2018 Workshop Talk | 54:33 | All Grade Levels, Literature, Logic
Summary
We in the classical movement propose to recover lost methods of teaching and lost content of the traditional canon for the reconstitution of the program that truly frees and produces a lifelong scholar. In doing this we cultivate and use the skill of reading which all schools do. We propose that the reading level accepted by the modern school is not sufficient and represents only a “price of admission” level for the real prize. Mortimer Adler, writing in the 1940s as part of his project for adult education realized that he needed to foment advanced literacy as well. What does this mean? His manual “How to Read a Book” presents a jumping off point for teachers and readers. We will discover how the preparation under way in logic, both material and categorical in the classical schools, can provide students with greater comprehension and retention. The goals of rhetoric can be reached through the discipline of virtuous dialectic and engagement with the great books, and the exercise of reading can become a progressively refined skill through the techniques of inspection, analysis and critique. We will demonstrate the utility of material, categorical, and propositional logic. Teachers will be equipped to pursue the perfection of reading technique alongside studies in literature, history, and philosophy in order to produce self directing, research capable students on graduation.
Speaker
Dan Snyder is a former Marine, video game designer, and international opera singer. His work has been featured in Wired magazine, PCgamer, and on the Discovery Channel as well as in Opera News and the Kurt Weill Newsletter among many other publications. Mr. Snyder’s educational background includes time as a training designer with the American Red Cross satellite network as well as the U.S. Marine Corps Training and Education Command in Quantico, VA. He has studied at Bryan College, George Mason University, Mannes Conservatory of Music, and has his degree in humanities from The New School in New York City, where he also holds a certificate in screen writing from the film school. He can be found in Wichita, Kansas, where he teaches logic, rhetoric, and ancient literature/history at the Classical School of Wichita, living with his wife, the pianist and composer Tracee Snyder.
Additional Materials
The Association of Classical & Christian Schools presents Repairing the Ruins, the ACCS annual conference, copyright ACCS. You may make additional copies of this recording for use by your school but please do not sell any copies of the recording, or post it on the internet.