2022 Workshop Talk | 57:28 | All Grade Levels, Math, Quadrivium
Summary
Of all the uses of mathematics in history, the medieval Church viewed none as greater than the computus (the computation) of the date of Easter. The calculation of the date of the most important day of the liturgical year requires multi-step calculations and knowledge of lunar and solar calendars. This workshop explores the computus mathematically and historically. Attendees will gain an introductory understand of lunar and solar calendars, increase their knowledge of the history of mathematics, and learn how to teach mathematics via a real-world application.
Speaker
James Seidel is the academic dean at Cair Paravel Latin School in Topeka, KS. In addition to overseeing the curriculum, he currently teaches the junior and senior year mathematics classes. In his twenty years of teaching, he has taught all the traditional rhetoric-level mathematics classes from geometry to calculus in addition to, at times, teaching physics, meteorology, geography, and introduction to computer programming. A self-confessed “knowledge nerd,” he directs the school’s scholars bowl program. While he enjoys playing guitar and reading a good book, his favorite hobby is spending time with his beautiful wife and four children. He holds a BS in meteorology from Iowa State and a MEd in curriculum and instruction from Dordt University.
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.
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