A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
Envision classroom discussions beaming with student involvement, where curious minds are posing thoughtful questions and attentive peers respond with their own hypotheses, solutions, ideas, and extension questions. How do you build a classroom culture that facilitates this level of engagement and willingness to inquire authentically and share ideas courageously?
Pedagogy and classroom management are necessary, but they are always in service of a higher thing. That higher thing—cultivating within students the wonder and love of learning—ought always to come first. That, then, must also be the end of the education of the teacher when they themselves are students.
We have to learn how to be students, and my favorite book on that subject is Study is Hard Work, by William Armstrong. Except for its title, the book is a welcoming introduction to the habits and skills that make someone a learner.
Living in a small town isn't that bad, you know. There is a film studio in the basement of the building where we work, and on the first floor we have a radio station. So, without having to go very far at all, this summer we started a podcast, and the first episode is available… Continue reading Hillsdale’s New K-12 Classical Education Podcast
Cultivating Good Habits for Success in High School by Mrs. Walley, Upper School Science Teacher Use Your PlannerDon’t just have a planner--please use it! You can purchase a beautiful Founders planner from the front office. It's customized for our school and you will find it very helpful for tracking weekly assignments, planning your academic year,… Continue reading Mrs. Walley’s Tips for Success in 9th-12th
The Seminar Discussion by Mr. Peterson, Literature and Philosophy Teacher This is an abridged version of a lecture given at Hillsdale College on June 29, 2017 as part of the Barney Charter School Initiative's summer teacher training. The original (available upon request) includes details about seminar setup procedures, grading, how the other components of a literature class… Continue reading Seminar Discussion in 9th-12th Grade, by Mr. Peterson
The Classical Classroom 