Foundations in Classical Teaching with Dr. Christopher Perrin
This faculty orientation will support you where you are at in your classical education journey as you study through select ClassicalU courses. Each course linked below has a professional certificate available upon completion. To get you excited to begin, here is a brief 11-minute lesson with Dr. Christopher Perrin contemplating the foundational question of “What is Classical Education?”
All-Faculty Learning Track
The Good Teacher
This course, presented by Dr. Christopher Perrin and Carrie Eben, offers a rich and accessible introduction to the foundational principles of classical education for teachers. Through twelve core lessons and a series of dynamic conversations, the course invites educators into a deeper understanding of teaching as soul formation, shaped by timeless ideas, embodied practices, and life-giving relationships.
Cultivating Wonder Throughout the School
This twelve-session course is designed to inspire and equip classical educators to cultivate a sense of wonder in their students and themselves. Drawing from decades of teaching and curriculum development, John Mays offers a rich blend of philosophical grounding, classroom modeling, and practical strategies for awakening awe across all subjects—from literature and history to biology and mathematics.
Lower School (K-6) Learning Track
Teaching Singapore Math
This is a crucial course for any teacher preparing to teach Singapore Math. Master teacher and grammar school principal Dawn Swartz blends her familiarity with classical education, her extensive experience, and her passion for Singapore Math into this practical course on how to implement and teach Singapore Math
Launching Your Classical Classroom
Drawing from years of experience and grounded in the principles of classical Christian education, Kim Warman offers mentorship in the essentials of classroom design, student formation, curriculum planning, and parent partnership. Through reflective storytelling and hands-on strategies, this course helps teachers begin their first year with clarity, confidence, and an orientation toward scholé—restful teaching rooted in purpose and peace.
Grammar School Symposium
In this course, Dr. Christopher Perrin introduces and defines classical education, and Lori Jill Keeler provides instruction on excellent grammar school teaching (including topics such as building a strong foundation, classroom management that is conducive to learning, teaching with the brain in mind, and developing a growth mindset).
Upper School Learning Track
Effective Upper School Leadership and Training
In this course, Dr. Christopher Schlect addresses what it means to teach upper-school students effectively and to provide excellent leadership in a classical upper school. He highlights two master principles that the effective upper-school educator should foster throughout his teaching: sympathy and fellowship, enabling students to learn for themselves and enjoy learning in community.
Socratic Teaching Symposium
In this course, we address why classical educators must learn the skill of Socratic teaching, and describe several approaches to leading a Socratic seminar or discussion, noting various advantages and disadvantages associated with each approach. We do this by interviewing presenters who use each approach and by showing them leading live, recorded seminars and discussions.
Assessing Students Classically
This course with multiple presenters reviews assessment approaches in the history of education and suggests methods of assessing students classically that align with the ideals of the classical tradition of education.
Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator
Plato’s philosophy of education has shaped the educational principles and practices of the Western world for over two millennia. In this course, Dr. David Diener guides educators through a discussion of Plato’s background and context, some of his key insights on curriculum and pedagogy, and his educational legacy, closing with the relevance and implications of Plato’s views for educators in the twenty-first century.
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