Happy Monday!
One of the defining features of a classical education is the adherence and belief in primary source documents as the greatest source of material for history, science, literature, and writing. But what do we mean by that? And why are primary source documents superior to the average story about a historical figure?
Primary source documents are sources that are written or revealed by people who were actually there. Instead of reading a story about Abraham Lincoln traveling to Gettysburg to read his famous address, students will read and dissect Lincoln's actual words. Instead of reading what freedoms the Constitution provides us, students will read and understand the Constitution.
Primary sources provide a window into the past—unfiltered access to
the record of artistic, social, scientific and political thought and
achievement during the specific period under study, produced by people
who lived during that period. Bringing young people into close contact with these unique, often
profoundly personal, documents and objects can give them a very real
sense of what it was like to be alive during a long-past era.
In fact, the Library of Congress says that primary source documents:
1. Engage students
- Primary sources help students relate in a personal way to events of
the past and promote a deeper understanding of history as a series of
human events.
- Because primary sources are snippets of history, they encourage students to seek additional evidence through research.
- First-person accounts of events helps make them more real, fostering active reading and response.
2. Develop critical thinking skills
- Many state standards support teaching with primary sources, which
require students to be both critical and analytical as they read and
examine documents and objects.
- Primary sources are often incomplete and have little context.
Students must use prior knowledge and work with multiple primary sources
to find patterns.
- In analyzing primary sources, students move from concrete
observations and facts to questioning and making inferences about the
materials.
- Questions of creator bias, purpose, and point of view may challenge students’ assumptions.
3. Construct knowledge
- Inquiry into primary sources encourages students to wrestle with
contradictions and compare multiple sources that represent differing
points of view, confronting the complexity of the past.
- Students construct knowledge as they form reasoned conclusions, base
their conclusions on evidence, and connect primary sources to the
context in which they were created, synthesizing information from
multiple sources.
- Integrating what they glean from comparing primary sources with what
they already know, and what they learn from research, allows students
to construct content knowledge and deepen understanding.
Why wouldn't we want students that possessed these attributes?!
Aut viam inveniam aut faciam
(I will either find a way or make one-Hannibal),
Kelly
Happy Monday!
As a college professor and advisor, there is one subject in particular that seems to evoke feelings of anxiety and gnashing of teeth more than most: mathematics. I often say there are two subjects students cry about in my office: public speaking and math. A classical education will do wonders to assist students with the former as we will study wonderful orators from Aristotle to Plato to John Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. But what can classical education do to help students with math? The answer is Singapore Math.
I ran into this article the other day from PBS that gives a wonderful summary of Singapore Math and describes why it is so successful. You can read the article here: What's Singapore Math? If I had to tell you in one sentence why Singapore Math students are so successful, I'd say that Singapore Math avoids the "mile-wide, inch deep" approach of many traditional math programs in the United States.
If you don't have time to read the whole article, here is my favorite quote from the story:
“Many parents want to tell their children not to do a math problem this
way, or they discourage, saying there is an easier way,” Martin says.
“Part of Singapore math is children making meaning of the math. Just
because the parents understand it one way doesn’t mean the children
won’t another.” Char Forsten, a consultant and writer who helps schools implement
Singapore math, explains, “When I was in school, the emphasis was on
getting the correct answer; here it’s about understanding the math and
explaining your answer. That’s a big thing that parents need to
understand.” We may want our children to get the right answer, but we
also want them to know why it is the right answer.
I am so excited to see what Singapore Math can do for the children of Pineapple Cove Classical Academy!
Virtus tentamine gaudet
(Strength rejoices in the challenge),
Kelly
Hello all,
Did you hear us on the radio this morning?! The founders of the Academy, along with Mr. Philip Kilgore of Hillsdale College, were on the Bill Mick show this morning. If you missed it, you can check out the Podcast here!
We had an excellent turnout for our second Pineapple Cove Classical Academy information night last night. Thank you for all who came out to support us.
Let's talk curriculum! The main curriculum source for classical schools is the Core Knowledge Curriculum. This is not to be confused with the Common Core, which is a relatively new standards set proposed by the states. Core Knowledge and the Core Knowledge Foundation have been around since 1986- almost 30 years!- and is a content-rich and literacy-based curriculum. Do you want to see what our students will be learning? Check out some sample lessons from the Core Knowledge Sequence here. Click on your grade level of interest to view the sequence.
Honor virtutis praemium
(Esteem is the reward of virtue),
Kelly
Happy Monday all,
Tomorrow the founders are heading to Vero Beach for a luncheon and presentation by Dr. Larry Arnn, the president of Hillsdale College. We are looking forward to networking with other classical educators and are excited to be joined by Mr. Philip Kilgore, the Director of the Barney Charter School Initiative at Hillsdale College. Mr. Kilgore will also be our guest speaker at our Informational Night on February 4 at 7:00 p.m. at Pineapple Cove Academy. Finally, don't forget to listen to the radio on AM 1240 from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Wednesday, February 5 to hear founders John and Beth Moran, myself, and Mr. Kilgore discuss the new school and classical education as a whole. We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday evening!
Faber est suae quisque fortunae
(Every man is the artisan of his own fortune),
Kelly
