Old Western Culture Walk-through: How Does the Curriculum Work?
Daniel Foucachon talks about how the curriculum works, its components, schedules, and how to apply it to various settings. All curriculum & books on sale 25 – 40% off through Aug 8th. OLD WESTERN CULTURE
Why Old Western Culture has no self-graded quizzes
Several years ago we produced self-grading quizzes for a unit of Old Western Culture as a trial. They worked great, and demonstrated that students were paying attention to the material. But we decided not to publish them. Here is why. While self-grading quizzes can be very useful, especially for subjects like math and language, we wanted to emphasize the “recitation,” or Socratic dialogue use of the workbooks for Old Western Culture. Ideally, the workbooks shouldn’t be used for mere comprehension, even if they accomplish that, but as a jumping point for discussion. Grappling with the questions from the lectures and readings … Continue Reading “Why Old Western Culture has no self-graded quizzes”
Why do we Learn to Read Latin?
Latin is the ancient language originally used in the central region of Italy onced called Latium, where Rome is located. As Rome’s empire grew to include most of Europe and vast portions of Asia and Africa, the Romans’ native tongue, Latin, gradually became the official language of the peoples they had subjugated; and within a few centuries after Christ it had become the equal of Greek as a language of literature, philosophy, and theology. When the Roman empire finally disintegrated as a political entity, Latin lived on: the history, literature, and science of the ancient Romans had unprecedented influence on … Continue Reading “Why do we Learn to Read Latin?”
What do we mean by “Liberal Arts”?
As Christians recover classical Christian education, they are unearthing old treasures, once the possession of every educated man. Some of these treasures are words and descriptions–terms like “Trivium” and “Quadrivium,” “paideia,” and “liberal arts.” Of all these terms, “liberal arts” lays at the heart of what classical education is all about. So what did our forefathers mean by “liberal arts”? “Liberal” The word liberal has nothing to do with our modern use of the word in politics and culture. Liberal means “free,” and historically described the kind of education expected of a freeman–especially one in a position of leadership, like … Continue Reading “What do we mean by “Liberal Arts”?”
Athenian reaction to defeat similar to US reaction to 9/11 terrorist attacks
In this excerpt from The Histories, part of the Old Western Culture series, a Great Books video course, Wes Callihan shows how the reactions that the Athenians had to a defeat is very similar to other reactions of democracies throughout history, and specifically similar to the reaction of the United States to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Thucydides wants us to make these parallels as he explains at the beginning of “The History of the Peloponnesian War.” YouTube version here.
Interview with Andrew Pudewa on Classical Education
Daniel Foucachon interviews Andrew Pudewa from IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) at the CiRCE Institute summer conference in 2015 on the subject of Classical Education. Subjects covered: What are some of the greatest “Great Books”? How do we deal with feeling inadequate to give a classical education to our children? What are some good books to get started with a classical education? If you could dine with any three educators, who would they be? What advice (and resources) do you have for writers? Poetry, learning styles, memory, history of education in America, and more! YouTube version HERE. Bibliography Books … Continue Reading “Interview with Andrew Pudewa on Classical Education”
A glimpse at what we lost when we abandoned classical education
Mark Twain is attributed with the saying “Those who don’t read have no advantage over those who can’t.” We are now a couple generations away from our forefathers who abandoned classical education. We are now the generation that does not even know what it has lost. Wes Callihan gives a glimpse at the kind of richness we have lost in this excerpt from the Old Western Culture curriculum on the great books of Western civilization. If you don’t study the classics, you have no advantage over those who can’t. Roman Roads Media provides tools to help you accomplish this task! Get started today! … Continue Reading “A glimpse at what we lost when we abandoned classical education”
Great Books Challenge for Parents 2016
Welcome to the 2016 Great Books Challenge for Parents! This Challenge is for any parent, but especially for parents who plan to classically homeschool their children, or who are currently homeschooling their children. Classical homeschoolers love Old Western Culture because they see their children coming to the dinner table full of stories, and thirsty for knowledge and wisdom. Make 2016 the year classical learning comes alive in your home, and earn free curriculum in the process! Last year’s Great Books Challenge, centered around Virgil’s Aeneid, was a tremendous success! This year we are going to continue and build upon that challenge, adding the following unit, Romans: … Continue Reading “Great Books Challenge for Parents 2016”
Interview with John Hodges
Daniel Foucachon interviews John Hodges, from The Center for Western Studies, on classical education. This interview took place during the 2015 CiRCE Conference: A Contemplation of Harmony. Topics covered: – What is classical education? – What is the greatest “great book”? – Adult Education/homeschooling – Children’s Literature – How to start a classical education late in life – The goal of education – The role of pre-Christian literature – and more—enjoy!
The Reformation and the Classics: What would Calvin Read?
As sons and daughters of the Reformation, we are very grateful for the work of the Reformers – as we should be. We ought to read the Institutes. We ought to sing Goudimel. We ought to remember how the Reformers spent their lives defending the truth and authority of Scripture, and proclaiming the Lordship of Christ over all creation. But we want to do more than just remember the Reformation. We want to be as the Reformers were – and then to go further up and further in. Semper reformanda, as they say. So how do we do that? One … Continue Reading “The Reformation and the Classics: What would Calvin Read?”