The Educational Renaissance Podcast

It's summertime! So for many of us, that means we shift into a new schedule. How do we make the most of this opportunity as teachers? Kolby is joined by Patrick and Jason to discuss incorporating healthy practices to make summer leisure deep and meaningful. Links from this episode: Christopher Perrin, The Scholé Way ⁠Justin Earley, Habits of the Household Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family A. G...

It's that time of year where we celebrate the accomplishments of graduates. How do we know that we are setting them up for success in life? Patrick Egan is joined by Jason Barney and Kolby Atchison to talk through how to be guided by a core document call "Portrait of a Graduate." Learn about how this best practice can be implemented at your school and gain practical tools to help you...

Are you looking for ways to connect virtue formation to your reading curriculum? In our next episode Patrick is joined by Adrienne Freas, founder of Beautiful Teaching, to discuss her latest curriculum, Poetic Language Lessons. It's a discussion that ranges from the points of connection between Charlotte Mason and classical Christian education to Aristotle and Quintilian to poetic knowledge. Y...

We all want to help students grow in character. Can the ancient philosophy of Aristotle help us? Patrick is joined by Kolby and Jason to discuss how virtue is installed through habit training. We interact with ancient and modern conceptions of habit as well as biblical and theological perspectives. Even though there is some heavy hitting philosophy, there are also practical tools for the classroom...

How does the Great Commission inform our educational goals? Jason is joined by Kolby and Patrick to talk about Jesus' words in Matthew 28. Get inspired about teaching your students so that they can be salt and light in the world. Links from this episode: Patrick Egan, Training the Prophetic Voice ⁠Jason Barney, Apprenticeship in the Arts ⁠ The Educational Renaissance Podcast is a production of...

What does effective parent partnership look like? Join us for our next episode where Patrick is joined by Davies Owens, founder and CEO of Zipcast and host of Basecamp Live. Learn perspectives and gain practical tools to implement the kind of parent partnership that adds value to your school. Links from this episode: Zipcast ⁠Basecamp Live Educational Leadership program at Gordon College The Educa...

How does mathematics fit into classical education? Jason is joined by Kolby and Patrick to discuss key principles and practices of effective math instruction. Whether you are a math specialist or are intimidated by mathematics, we think you will gain valuable insights into mathematics. Links from this episode: Kolby Atchison, " Three Key Strategies to Excel in Math and Science " ⁠Barbara...

How do we relate pagan literature to our Christian worldview as classical educators? Join us for our next episode where Patrick is joined by Louis Markos, Professor of English at Houston Christian University. Learn from a prolific author who addresses the role of pagan or non-Christian literature in the formation of character. We also discuss his recent book  Passing the Torch: An Apology for Clas...

Are the liberal arts suited to career outcomes? Is there a fear that classically educated students are at a disadvantage in the marketplace? Listen as Patrick is joined by Jason and Kolby to tackle this topic. Learn about some key points made in Jason's latest book Apprenticeship in the Arts where he discusses how the ancient tradition viewed the seven liberal arts as well suited to practical...

How's your classroom culture? If you feel like your classroom needs a refresh or some inspiration, you'll be excited to hear from Mandi Gerth, a teacher, author and classical education consultant who speaks and writes about classical education and family culture. In our conversation, we talk through how to assess your classroom culture and discuss practical tools to deal with problems and...

We believe in teaching the whole person, which entail understanding the soulish part of how we are made. In this episode, we explore ancient understandings of the soul, with particular insights from Plato and Aristotle. Listen as Patrick is joined by Jason and Kolby to discuss philosophical perspectives as well as gain practical insights. Links from this episode: ⁠Jason Barney, The Soul of Educati...

What does brain science tell us about effective learning? In today's episode, we take a deep dive into insights gained from the fields of cognitive load theory and memory consolidation. Listen as Kolby is joined by Patrick and Jason to discuss the science of learning with practical take aways for the classical classroom. Links from this episode: ⁠Peter Brown, Henry Roediger, and Mark McDaniel,...

How do we understand the classical liberal art of music? Is music in the quadrivium somehow different than the way we think about music today? In this episode, Patrick is joined by Preston Atwood, Head of School at Westminster Academy in Memphis, TN. They discuss many ways we can think about music as classical Christian educators and highlight the role of music and liturgy within the classical cla...

What does it take to design an inspiring classroom? According to Charlotte Mason, we need to be mindful as to atmosphere. In today's episode, we take a deep dive into what atmosphere means, with a particular examination of a key phrase in her description of "the bracing atmosphere of truth and sincerity." What does this look like in our classrooms today? Listen as Kolby is joined by...

In this episode, hear from Brian Polk, Director of Accreditation at the Society for Classical Education. Learn about how SCL is doing accreditation with a view to helping classical schools flourish. Find out more about what it looks like to have a visiting team at your school and steps you can take to explore accreditation through SCL. Links from this episode: SCL Accreditation webpage Previous ep...

C.S. Lewis, one of the 20th centuries greatest authors, argues for the essential role of moral virtues. In The Abolition of Man and That Hideous Strength , this argument appears in many ways. Patrick is joined by Kolby and Jason to discuss this set of ideas in light of our aims as classical Christian educators. Links from this episode: C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Stre...

Can school be a place of leisure? Is there a way to balance excellence and rest? In this next episode, Patrick is joined by Jason and Kolby to explore the idea of leisure, whether expressed by Joseph Pieper in his book  Leisure: The Basis of Culture  or in the principle of  scholé  in the recent book  The Good Teacher  by Chris Perrin and Carrie Eben. Links from this episode: Joseph Pieper, Leisur...

What are the best practices to give new faculty a successful start to their career at your school? Listen as Jason is joined by Patrick and Kolby to talk about perspectives and strategies to onboard new faculty. Links from this episode: Educational Renaissance training packages The Educational Renaissance Podcast is a production of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Educational Renaissance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  where we promote a rebirt...

Why should we study dead languages? Well, maybe they're not as dead as we think. Listen as Kolby is joined by Jason and Patrick to discuss Latin and Greek in the curriculum of classical Christian schooling. There's much to learn about grammar, texts and the living voice of ancient authors. Links from this episode: Tracy Lee Simmons, Climbing Parnassus The Educational Renaissance Podcast is...

How should classical educators think about modern research? Jason is joined by Patrick and Kolby to discuss reasons why we can be confident in our work towards synthesizing modern research in our educational renewal movement. Learn about methods and perspectives on how to view insights from modern research, especially with a view to tools that can be used practically in the classroom. Links from t...

Discover how the common arts can foster creativity and practicality within the classical tradition. Patrick is joined by Jason and Kolby to discuss the pedagogical significance and practical applications of handwork skills like knitting, and woodworking. Learn how these kinds of projects create an integrated curriculum. Links from this episode: ⁠⁠Christopher Hall, Common Arts Education ⁠⁠Charlotte...

In this episode, hear from Russ Gregg, head of school at Hope Academy in Minneapolis. Russ has served for over 25 years in the classical Christian education renewal movement and is a board member for the Society for Classical Learning. Learn about what it takes to provide a classical Christian education in an urban context. Find out more about an upcoming free webinar with Russ about launching a c...

In this episode, hear from Brandon Koble, headmaster at Trinity Lutheran Classical High School in Milwaukee. We talk about the Lutheran tradition and classical education. Learn about how Koble founded a classical Lutheran school in Milwaukee. Find out more about the upcoming CCLE summer conference at Concordia University in Wisconsin in July. Links from this episode: ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Register for ⁠the CCLE Su...

Students can learn so much from nature. The curriculum is all around, if we know how to access it. Jason is joined by Patrick and Kolby to discuss how to use nature notebooks to lay a solid foundation in observation of the natural world around us. Links from this episode: Lois Mansfield, Field Notebooks and Natural History Journals ⁠John Muir Laws, How to Teach Nature Journaling " Nature Stud...

In this episode, hear from Jessica Hooten Wilson, Fletcher Jones Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University. We talk about the great books tradition and why it is so important to the formation of students. Find out more about her upcoming summer course at Nashotah House in Wisconsin. Links from this episode: ⁠⁠⁠Register for "Dorothy L. Sayers & the Bible" course Jessica Hooten Wil...