Tag: narration

scientist with chemicals in flasks

The Flow of Thought, Part 7: Rediscovering Science as the Love of Wisdom

In this series we’ve been finding arguments for a classical education from the unlikely realm of positive psychology, particularly Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi’s classic Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. After connecting the concept of flow with Aristotle’s link between virtue or excellence and eudaimonia (happiness or flourishing), we’ve been racing through aspects of the liberal arts tradition, in a sort of running commentary on Csikszentmihalyi’s chapter, entitled The Flow of Thought. I’ve already treated science briefly under the heading “The Seven Liberal Arts as Mental Games.” That’s because the quadrivium, or four mathematical arts, included not only arithmetic and geometry, but

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Charlotte Mason and the Power of Ideas

As Charlotte Mason observed, there is nothing quite like the experience of being struck by an idea. The experience is equivalent to being the recipient of some unexpected treasure. Ideas loosen our grip on holding a thin view of the world. They open our minds, especially through narration, to connections previously gone undetected and stir our imaginations to explore further up and further in. Ideas light the fire beneath us to learn, search, and discover. I’ll never forget when as a child I encountered the idea of the Roman Empire. In the family room we had an entire bookshelf dedicated

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journal on the table for reviewing the year

20 of the Most Memorable Maxims from 2019 Educational Renaissance

The end of the year is a good time to take stock and review how far we’ve come. These last few days I’ve been doing this, both for myself through rereading my bullet journals, but also for Educational Renaissance by rereading all the old articles of 2019 in search of gems of wisdom. Along the way, I was impressed by the unity of thought among the Educational Renaissance writers, as well as the presence of quite a few memorable maxims in the midst of all that dense (or playful) educational theory and practice. A maxim is usually defined as a

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Why Luther Believed Christians Should Study the Liberal Arts

What lies at the core of an authentically Christian education? Bible classes, faithful teachers, chapel services, certainly. How about the liberal arts? For many parents of faith, they aren’t so sure. After all, the liberal arts aren’t necessary for coming to faith or remaining in the fold. And in 2019, with a diversified economy, the increase in demand for STEM degrees, and the rising cost of higher education, the liberal arts don’t appear necessary for a successful career either. So what gives? Should Christian parents really care that much about ensuring their children receive a Christ-centered liberal arts education? As

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Attention, Then and Now: The Science of Focus Before and After Charlotte Mason’s Time

The importance of attention for education is almost proverbial. Who has not seen the stereotype of a student staring out the window, while the teacher drones on? Movies and TV shows are filled with it. Everybody knows that a wandering attention and a lack of interest hamper a student’s learning. But we haven’t always paid good attention to the dynamics of focus. Michael Hobbiss, a researcher from the UK on attention, distraction and cognitive control in adolescents, remarked in an interview on the Learning Scientists website, that there’s been too much focus among educators on how to grab students’ attention,

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Liberating Education from the Success Syndrome

The quest for success in education is a familiar narrative for students, teachers and home educators alike. Schools especially can often get caught up in the elusive search for success. As Christian schools, the desire to reach as many students as possible in order to make as big a kingdom impact as possible is laudable. As classical schools, the ambition to provide a rigorous education in order to propel students onto the college pathway is powerful. The urgency of achieving success now on all fronts means that most of us are confronted with the “success syndrome,” in other words, the

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reading book in flow

The Flow of Thought, Part 3: Narration as Flow

It’s been a little while since my last article on the flow of thought, or how Mihayli Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow can support the philosophy of classical education. In the meantime, I’ve shared an early version of my eBook on implementing Charlotte Mason’s practice of narration in the classroom (see our new Narration page for more information). My hope in making this resource is to inspire more classical schools around the country to adopt narration as a teaching tool in the classroom, because I think it’s incredibly powerful. Past installments – Part 1: Training the Attention for Happiness’ Sake, Part

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ancient Greek goddesses of memory

The Flow of Thought, Part 2: The Joy of Memory

In my last article “The Flow of Thought, Part 1: Training the Attention for Happiness’ Sake” I drew a connection between Aristotle’s view that happiness is the chief goal of education and the findings of modern positive psychology. In Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, he reports his findings that people report being most happy when in a state of flow. Flow is his term for the experience of focused effort at some worthwhile pursuit at a level of challenge commensurate with one’s skills. Whether a hobby, work or a meaningful conversation, the experience of flow is immensely rewarding,

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classroom waiting for students to return

Back to School and Back to Educational Renaissance

Welcome back to a new school year and to a new year of Educational Renaissance! The back-to-school sale shelves are probably already picked over and disheveled, but Jason, Kolby and I are planning a whole series of great posts that will last you the whole school year. Look for our first post to drop next weekend! Welcoming Kolby to the Team We’d like to welcome Kolby, the newest member of the team! You can read more about Kolby on our bio page. After getting to know Kolby over the years, I knew that there was a likemindedness that made him an ideal contributor to

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Bible on a Stand

Easier Than You Think, Yet Harder Than You Think: Teaching the Bible to Children

The Bible ought to be taught to children. This should be self-evident from a theological perspective, given that the Bible is God’s authoritative self-revelation to mankind. “Let the little children come to me,” Jesus says, “and do not hinder them.” From an educational perspective, though, we do well to ask ourselves what it means to teach the Bible in the school classroom. How might this differ from teaching in a church context or in a Christian home? What consideration do we give to the age of the child and their stage of cognitive development? The Bible is simultaneously so precious

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