History of Lutheran Classical Education and how theology shapes pedagogy

[forty-two]

I ran across this book - Lutheran Education: From Wittenberg to the Future - and have been reading the author's dissertation(pdf), upon which the book is based. He traces how Lutheran theology shaped the pedagogy of Lutheran schools (almost always classical) from the Reformation to the present.

 

From Augustine onward, theology and the lower division of the liberal arts, the trivium, were intimately linked. Theology shaped the trivium, and, in turn, the trivium became essential for an understanding of theology. This relationship continued under the Evangelicals. There are three areas of Evangelical theology which, perhaps more than any other, provide an understanding of the Evangelicals’ pedagogical views: baptism, vocation and catechesis. Baptism reveals the Lutheran understanding of the nature of man. Vocation reveals the purpose of man, and consequently, to what end a child should be educated. Catechesis reveals how the Evangelicals hoped that man would come to realize his nature and purpose.

It's a very fascinating read :). All that I've read on Christian classical education thus far has been from either a Catholic or Reformed pov, and while I could tell they had different views on the nature and purpose of man, which of course influenced their approach to classical ed, I couldn't manage to apply my limited knowledge of theology to come up with an approach that reflects Lutheran beliefs. So this is *exactly* what I was looking for :thumbup:, and so I post it in case anyone else is interested :).

 

ETA: It's a shame I'm not yet proficient in Latin (or German, for that matter) - I'd love to read further, but most of his sources are not in English ;).

Edited July 31, 2011 by forty-two

[Dmmetler]

Unfortunately, the Lutheran schools here aren't classically-focused in many areas, although when the school principal heard we were doing classical ed, his response was "That's great! I have a friend at a Lutheran classical school, and I WISH we could do more of it here!". Apparently they've found that too many of their kids only stay in private school for a year or two, and that the classical sequence is so far off what other schools do that it's too hard for kids to come in and out, so they stick with a curriculum and type of schooling that looks more like what PS looked like when I was growing up, but isn't classical.

[annlaura]

Interesting. The Lutheran school I went to as a child was not classical. Near me now, there is one classical and one not.

[....]

I know of two Lutheran private schools here and they're both classical. One of the schools is thru our sister church.

 

I had no idea there was some kind of connection. Cool!

[Carol in Cal.]

This is really interesting material. I have often wondered about whether, since Luther was classically taught and since the recovery of Greek texts was so central to his theological insights, we also followed a classical education model other than in our seminary and pre-sem programs.

 

I attended Lutheran schools for grades 1-9. Although our schools were not specifically classical, one of the really interesting things about reading WTM for me was to realize how thoroughly and completely classical my 3rd and 4th grade teacher was. WTM resonated with me partly because of that and partly because I distinctly remember my own educational process, and the ease of early memorization giving way to the ease of remembering logical patterns and forming arguments.

 

I will probably buy this book.

[Tress]

I remember you were looking for something like this. Very cool that you found it!

 

ETA: everything all right? I haven't seen you much around here. I always like your posts.

[mom2jjka]

Very cool!

 

I don't believe that any of our Lutheran day schools around here are classical...(but I wish they were!)

I do know that Latin is offered/encouraged at the high school level, though.

[Candid]

I suspect any school at the time of the reformation and probably for centuries after would by its very nature and time period be "classical." It wasn't until the 19th century that schools began to give up serious study of Latin (and at later ages Greek),by beginning Latin in very young ages and reading works in it. This was also the point when scholars began to write in their own languages and not Latin.

[Carol in Cal.]

I suspect any school at the time of the reformation and probably for centuries after would by its very nature and time period be "classical." It wasn't until the 19th century that schools began to give up serious study of Latin (and at later ages Greek),by beginning Latin in very young ages and reading works in it. This was also the point when scholars began to write in their own languages and not Latin.

 

True, but Latin is not the only focus of a classical school.

 

My 3rd and 4th grade teacher did not teach Latin, but she did teach Latin roots. She focussed heavily on grammar and on exactly correct spelling and punctuation. We did a lot of copywork. We did a great deal of memorization and learned to recite memorized poems 'with expression'. She emphasized history and geography in all of our other subjects. Looking back on it, all of the things that only she did (alone in in the school) reflected a classical view of education.

[Willow Creek Academy]

Thank You! I am going to have to check that out. I went to Lutheran schools (Missouri Synod) from the age of 2 until I got my BA at 21. I want to incorporate my reigion into our homeschool, especially since we do not have a lutheran church in our area for the kids to attend sunday school.

[Candid]

True, but Latin is not the only focus of a classical school.

 

My 3rd and 4th grade teacher did not teach Latin, but she did teach Latin roots. She focussed heavily on grammar and on exactly correct spelling and punctuation. We did a lot of copywork. We did a great deal of memorization and learned to recite memorized poems 'with expression'. She emphasized history and geography in all of our other subjects. Looking back on it, all of the things that only she did (alone in in the school) reflected a classical view of education.

 

Quite true, but I suspect that it may have been the glue that held the classical system of education together for as long as it did. When the glue disappeared the system slowly crumbled. By the time you and I were in school the glue was long gone and only components of the overall system still existed and those mostly in individuals not whole schools.

[Niranut]

What a great looking resource! I'll definitely be looking into that more.

 

I went to Lutheran schools (Missouri Synod) from the age of 2 until I got my BA at 21. I want to incorporate my reigion into our homeschool, especially since we do not have a lutheran church in our area for the kids to attend sunday school.

 

And if there are any other LCMSers around, a friend recently referred me to the Concordia Catechetical Acedemy which has some great resources for incorporating Lutheran Catechesis materials into your studies. I've just ordered some for my youngers & am excited to add it in!

[Carol in Cal.]

What a great looking resource! I'll definitely be looking into that more.

 

 

 

And if there are any other LCMSers around, a friend recently referred me to the Concordia Catechetical Acedemy which has some great resources for incorporating Lutheran Catechesis materials into your studies. I've just ordered some for my youngers & am excited to add it in!

 

I have heard very good things about CCA. Unfortunately I heard of it too late to really consider for my DD. We used Concordia Publishing House's "Voyages" series. It was really outstanding for Biblical literacy and applications. I like the Church History semester a lot as well. We also used their s*x education series, which was excellent--age graded, warm, Biblical, conservative, accurate. I used it about a year behind--ex. did the 8-11 book at age 9.

[Carol in Cal.]

Quite true, but I suspect that it may have been the glue that held the classical system of education together for as long as it did. When the glue disappeared the system slowly crumbled. By the time you and I were in school the glue was long gone and only components of the overall system still existed and those mostly in individuals not whole schools.

 

I think that you might be right, plus those who were really good at classical languages started to get focussed into the OHM when they were made optional rather than required in the teacher colleges and their feeder schools.

[Niranut]

We used Concordia Publishing House's "Voyages" series. It was really outstanding for Biblical literacy and applications. I like the Church History semester a lot as well. We also used their s*x education series, which was excellent--age graded, warm, Biblical, conservative, accurate. I used it about a year behind--ex. did the 8-11 book at age 9.

 

Thanks for that! I hadn't heard of that series-- I have a hard time finding my way around the CPH site for some reason... When you did the "Voyages" things, did you find that the student books were enough? It would be pretty pricey for us if I needed the teacher's materials for each grade/subject.

[macpuffins]

I ran across this book - Lutheran Education: From Wittenberg to the Future - and have been reading the author's dissertation(pdf), upon which the book is based. He traces how Lutheran theology shaped the pedagogy of Lutheran schools (almost always classical) from the Reformation to the present.

 

It's a very fascinating read :). All that I've read on Christian classical education thus far has been from either a Catholic or Reformed pov, and while I could tell they had different views on the nature and purpose of man, which of course influenced their approach to classical ed, I couldn't manage to apply my limited knowledge of theology to come up with an approach that reflects Lutheran beliefs. So this is *exactly* what I was looking for :thumbup:, and so I post it in case anyone else is interested :).

 

ETA: It's a shame I'm not yet proficient in Latin (or German, for that matter) - I'd love to read further, but most of his sources are not in English ;).

 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!!!

:hurray::hurray:

The local Lutheran private school is classical and they ARE managing to implement it. By the time MissB needs to be in school, they may be able to really fit our needs!

[Ester Maria]

Thanks, his disseration looks like something worth reading or at least skimming. :)

[Carol in Cal.]

Thanks for that! I hadn't heard of that series-- I have a hard time finding my way around the CPH site for some reason... When you did the "Voyages" things, did you find that the student books were enough? It would be pretty pricey for us if I needed the teacher's materials for each grade/subject.

 

The student books are sufficient for the upper elementary grades and on, but I did invest in the TE'sanyhow--they had the answers to all the questions, which speeded things up considerably, and they also had background, prayer prompts, lesson goals, coordinated memory work and hymns, and follow on pages. I never ordered the full classroom kits, just the TE's, and I managed to get all of them except one at deep discounts. CPH has warehouse copies that are in very good shape but cannot be sold as new because they were returned (generally unused), that are deeply discounted. They also, BTW, give a 10% discount for anything you're going to use to homeschool. You have to call their 800 number to ask for the discount and also for the list of warehouse items and prices. Yes, their website is not as detailed as some, but they have wonderful customer service over the phone--really outstanding.

[Niranut]

The student books are sufficient for the upper elementary grades and on, but I did invest in the TE'sanyhow... They also, BTW, give a 10% discount for anything you're going to use to homeschool. You have to call their 800 number to ask for the discount and also for the list of warehouse items and prices.

 

Again, thanks so much! This is the type of insider information I need :)

[Carol in Cal.]

You're welcome!

 

You're on your honor on the

'what is for homeschooling' question.

 

I applied that to Bibles, hymnals, catechetical materials, but not gifts. They would have let me apply it to everything, I think, but I wanted to be exactly truthful.

 

They are SO NICE on the phone.

[MrsMommy]

CPH also recently rolled out a new religion curriculum called "One in Christ" that looks promising. I'm particularly interested in the fifth grade set, which includes a series of biographies on four Lutheran "heroes of the faith."

 

The Lutheran Education book has been on my wish list since before it came out. Education has always been so important to our church--it makes me very sad to see so many LCMS schools struggling now. We had a *very* classical school in our general area, and it ended up closing. The mission school around here, on the other hand, is thriving, so there's hope for the future!

[Whereneverever]

CPH also recently rolled out a new religion curriculum called "One in Christ" that looks promising. I'm particularly interested in the fifth grade set, which includes a series of biographies on four Lutheran "heroes of the faith."

 

The Lutheran Education book has been on my wish list since before it came out. Education has always been so important to our church--it makes me very sad to see so many LCMS schools struggling now. We had a *very* classical school in our general area, and it ended up closing. The mission school around here, on the other hand, is thriving, so there's hope for the future!

 

I have the biographies and they are nicely done.

[Niranut]

CPH also recently rolled out a new religion curriculum called "One in Christ" that looks promising. I'm particularly interested in the fifth grade set, which includes a series of biographies on four Lutheran "heroes of the faith."

 

 

Thanks for this too! It does look promising, although the younger level isn't out yet. I may try First Grade, but I do wish the teacher materials weren't so expensive.... (Will try and call them, as Carol in CA suggested.)

[SoCal Sandra]

Dh's grandfather was a Lutheran theologian who helped establish the Lutheran Bible Institute. I think I will order this for dh. Thanks again!

[Carol in Cal.]

Thanks for this too! It does look promising, although the younger level isn't out yet. I may try First Grade, but I do wish the teacher materials weren't so expensive.... (Will try and call them, as Carol in CA suggested.)

 

I should hasten to tell you that although I did purchase the first grade Voyages materials, I did not use them. I liked them OK, but DD was kind of beyond them by the time I got them. The student materials were very simple and introductory, and we had been reading those stories from the actual NIV Bible for some time before that, so I didn't think that they were really all that useful. Certainly the TE helped considerably, and in fact I think that it would have been essential, but instead I used SOTW1 and the Concordia Self-Study Bible (NIV) to teach history inclusive of Biblical history. This took about 18 months, and it was wonderful.

 

I started using Voyages again at the 3rd or 4th grade level--I forget which. By then it was quite meaty, sending kids all over their Bibles and including applications.

 

In those earliest years, I think that just reading the historical parts of the Bible and familiarizing children with the Psalms and Proverbs are more than sufficient, assuming a reasonable prayer life.