Even a simple challenge in a friendly competition among Hillsdale member schools can encourage students to engage with the building blocks and fundamental structures of musical composition!
A Challenge for Everyone
Category: Classical Education
Cross-Curricular Connections
"I love that the stories I read with my students are intentionally matched to the history content I am teaching so my students can enjoy that heightened understanding of the characters and their lives." - Jenny Mulvey
Michelangelo’s David and Teaching Sculpture: A Conversation with Prof. Anthony Frudakis
Why do we study the fine arts, and how should K-12 schools cultivate a love and understanding of great art among their students? How should we study sculpture in particular, and what makes the great sculptors so excellent? How should we study Michelangelo's David in particular? Dr. O'Toole had a fascinating conversation with Prof. Anthony Frudakis, Associate Professor of Art at Hillsdale College on Michelangelo's David and why we study sculpture. Enjoy!
Productive Struggle in Math
George Polya, a master in mathematics education in the early twentieth century, is credited with saying that if a problem takes fewer than 24 hours to solve, it isn't worth solving. When I first heard this, I was discouraged. How can I help my students to understand math if everything worth knowing takes so much… Continue reading Productive Struggle in Math
When I’m Proud of My Students
French students from Seven Oaks Classical School had the opportunity to participate in a statewide French language and culture competition called “Le Congres.” At this annual event, students test their skill in knowledge-based contests such as vocabulary, history, and geography questionnaires as well as their oral production of the language in reading previously unseen texts… Continue reading When I’m Proud of My Students
Real Talk about That First Year
So many of us came into this profession with dreams of what it would be like and the great impacts we would make only to find the reality a rather rude awakening. But were all those visions complete fantasy? No. Teaching has fulfilled all those dreams I had when I was little. But they didn’t all come true in that first year, or even in the second.
History and Humility
At the start of each school year, I pose the question to my students: why do we study history? Each year their answers become more thoughtful and nuanced. They begin with the standard “so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past” and different variations of “because it is interesting and good” to know history… Continue reading History and Humility
Cultural Literacy and Music
What does it mean to be culturally literate in music? What are the benefits of this form of cultural literacy? How can a classical education contribute to this?
Classrooms Reflect our Classical Values
The physical space in which learning takes place has a profound effect on the student. This external environment should be intentionally chosen and set up in a way that supports student learning, ties into the curriculum, and emphasizes the unique relationship between the students and the teacher.
Images and Socratic Dialogue
Why is the use of maps, charts, and images important in a classical school? Effective use of these resources bolsters Socratic dialogue in the classroom, allowing the teacher to ask more questions and engage students in the lesson.
The Classical Classroom 