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BobDonaldson-WHA

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Everything posted by BobDonaldson-WHA

  1. I am glad we were able to get it straightened out so quickly. I hope the year goes more smoothly for you. - Bob D.
  2. I lurk here from time to time and have responded elsewhere to a similar worldview question having to do with math. I have included an excerpt from that post (http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/515803-wilson-hill-academy-geometry/ post #19) here as an intro, then added a few more comments below. The same basic reasoning applies here to the teaching of science. Our scientific knowledge is based on hypothesis and experimentation. That, in turn, rests on a bedrock assumption that things work the way they do based on some immutable principle. We do not expect to get a different answer every time we perform a laboratory exercise (assuming, of course, that we make no mistakes of our own). As Christians, we believe that the predictability of the scientific method reflects God's character. This is just one way of saying that God is not irrelevant to the study of science or any other subject. We do not believe that there is a "neutral" perspective here. If science "works" whether or not God exists, then God is irrelevant. Yet if God (as He is described in the Bible) exists, he is ​anything but irrelevant. Looking at it this way, "secular" science and "Christian" science are two sides of the same (counterfeit) coin. Science that starts by assuming that God does not exist (or at best is irrelevant) must come up with "natural" explanations of everything. And yet, there is no "natural" explanation for why anything (much less everything) should have such an explanation. On the other hand, we have all seen attempts to make science "Christian" by coming up with a "religious" explanation for everything. That perspective fails as well, being based on the assumption that we can simply dismiss things we do not understand by quoting the Bible. Don't misunderstand that last point ... we do believe that the Bible is authoritative and accurate, but that is different than believing that we understand exactly what it says about everything. And by "everything", I certainly include science. The Bible does clearly say, though, that God is not irrelevant, so we approach "science" expecting to find evidence of God revealing Himself to us through creation (just as the unbeliever expects to find evidence of natural processes only.) But we do that in a way that is consistent with true scientific discovery, not by simply ignoring data we find difficult to explain. As with all other subjects, the goal is to get the students to think Christianly about what they are studying and to prepare them for success (including the survival of their faith) in college classrooms and beyond, where other world views may be dominant. As before, please feel free to contact us directly or engage with us here if you have any further questions. - Bob Donaldson Co-Founder Wilson Hill Academy P.S. -- We are also offering AP US Government next fall.
  3. One thing to remember about rushing ahead in math is that lower level courses are a foundation for higher level ones. This is especially significant when children reach traditional "junior high" age, when there is pressure to rush ahead into Algebra 1 before they are developmentally ready to handle those abstract concepts. One idea with Saxon would be to supplement with a more conceptual approach (like Singapore) rather than just rushing to the next level. Learning to work the problems to a 100% correct level is important, but grasping the underlying concepts is at least that important.
  4. Looks like everything has been said already, but I wanted to jump into this thread to make it easier to follow. Biased as I am, I think that both the text and the teacher will make this a good class ... definitely one that will lay a solid foundation whether or not the student is a budding math-o-holic.
  5. Sorry that there is not a lot of content about the course online. It will be taught using Singapore math. We are finalizing discussions with a couple of potential teachers and once that is straightened out we will be able to provide more information. Feel free to monitor our blog http://www.wilsonhillacademy.com/category/blog/or announcement page for news as it becomes available.
  6. Typical class sizes are 15-20, though some more popular ones exceed that. Classes are slotted into one of six 90-minute slots beginning at 8:00am Eastern. For classes like Geometry where there are several sections, we try to make them accessible to students on both coasts (i.e. at least one early for the east coast and at least one late for the west). You can find a preliminary schedule on our website, www.wilsonhillacademy.com - there are a few changes that are represented on our registration site which will be open to new registrants on February 9.
  7. @yvonne @heather We are glad you like the writing lab option. We have long been believers of integrating writing into all classes (rather than have a separate "writing" course with its own topics), but this is much easier to do at a traditional b&m school (like Regents School of Austin where we were co-founders). We hit on this writing lab option in planning sessions last fall, and we are excited about it. It allows students to get instruction in the nuts and bolts of good writing without adding significantly to the overall workload. We have slotted them in next to the 10th and 11th grade elements of The Great Conversation series this year (4 & 5), since we already have writing components built into Honors Composition (9th grade target; also known as Fundamentals of Literary Analysis) and the 11th/12th grade targeted Literary Analysis & Argumentation. And, of course, the combined Rhetoric 2/Senior Thesis course focuses on applying writing skills as part of the thesis preparation effort. We will be opening new sections of the writing lab as demand requires.
  8. @AppleGreen @Woodland Mist Academy -- You raise some excellent questions about the religious content of the Wilson Hill Academy geometry class as well as all others. Let me try to elaborate. First, with respect to your specific question of whether students are required to "participate in the prayer", it is not clear to me how we would enforce any such policy if we were to adopt it. God is God, and He sees our hearts ... I do not think enforcing hypocrisy is honoring God or respecting the individual involved. But as it turns out, we do not even try to enforce any sort of "participation" A more complex question is that of what it means to teach geometry (or anything else) from a Christian worldview. We all have a "worldview", which in shorthand can be defined as the set of assumptions that underlie the way we approach reality. As Christians, we believe that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing; that God has revealed Himself to us not only in the scriptures, but in the whole of creation; that since God is characterized by truth, beauty and goodness, we expect to see those attributes reflected in His creation - yet imperfectly because of the fall and its effects; that all truth is God's truth, and that since God Himself is immutable, it is possible to study His creation in reliance on patterns such as those that make up the study of geometry. So teaching geometry from a "Christian worldview" is simply acknowledging that geometry "works" in some sense precisely because God is God. It is no accident, and a chaotic world in which geometry does not work can easily be imagined. There will be times when the instructor will refer to this general truth of Christianity during class, but the focus of the class is on geometry. We do not in any way trivialize God by trying to create some sort of "Christian geometry" (in opposition to secular geometry?), nor do we attempt to trivialize the truth goodness and beauty of the subject itself by (for instance) expounding on the triangle as a geometric expression of the trinity. Our goal is to prepare students to think Christianly about all of life; engaging with the issues that present themselves (geometric or otherwise) without fear of compromise. What does that mean for an unbelieving student? We hope and pray that exposure to God's truth ... including the truth as represented by the study of geometry ... will lead him or her to consider the full claims of God and his suzerainty over all creation. We also hope that our approach will reveal the lie that Christians somehow have to check their brains at the door of the church. Truth is truth; God is God; and geometry is geometry. As Christians we know why geometry works at a very basic level, but any geometry student at WHA will be well-grounded in geometry without necessarily having to agree with the worldview of the teacher. A christian student, in the other hand, will be equipped not only to handle geometry, but to handle the unbelieving worldview of teachers he or she may encounter in college or later in life. I hope that addresses your questions and concerns. Feel free to contact us (or me) through our website www.WilsonHillAcademy.com or here if you have further questions. - Bob Donaldson Co-Founder Wilson Hill Academy
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