Learning through the classical philosophy
Building a knowledge base, both deep and wide is essential to learning anything at a high level. Students in primary grades at U of A will learn the vocabulary of subjects in order to build a tremendous base of knowledge. Contrary to the Progressive Model that focuses on higher levels of thinking at a young age (which sounds great on the surface), the Classical approach will ask students to reach higher levels of thinking only after they have built a knowledge base. There is no sense in forcing students to apply a concept that they don’t personally possess! For instance, we have seen curriculums that ask students to apply algebraic concepts to a multiplication equation before students even know how to multiply. At U of A, students will learn the concept first, then they will learn how to apply the concept.
After students build a base of knowledge, the middle grades at U of A will work on helping them expand on that knowledge base. Students will practice developing their skills through the application of what they learned in primary grades to further develop their understanding of concepts in all subjects. Students will be encouraged to strengthen their understanding through assignments that will target higher-level thinking skills. During this time, if and when deficiencies in students’ knowledge base are identified, tutorials can be requested to help students build or rebuild their knowledge base, once again helping to maximize the learning process. Developing true understanding is the focus of middle grades at U of A.
The upper grades at U of A will focus on continued growth in students’ understanding and will also help to develop wisdom. Robert Booth explained that Wisdom is: “the ability to arrange, articulate, and apply knowledge and understanding in a variety of circumstances”. With wisdom comes clear thinking, where learning becomes a moral issue and constitutes the sum of reality. At the University of Alexandria, we understand that knowledge is powerful, and there is a moral responsibility that comes with the attainment of wisdom. We also understand that moral responsibility starts with the family unit and should be supported, not contradicted by the school. While choosing our curriculum and instructional practices, we make every effort to support the moral philosophies of our families and point our students back to the authority of their parents when it comes to questions of morals and ethics. The upper grades at U of A will help develop the beginning of wisdom.