Catherine Zuckert; Michael Fink
The reading and study of “Great Books” are at the heart of a strong classical education curriculum but what qualifies a book as a “Great book?” There is a crisis of confidence in education across the United States that often makes it difficult for us to agree on what constitutes a “Great Book.” So, what are the characteristics of a “Great Book?” To earn the status of a “Great Book,” what must a text teach us about the human condition, its virtues, vices, beauty, wisdom, character, what the great questions are for a human being, and the place of the human in our political communities, in the world, the universe, our own communities?
Book Bans: Separating Facts from Fiction
Robert Pondiscio; Daniel Buck; Sarah Skwire; Jay Greene
In this panel discussion, the speakers surveyed recent events that have been (mis)reported as instances of “book banning.” The goal of the panel was to discern the important distinction between the legitimate curation of K-12 reading lists (for reasons of age-appropriateness, or to cultivate certain sentiments and virtues in readers, for instance), and ill-judged censoriousness.
ChatGPT and Classical Education
Jake Tawney; Andrew Zwerneman; Erik Twist
The ChatGPT era has provoked angst in the education community, leading some to question whether the student essay should be abandoned in favor of other pedagogies. As educators wrestle with the implications of AI, we would do well to start with the raison d’être of education and the place of writing therein. The panelists discussed the purpose of student writing, the challenges presented by ChatGPT, and solutions to those challenges.
Navigating Difficult Conversations in the Classroom
Jacob Howland; Karen Taliaferro; Dan Scoggin, Ian Rowe
Classical Education engages students in conversations about the subjects and questions fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge for every human being, through the consideration of the great works of literature, history, and philosophy that form our common understanding of the world. The content of these conversations is often complex, perplexing, even troubling, and sometimes complicated by the challenge of events in the world beyond the academy. The purpose of this panel was to discuss how to engage classical education students in challenging subjects through the study and discussion of the great books and classical texts.
Athletic Excellence in Classical Education
Jay Heiler; Jack Doody; Christine Jagge; Zach Hilton
Some academics might consider sport mainly as popular culture, or a mere social fad; others might see it as an unwelcome demand on students’ time, better dedicated to the study, scholarship and life of the mind with which classical education is most concerned. Those of a different view would say that so far as pursuit of Truth, Goodness and Beauty are concerned, there are few fields of human activity combining all three more harmoniously than sport. In Plato’s “Republic,” Socrates explains that a good education combines the harmonization of athletics and the liberal arts. He argues that the human being “who makes the finest mixture of gymnastics with music and brings them to his soul in the most proper measure is the one of whom we would most correctly say that he is perfectly and well harmonized” (412a). So, does the inclusion of competitive athletics in a classical education harmonize the human soul? Does the immense popularity of sport in the modern world reflect in some way the human attraction to Truth, or to the transcendent? Are there ways in which competitive sport tests acquired knowledge and otherwise soundly forms the human person? Does participation in competitive sport develop the listening and comprehension skills, as well as the practical and competitive intelligence of students to enhance their preparation for the world beyond secondary school? Is there as much to be learned and acquired of virtue on the playing field as in the library, as much sound formation under the lead of a skilled coach as under a master scholar? And finally, what will now become of the connection between scholarship and sport, as collegiate athletics become increasingly professionalized?