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| Molon Lave Vineyards |
I attended a Mentor Training and Retreat for Aquinas Learning Directors/Mentors/Parents. It was held at
a lovely vineyard in Virginia. We got to have a nice wine tasting after lunch which added a bit of class!
Here are my notes fleshed out a bit so they are less choppy and make more sense:
What I like so much about
Aquinas Learning is how much freedom is given to the child. The child is truly respected. This is reflected in the fact that AL doesn't call its teachers, "teachers" but sees them as mentors. Mentors are like midwifes that help birth learning. They are there to inspire and to spark the child to learn what he can at that time according to what the Holy Spirit inspires in that child. No teaching to a test and that sort of thing. The quote from Socrates was referred to over and over again: "Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel."
Jesus is seen as the master teacher, who taught by asking questions and by telling parables. One of the presenters talked about how sometimes when stargazing it is easier to spot a star not by looking directly at it but out of one's peripheral vision. Parables are like this. There's so much depth in a simple parable that allows the listener to draw their own conclusions. This is more effective teaching than a straightforward didactic style.
Ask leading questions so that the student has to draw their own conclusions as you, the mentor, leads him or allows him to discover the answer on his own.
The goal of Aquinas Learning (AL) is: To cultivate wisdom and virtue by nourishing the soul in Truth, Goodness and Beauty (that's from
Circe Institute). Rosario likes the image of marinating the child in Truth, Goodness and Beauty.
Goals of Classical education are mastery of language skills, logical and critical thinking skills, and speaking skills. These are addressed in the trivium of grammar (Language skills), logic and rhetoric. AL doesn't follow the neo-classical set up of the trivium as matched with developmental stage (first set out by Dorothy Sayers in her Lost Tools of Learning essay and then expanded upon by Douglas Wilson and followed by Susan Wise Bauer among others). The original classical method saw each learner in every age or stage as aquiring skills in grammar, logic and rhetoric. Trivium in Latin means where the three roads meet. These three roads are always meeting as we learn no matter the age of the student.
Just as in Catholicism there is a emphasis on natural law, so there should be an understanding of how we learn naturally. Here are the five characteristics of natural learning:
1.
perceive - with our senses - Rosario emphasized allowing children to behold things, not just see them but with the added depth that the word 'behold' lends.
2.
absorb - making aware of previous knowledge to compare to new knowledge (mimetic learning sequence - which is really the job of the mentor at the AL day)
3.
Apprehend - making connections - AHA! moments
4.
Re-present the idea - somehow - asking questions, re explaining, talking about it at home, etc.
5.
Apply the knowledge - do it!
Mimetic learning sequence is how the mentor presents material to the students. In AL this is done through introducing the memory sentences for History, Latin/Greek, Catechism, Grammar, Science (I guess also with the writing, language arts portion of the day - though that part does seem more tradtionally schooly) These are called the Five Topics of Invention in Lost Tools of Writing.
Mimetic Learning is to absorb through inquiry:
The presenter had a really clever way of learning these 5 concepts:
definition, comparison, circumstance, relation, authority
She used her five fingers:
Thumb - opposable thumb defines us as human. I can point my thumb at myself and define ME. Definition is simply defining terms. So when a student is presented with a new idea what words does he already know, what words does he need to find the definitions for?
Pointer finger - when we compare things we often use our pointer finger to say oh look at that! That's different from this over here. . . Comparison is naturally what we do when confronted with something new or when trying to analyze something. What is it like and how is it different from what we already know?
Tall man finger - sometimes in certain circumstances one might raise this middle finger! Not nice but circumstances can lead to this! Circumstances are looking at the context of something, how did it arise? What are the details that created it?
Ring finger - this is where we wear our wedding ring - what are the correlations and cause and effects of the idea or knowledge being learned. How does it stand in relation to those things around it.
Little finger - when someone is wrapped around your little finger, you have authority over them. Authority is who says this knowledge or came up with this idea? How legitimate is their authority? Why we do think they know?
Classical education is about connecting old knowledge to new knowledge because that is how we naturally learn, therefore it is about knowing things by heart (but not so much in a meaningless rote way, but really owning material - the presenter emphasized the significance of phrase 'by heart'; what we've learned by heart has become part of us) and by imitating those who know before us. Imitation takes us from our own limited knowledge into new expanded knowledge.
When analyzing literature - ask 'should' questions. Should the main character have made that decision,that choice? What should he have done? This is the key to understanding a piece of literature and giving it its moral dimension.
Discipline in the classroom:
The hardest part of teaching is maintaining an order that allows for joyful learning but keeps behavior conducive to that learning.
Different presenters had different 3 R's
3 R's to give the student the
concept of what is right behavior:
Respect - respect others by keeping hands to self, not interrupting, etc
Restraint - control impulses, learn to concentrate
Responsibility - the students's job is to learn from the mentor - must take responsibility seriously.
Practical 3 R's:
Rote - have the children learn by chanting, singing, marching, counting out, focus on getting it into their memory. Not boring drill but in an engaging way.
Rhythm - kids like to learn using rhythm - mentor uses sounds and rhythm to facilitate not only learning but order in the classroom. Clicking two sticks means sit down in your seats, etc.
Running - if kids are antsy, take them out to run for a few minutes. Be aware of their need to move. Make learning active.
NB - be very clear about the rules of the classroom. Clarity and brevity are important. Using fewer words and more signals or key words. For instance, saying "Position 1" and everybody knows that means to sit in a circle for story time is much better than saying, okay everyone finish up your copywork it is time to get in our circle for story time! Too much talking diminishes their response.
To continue the rule of 3 - a student misbehaving gets one reprimand (often just pointing to the board at one of the concept 3 R's for ex. someone got up from their chair and started running around. Point to restraint) and briefly and with authority say Joey, sit down! If Joey does it again, say: Joey, sit down, this is your final warning. If Joey persists, Joey gets sent out to the director in charge of discipline or perhaps just has to sit in the hall for a a couple minutes. The consequence is determined by the mentor.
Here's a cheat sheet that one of the presenters gave for how to approach teaching during the AL day:
1
Pre-presentation - this is 40% of your time and energy spent assimilating the knowledge yourself so you can pass it on, prayer to allow the Holy Spirit to work through you the mentor and through the student. But it is also about beginning the lesson by preparing the students minds through questions that establish what they do know already about the topic. Ask what is familiar to them already. What do they recognize.
2.
Presentation is only about 20% of the lesson - that is the acting out or whatever device is used to give the idea to the students, singing, chanting, tracing, whatever.
3. Engage the kids to
compare an contrast the idea presented against what they do know or what occurs to them as they absorb the material.
4.
Re-presentation - this shows the student gets it. They can explain what they have learned. This might be shown in many ways that often occur outside the AL day at home with their parents. But also the oral presentation does this formally in the AL day.
5.
Application - this we don't know but will naturally follow once the student has absorbed and owned the material learned. The AL mentor might not get to witness this, but that's okay!
These five things don't necessarily follow an order, except the mentor is responsible for the pre-presentation, presentation and using leading questions to tease and guide the ideas out of the child's mind; but really everything operates in a natural flow of interaction and conversation between the mentor and all the children.
