On Wednesday, August 4th we had our first annual Educational Renaissance Symposium hosted by Coram Deo Academy in Carmel, Indiana. It was exciting to welcome over sixty participants who heard keynote addresses from Educational Renaissance authors as well as attended great workshops by a variety of guests. The Symposium is a different kind of convention, intentionally small and focused on pedagogical practices. This means our keynote addresses, for instance, while aiming to be inspirational emphasize pedagogy. Breakout session then aim to apply ideas, which then lead to small group discussions during which participants can consider practices within their particular school context.
One of the best aspects of conventions is the opportunity to meet new people and deepen old friendships. The Symposium began with guests arriving and mingling with one another over coffee.
Emma Foss, music teacher at Coram Deo Academy, let a time of worship to kick off the event. She structured the time of worship around Paul’s triad expressed in Colossians 3:16 to “sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.”
The first keynote address entitled “Cultivating the Joy of Learning in the Classical Classroom” was given by Jason Barney. He developed his thinking about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s research on flow. He based many of his thoughts on his book The Joy of Learning: Finding Flow through Classical Education, but also extended his thinking to apply flow in practical ways.
Participants could choose topics in the first breakout session, with tracks catering to teachers or school leaders. After a catered lunch, Patrick Egan presented the second keynote address on “Cultivating Virtue through Habit Training.” He connected the dots between Aristotle’s conviction that virtues are cultivated through habits, the biblical mandate to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Prov. 22:6), and Charlotte Mason’s method of habit training.
A second breakout and guided discussion session preceded the final event; a panel discussion with all three Educational Renaissance authors moderated by David Seibel, Head of School at Coram Deo Academy. It was a discussion about discussion-based learning. The group differentiated discussions from other methods of learning and considered some practical applications for different grade levels and subject areas.
We are grateful for all the participants in this inaugural event. The staff at Coram Deo Academy did an excellent job hosting the event. We look forward to next year’s event. Stay tuned for further information about the date and location for the Educational Renaissance Symposium 2022.
Great event- keep watering what you planted where you planted it.