Bloggermom Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I want my children to really be able to participate in great deep conversations and discussions about great books, literature, etc... There is nothing locally that offers this sort of thing. What are the best online classes that offer this? Please share your experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karis Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Great Books Academy AND Touchstones www.touchstones.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Veritas Press Scholars Online has been great this year! Class meets twice per week and the discussions are always Socratic - DD's teacher introduces topics and the students discuss their varying viewpoints. It's excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brightside Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Sorry for the slight threadjack. Has anybody used Great Books Academy? I have been emailing them for over a week, and I can not seem to get a response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I have friends that are very pleased with Dr. Lund's Great Books courses. We've used his Latin courses. He's a great teacher. www.oxfordtutorials.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sylvia in CA Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Biola Torrey Academy http://youth.biola.edu/academics/courses/torrey/ Excellent! Meet 2x/week, about 1 1/2 hrs. each Tutors are Biola Torrey Honors Graduates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 Thanks for all the suggestions. Anyone else have any resources or experience with any of the ones listed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 We've used Alexandria Tutorials--ds has done Great Books II and III as online classes (we did some local classes before that). I highly recommend Mr. Turnbull--Socratic discussion is the strength of these classes for sure. http://www.alexandriatutorials.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Scholars Online Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Kern Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 CiRCE is launching just such an Online Academy this summer: how to read Shakespeare How to read Short-Stories. Both are taught by Dr. James Taylor, former head of the Ed Dept at Hillsdale College and author of Poetic Knowledge. It will be so Socratic that we are recreating assessment tools, since the modern industrial mode of grading interferes with people's learning. If you want to test us out before you go to a full program in the fall, this is a good way to do it as each class lasts only five weeks. For information, go to http://circeinstitute.com/online-academy/ God bless you as you seek the best option for your child! ajk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) Adam Andrews and his wife Missy lead online Socratic discussions of great books and literature through classes my friend set up: High-School Literature Discussion Online. My son is participating this year and loves it, and he is signed up for next year's class, in which they will discuss Beowulf, Dante's Inferno, Paradise Lost, etc. By design, there is no "busywork"; the kids just read the works at home and show up for a 2-hour discussion led by the Andrewses every few weeks. It would be too late in the evening for anyone on the East Coast, and the classes usually fill up with locals, but there are probably a few spaces left right now in next year's class. It is a wonderful supplement for us (there is no writing, for example -- it is just a literature discussion class; however, I have heard Mr Andrews mention things like "That would be a good topic for a paper" :001_smile:). ~Laura ETA: The Andrewses wrote Teaching the Classics and run the Center for Literary Education. Edited March 29, 2011 by Laura in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
profmom Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) I want my children to really be able to participate in great deep conversations and discussions about great books, literature, etc... There is nothing locally that offers this sort of thing. What are the best online classes that offer this? Please share your experiences. The Potter's School's Classical Track includes integrated literature, writing, history, Bible/Worldview, and discussion. (We're strongly considering this for next year!) ETA: Oops! Sorry! As I catch up on reading threads, I see that you already know about the TPS CT. Edited March 30, 2011 by profmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 :lurk5: Anyone else know of any more resources? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Just curious if any of these resources are secular (by which I would not exclude discussions of religion, just not coming from the point of view of a "right" way of thinking about religion). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 The Socratic discussion is very good. I am pleased to have this course on my son's transcript. He starts Romans in the fall. The nice thing about the high school course is that it is the reading plus discussion, a d it only has them do 4 papers over the year. That was good for us, because we have a TON of writing in his other courses. Mr. Bertucci is the director and he is very hands on with the kids, and very interactive with the parents if you call him. He is quick to return a call and answer an email. Pm me if you want his private email. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 The Socratic discussion is very good. I am pleased to have this course on my son's transcript. He starts Romans in the fall. The nice thing about the high school course is that it is the reading plus discussion, a d it only has them do 4 papers over the year. That was good for us, because we have a TON of writing in his other courses. Mr. Bertucci is the director and he is very hands on with the kids, and very interactive with the parents if you call him. He is quick to return a call and answer an email. Pm me if you want his private email. What program is this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbyhugs Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Hi Bloggerman, DD did Great Books Discussions (Ancient Greek) with Mr. Bertucci and Dr. James Taylor this year. She loved it, and benefitted from it greatly both in her thinking and writing. This is the site http://www.greatbooksdiscussions.org/ I second everything Shelley in Il said. Your can also reach Mr. Bertucci using the telephone number listed at the Great Books Discussions site. He has usually answered my calls on the second ring. Hey, Shelley, my dd was in the Wednesday morning class. She'll be starting the Roman Year this fall too. This resource is neither secular nor religious; there is a basic goodness, beauty, and truth that is shared by all whether you are secular or religious. Human being innately know this, but oftentimes don't practice it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Funny, they were probably together! My son's name is Mike, what is your daughter's name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbyhugs Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Hey Shelly in Il! Dd's name is Josie. She says she thinks there was a Mike in her class. She is so bad about remembering names! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Small world. They might even be facebook friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Veritas Press Scholars Online has been great this year! Class meets twice per week and the discussions are always Socratic - DD's teacher introduces topics and the students discuss their varying viewpoints. It's excellent!\\ :iagree::iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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