Shows
The Consortium PodcastEp. 71 - Timothy Knotts on Responsible Rhetoric: Persuading Toward TruthThis is Episode 71 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Timothy Knotts gives a plenary talk on Responsible Rhetoric: Persuading Toward Truth. This talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and...
2025-06-2841 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 70 - Eric Cook on The Prudent TeacherThis is Episode 70 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Eric Cook teaches a breakout session on the Prudent Teacher. This lesson was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation...
2025-06-2052 minThe Consortium PodcastEp 69 - Heatherly Sylvia on Homeschooling Classically: Beyond the TriviumThis is Episode 69 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Heatherly Sylvia delivers a breakout session on Homeschooling Classically: Beyond the Trivium. This lesson was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in...
2025-05-3039 minThe Consortium PodcastEp 68 - Heatherly Sylvia on Homeschooling Without Losing Your MindThis is Episode 68 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Heatherly Sylvia delivers a breakout session on how to homeschooling without losing your mind. This lesson was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth...
2025-05-2244 minThe Consortium PodcastEp 67 - Dr. Scott Postma on Mastering the Academic EssayThis is Episode 67 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma delivers a breakout session on Mastering the Academic Essay. Fundamentally, good writing is clear thinking made visible. This means precision is the capital concern of any essay. This talk discusses how to teach students to say what they mean and say it appropriately, precisely, concisely, and vividly.
This talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian...
2025-05-1651 minThe Consortium PodcastEp 66 - Dr. Scott Postma on Unstupiding Ourselves: The Truth About the High Calling of Classical Christian EducationThis is Episode 66 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma delivers a keynote address titled, "Unstupiding Ourselves: The Truth About the High Calling of Classical Christian Education." His talk takes up a case made in a 2022 article by social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, who argued that a particular change in the way social media works made the past 10 years of American life uniquely stupid. Drawing from the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, Haidt accurately describes a nation that is suddenly disoriented and unable to...
2025-04-2534 minThe Consortium PodcastEp 65 - Sarah Abbott on Navigating Stories with Students.This is Episode 65 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Sarah Abbott teaches the practice of "Navigating Stories with Students." Her talk provides criteria for classifying books by certain qualities and she provides examples of four kinds of stories that need to be negotiated: whole stories, broken stories, bent stories, healing stories.
This talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand...
2025-04-1751 minThe Consortium PodcastEp 64 - Sarah Abbott on Truth Through NarrationThis is Episode 64 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Sarah Abbott teaches the practice of "Truth Through Narration." Her talk provides models for helping students grow in attention and retention by using the method of "retelling after hearing or seeing." Charlotte Mason noted, “The mother who trains her child to strict accuracy of statement about things small and great fortifies him against temptations to the grosser forms of lying…”
This talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
...
2025-01-3151 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 63 - Why Irving Babbitt Matters to the Modern Renewal of Classical Christian EducationThis is Episode 63 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma leads a breakout session on Why Irving Babbitt Matters to the Modern Renewal of Classical Christian Education at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024. Babbitt sought to recover a moral imagination and revive the classical virtues of temperance, justice, courage, and wisdom—even the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and charity—as they were timeless and essential for the cultivation of a balanced and harmonious life.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional conn...
2025-01-0944 min
Christian Emergency PodcastLessons from Africa: Missions, Education and Preparing the Next Generation, with Karen Elliott (Encore)Africa remains important for the Church. In the coming generations, the continent will be home for a huge swath of the world’s population. And while there are many challenges facing Africa, including poverty, militant Islam and instability – there are also many exciting things taking place.
Karen Elliott of the Rafiki Foundation joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share about some of those exciting developments, along with valuable context. She leans on her 30+ years of experience serving as a missionary and leading a missions organization in Africa, the Rafiki Foundation.
Karen discusses how Rafiki has laun...
2024-12-3048 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 62 - Heatherly Sylvia: How to Homeschool Without Losing Your MindThis is Episode 62 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Heatherly Sylvia provides three principles for simplifying homeschooling that will provide your family with a restful learning experience without compromising quality or rigor. Her talk was given at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to...
2024-12-2026 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 61 - Dr. Josh Mayo - Cheerful Truth: The Need to Let Go of Pretentious SophisticationThis is Episode 61 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Joshua Mayo, associate professor of English at Grove City College, gives his second keynote address on Cheerful Truth—the need to let go of pretentious sophistication—at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to poin...
2024-12-0540 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 60 - Dr. Josh Mayo - Is Literature Theology?This is Episode 60 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Josh Mayo delivers a keynote address at the 2024 Consortium conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals...
2024-11-2241 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 59 - Timothy Knotts on Truth and Reality: Recovering the Lost MythosThis is Episode 59 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Timothy Knotts, Chief Philosophical Officer and Bursar for the New England Consortium of Classical Educators, delivers the opening keynote address for the 2024 conference in Maynard, MA on July 12-13, 2024.
Kepler's Consortiums provide resources and regional connections for Christian families, teachers, and educational organizations to expand the reach of classical education and foster human flourishing for generations to come.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found...
2024-11-1547 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 58 - The Recovery of the Classical and Christian Roots of the Social Sciences with Dr. Robert Woods - Pt.5This is Episode 58 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In the final episode of this series, Dr. Robert Woods wraps up the conversation surrounding the key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast. Dr. Woods explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences.
In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In classical and Christian...
2024-11-1236 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 57 - The Recovery of the Classical and Christian Roots of the Social Sciences with Dr. Robert Woods - Pt.4This is Episode 57 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Robert Woods returns to the Consortium Podcast to walk us through more of the key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast. Dr. Woods further explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences.
In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In...
2024-10-2535 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 56 - The Recovery of the Classical and Christian Roots of the Social Sciences with Dr. Robert Woods - Pt.3This is Episode 56 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Robert Woods returns to the Consortium Podcast to walk us through more of the key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast. Dr. Woods further explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences.
In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In...
2024-10-1837 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 55 - The Recovery of the Classical and Christian Roots of the Social Sciences with Dr. Woods - Pt.2This is Episode 55 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Robert Woods continues his discussion on key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast, and explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences.
In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In classical and Christian thought, however, subjects in the social sciences...
2024-10-1042 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 54 - Dr. Robert Woods and the Recovery of the Classical and Christian Roots of the Social SciencesThis is Episode 54 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Robert Woods discusses key concepts from his forthcoming book, Neither Angel Nor Beast, and explains what he believes is the essential need in modern education to recover a humane understanding of the social sciences. In large part, modern education treats the social sciences with the philosophical is. That means, the human condition is studied as merely observation of what man tends to do. In classical and Christian thought, however, subjects in the social sciences, like anthropology, have historically explored...
2024-07-2538 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 53 - George Harrell and Our Classical InheritanceThis is Episode 53 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, George Harrell discusses our classical inheritance and what it means to receive it. He explains how we have all received an intellectual and cultural inheritance; most of us in North America have received, in large part, a classical Christian inheritance whether we realize it or not. Even when attempting to reject the inheritance, it is confirmation that we have received something to reject. Listen in as George brilliantly unpacks the deeper goodness of inheriting our Western heritage.
George...
2024-07-181h 07The Consortium PodcastEp. 52 - Dr. Karla Memmott on the Theory and Practice of Rhetoric and the Western Consortium of Classical EducatorsThis is Episode 52 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Karla Memmott champions Classical Education, discusses the theory and practice of Rhetoric for the modern age, and discusses the reasons why she is hosting the Western Consortium of Classical Educators.
Dr. Karla Memmott is a long-time resident of the Sacramento, California area where she lives with her husband, Kyle and dog, Kona. She home-schooled her children. She continues to support homeschooling parents by teaching online and in-person courses which include history, literature, writing, public speaking, and German...
2024-07-0234 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 51 - Dr. Scott Postma on The Undeniable and Universal Value of BeautyThis is Episode 51 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
This episode is a talk given by Dr. Scott Postma titled "The Undeniable and Universal Value of Beauty" at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023.
Dr. Scott Postma served as a minister for 20 years and as a Christian educator for nearly 30 years. He is currently the president and CEO of Kepler Education. He has earned degrees in the humanities (Ph.D., Faulkner University), Christian and classical studies (M.A., Knox Theological Seminary), religion and English literature...
2024-04-041h 07The Consortium PodcastEp. 50 - Timothy Knotts on the New England Consortium of Classical EducatorsThis is Episode 50 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Timothy Knotts sits down with Dr. Scott Postma to talk about the New England Consortium of Classical Educators and their mission to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation, and conferences.
Timothy is a co-founder of the Consortium, and lives in Windsor, Connecticut with his wife, Cynthia, and their four...
2024-02-2939 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 49 - Jennifer Courtney Presents a Workshop on Reading PoetryThis is Episode 49 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
This episode is a workshop on Reading Poetry given by Jennifer Courtney at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023.
Jennifer Courtney has a passion for developing curriculum that helps homeschool parents to give their children a classical, Christian education. She and her husband Tim live in Oklahoma and have home educated their four children, three through graduation. She currently serves as the Sr. Global Curriculum Director for Classical Conversations MultiMedia. Jennifer is the author of Ancient Wo...
2024-02-2349 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 48 - Jarrod Richey on the Role of Music and Singing in Classical Christian EducationThis is Episode 48 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
This episode is a talk titled "Some Enchanted Reasoning: Music's Joy and Beauty in Classical Christian Education" given by Jarrod Richey at the Southern Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023. Jarrod Richey is a music educator, choir director, church musician, and author living in northeast Louisiana with his wife and children. He writes about music and education at Musically Speaking.
The Southern Consortium of Classical Educators is a teaching and training event for anyone interested in Classical Christian Education. E...
2024-02-1452 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 47 - Heatherly Sylvia on Seven Steps Toward a Classical LifeThis is Episode 47 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
This episode is a talk titled "Seven Steps Toward a Classical Life" given by Heatherly Sylvia at the New England Consortium of Classical Educators in the summer of 2023.
The New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE) is a institutional partner of Kepler Education and exists to point New England to the unifying Truth found in Christ and His creation, the Good of fellowship with like-minded individuals, and the Beauty reflected in great works of literature, science, and art, through teaching, conversation...
2024-02-0144 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 46 - Daniel Foucachon on Old Western Culture and What it Means to Inherit the HumanitiesThis is Episode 46 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Postma is joined by Daniel Foucachon, CEO of Roman Roads Press, to talk about Old Western Culture and what it looks like to be a classically educated entrepreneur and publisher of classical Christian curriculum.
Old Western Culture is an expression coined by C. S. Lewis to talk about historical periods of time and the thinking and philosophies that influenced those periods. Taking a cue from Lewis's observation, Daniel launched a Christian approach to the Great Books curriculum t...
2024-01-1958 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 45 - Serving Students with Special Needs in Classical Christian EducationThis is Episode 45 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Scott Postma is joined by Dr. Gregory Soderberg and his wife, Cynthia, a trained S2C Practitioner, and the director of Spellibrate. Spellibrate is a S2C (Spelling to Communicate) education model that presumes competence in children with special needs while building the skills they need for reliable communication and simultaneously equipping the parents to work with their child.
Because Classical Christian Education focuses on teaching students rather than merely teaching a curriculum, there is much in c...
2024-01-0440 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 44 - Generalization vs. SpecializationThis is Episode 44 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma is joined by Kepler's Academic Advisor, Joffre Swait, to discuss generalization and specialization. In a world that is increasingly more specialized, research is demonstrating what classical educators have known all along—generalists are typically more successful in life and work that specialists. While specialists tend to excel in their profession more quickly at the outset, they also stagnate quicker; whereas, generalists are slower out the gate but tend to flourish in a longer more sustained fashion, and do...
2023-02-1637 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 43 - Brent Pinkall and Redeeming the Six ArtsThis is Episode 43 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Brent Pinkall, a lecturer in rhetoric at New St. Andrews College and author of the new book, Redeeming the Six Arts: A Christian Approach to Chinese Classical Education joins Scott Postma to talk about the characteristics of the six classical Chinese arts and how they relate to the Western liberal arts.
Brent argues that classical Christian education is not fundamentally a canon of fixed texts or subjects but rather an approach rooted in the Fifth Commandment: Honor t...
2022-11-181h 10The Consortium PodcastEp. 42 - Joe Carlson and the Divine ComedyThis is Episode 42 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma talks with Dante Scholar, Joe Carlson, about his new translation of Dante's Divine Comedy.
Joe is a graduate of New St Andrews College, in Moscow, ID, completed his MA and is now pursuing PhD in Literature at the University of Dallas. He is married to Jen, they have one son, Joseph Benaiah, and prior to pursuing his doctorate, he served as a pastor in California for seven years.
Joe's books can be found...
2022-11-031h 01The Consortium PodcastEp. 41 - Dr. Mike Wilhelm on Youth Ministry and the Iona ProjectThis is Episode 41 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Mike Wilhelm joins Scott Postma to talk about the Great Books and the life of the mind, ministering to youth as the senior chaplain at a residential child care facility, and the Iona Project—a quasi-neo-monastic gap-year opportunity for college graduates.
Dr. Wilhelm is the senior chaplain at Cal Farley Boys Ranch near Amarillo, TX. Cal Farley Boys Ranch is NOT actually exclusively for boys and has been a leader in residential childcare services for over 80 ye...
2022-10-2646 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 40 - Dr. Junius Johnson and Redeeming ImaginationThis is Episode 40 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Dr. Junius Johnson joins Scott Postma to talk about Liberal Arts Education, Great Books, Fantasy, and redeeming the human Imagination.
Dr. Johnson is a Yale-trained, independent scholar of theology, philosophy, and literature who devotes his time to thinking and writing about whatever is good, noble, and excellent, and how to bring these things to bear to nurture meaningful lives. He resides in Memphis, TN with his wife, Rebekah, and their two children.
You can learn more...
2022-10-1942 minChristian Emergency Podcast57. Lessons from Africa: Missions, Education and Preparing the Next Generation, with Karen ElliottAfrica remains important for the Church. In the coming generations, the continent will be home for a huge swath of the world’s population. And while there are many challenges facing Africa, including poverty, militant Islam and instability – there are also many exciting things taking place.
Karen Elliott of the Rafiki Foundation joins the Christian Emergency Podcast to share about some of those exciting developments, along with valuable context. She leans on her 30+ years of experience serving as a missionary and leading a missions organization in Africa, the Rafiki Foundation.
Karen discusses how Rafiki has laun...
2022-10-1048 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 39 - Carrie Eben on Intellectual Virtues, Assessment, and Poetic KnowledgeThis is Episode 39 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma talks with Carrie Eben, a classical educator and the founding consultant at Classical Eben. Carrie was introduced to classical education and Douglas Wilson’s book Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning in 1999 when she began working at St. Augustine’s Classical School in Tulsa. Since then, she has provided a classical education for her children in both private, classical schools (where she taught) and classical homeschool. She joined Classical Conversations in 2010 as an Essentials of the English Lang...
2022-10-0753 minThe Consortium PodcastEp 38 - Karen Elliott and Rafiki FoundationThis is Episode 38 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma talks with the executive director of the Rafiki Foundation, Karen Elliott. Rafiki means "friend" in Swahili and depicts the purpose of the Foundation - to help people know God and raise their standard of living with excellence and integrity. Since 1985, the Foundation has been building Rafiki Villages throughout Africa that seek to cultivate human flourishing through Bible study and classical Christian education.
Karen has served with Rafiki since 1990, including twelve years on the mission field...
2022-09-2943 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 37 - Dr. Chris Swanson and Learning for LifeThis is Episode 37 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma interviews Dr. Chris Swanson, president of Gutenberg College in Eugene, Oregon. Dr. Swanson shares his own unique education journey, Gutenberg's innovative (but not new) approach to a liberal arts education, and why educators should consider attending the Learning for Life Education Conference hosted by Gutenberg College in September each year. This year the conference is September 8-10, 2022.
Learning for Life Education Conference speakers and topics include:
Amanda Butler of Classical Conversations “Reclaiming the...
2022-08-2437 minThe Consortium PodcastEp. 36 - Why New England Needs Classical EducationThis is Episode 36 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog sponsored by Kepler Education.
In this episode, Sarah Abbott and Tim Knotts of the Classical Learning Consortium for New England join Scott Postma to discuss the need for classical education in New England. Given the number of Ivy League schools in New England, it is only obvious that it once was the epicenter for liberal education in the United States; In the 19th century, however, it became a leader in the push for the modern education of Horace Mann and John Dewey. Learn why, like never b...
2022-05-051h 01The Consortium PodcastAndrew Kern: What Happened to Classical Education?This is Episode 35 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma talks with Andrew Kern of the CiRCE Institute about Classical Education and Andrew's 3-part article, What Happened to Classical Education? Listen in as Andrew brilliantly answers some of the big questions educators should be (and are) asking: What is classical education? What forms or variations does it offer? Is it an identifiable method? Is it a formula or even a form? Is it a creed, a value system, a set of skills? What do we mean when we...
2022-02-091h 18The Consortium PodcastThe Growing Spotlight on Classical Christian EducationThis is Episode 34 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma sits down with Joffre Swait to discuss Fox Nation's recent 5-part documentary on classical Christian education and what the growing spotlight means for Classical Christian Education. First, we discussed the various themes and implications treated by each episode and then we looked at the larger consideration of how to reclaim the Christian Paideia in the 21st-Century.
You can find the Fox Nation documentary here and use code: classroom to watch it free.
You can...
2022-02-0229 minThe Consortium PodcastJake Litwin on Apologetics and Integrated HumanitiesThis is Episode 33 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma sits down with Jake Litwin to discuss the Integrated Humanities and Apologetics, and why the various concepts studied in these subjects are essential to a well-rounded high school education.
Jake is a teacher at Kepler Education, teaching Ancient and Classical Humanities and Apologetics. He is also part of The Doane Creative Agency team, a brand building and content communication company. Jake earned a B.A. in Christian Studies with an emphasis in Christian Education. He lives i...
2022-01-2035 minThe Consortium PodcastDr. Chris Schlect on the History and Meaning of the Liberal ArtsThis is Episode 32 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma sits down with Dr. Chris Schlect to discuss the Liberal Arts, its history in classical thought, what the liberal arts are, and what they are not.
Dr. Schlect is the Senior Fellow of History at New Saint Andrews College, where he teaches courses in ancient and medieval civilizations, US history, the history of American Christianity, medieval education, and Classical Rhetoric, among other subjects. Dr. Schlect is also the Director of New Saint Andrews College’s graduate pr...
2021-11-191h 13The Consortium PodcastNew Podcasts Coming from the Consortium and Kepler EducationThis is Episode 31 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, we announce the new lineup of podcasts for the upcoming year.
The Consortium Podcast is where listeners can listen into engaging academic conversations with teachers, authors, and professors engaged in Classical Christian Education.
The Everlasting Education podcast will continue in same vein as the earlier episodes of the Consortium podcast with Scott Postma and Joffre Swait taking a cue from Chesterton's view of "having a gentle contempt for education" and engaging the day-to-day questions and concerns t...
2021-10-2816 minThe Consortium PodcastHow to Have a Successful Academic YearThis is Episode 30 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
Classes at Kepler Education have begun and in this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait discuss some of the important ways students can have a successful academic year. Education is a student's vocation. It's a real calling for a specific time of a young person's life and there is much to be gained by a thankful and thoughtful student. Student listening in will gain some real valuable help and encouragement in this episode.
Learn more about Online Cl...
2021-09-1430 minThe Consortium PodcastInterview with Dr. Mitch Stokes on Calculus and Teaching Math ClassicallyThis is Episode 29 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait interview Dr. Mitch Stokes to talk about his new Calculus textbook., Calculus for Everyone, and what it means to teach math classically.
Mitch Stokes (Ph.D., Notre Dame) is a senior fellow of philosophy at New St. Andrews College in Moscow, Idaho. In addition to studying philosophy under world-renowned philosopher Alvin Plantinga, Stokes holds degrees in philosophy, religion, & mechanical engineering. He is the author of Calculus for Everyone, books on apologetics, and biographies...
2021-09-0250 minThe Consortium PodcastSocial Life and Online EducationThis is Episode 28 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait discuss the important (and sometimes annoying) question about how homeschool students are going to get any "socialization." Adding an additional dynamic to this question is the fact that many students are now taking online classes--like Kepler Students.
But the question assumes that "socialization" is a good thing and that students who are not in traditional brick and mortar schools are going to miss out on an important aspect of lif...
2021-08-2725 minThe Consortium PodcastTop Twenty BooksThis is Episode 27 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait host a top-twenty countdown of Great Books that should make every student's reading list. Books are listed and discussed briefly according to historical time periods. While this list is far and away from being exhaustive, it will give listeners a solid picture of each period of time and set students on track for obtaining a liberal arts education.
Learn more about acquiring a liberal arts education at https://kepler.ed...
2021-08-1950 minThe Consortium PodcastLogic and Latin: Foundations for Classical Christian EducationThis is Episode 26 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait discuss the importance of Logic and Latin in Classical Christian Education.
Stratford Caldecott asked the important question, “What kind of education would enable a child to progress in the rational understanding of the world without losing his poetic and artistic appreciation of it?”
The short answer is only a truly liberal arts education can enable a child to gain a rational understanding of the world while still maintaining, and even enhancing, his p...
2021-08-1231 minThe Consortium PodcastTeaching Science in Classical Christian Education with Will BoydThis is Episode 25 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode we interview Will Boyd, scientist, teacher, and homeschool dad, and talk about the fundamentals of science and its marriage to the humanities in a liberal arts education. Will blogs at the Reformed Environmentalist and you can learn more about the science homeschooling resources he mentions in the podcast below:
https://homeschoolscience.org
https://undsci.berkeley.edu/interactive/#/intro/
https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/howscienceworks_01
2021-08-0539 minThe Consortium PodcastThe Surprising Benefits of Online EducationThis is Episode 24 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
At Kepler, online education is not just the Zoomification of the classroom. It's so much more than that!
In this episode Scott and Joffre discuss the various ways in which families are talking about the surprising benefits of online education. As they share quotes from conversations with Kepler families, they dive into the dynamics of what parents are celebrating.
They discuss the various ways in which, as well as the reasons why, the home and family lives of Kepler s...
2021-07-2937 minThe Consortium PodcastUnderstanding and Critiquing Critical Theory in Education and CultureThis is Episode 23 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
The widespread notions of cultural appropriation, political correctness, outrage culture, identity politics, and cancel culture did not arrive on the scene in the late 2010s in a vacuum. What is today colloquially known as “woke mentality” stems from a postmodern-academic-ideology-turned-activism known as Critical Theory and its being aggressively propagated in schools and other cultural outlets.
In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss the origins and consequences of Critical theory in its various manifestations and suggest the most practical thing we can do t...
2021-07-1541 minThe Consortium PodcastThe Four Levels of ReadingThis is Episode 22 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
Reading is fundamental to an education. It is the intellectual backbone of every literate person. If one cannot read, one cannot be educated, as least in the liberal arts sense of being educated. But reading is difficult for some people and reading challenging, dense texts doesn't make the task any easier.
In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss and break down the Four Levels of Reading as taught by Mortimer J. Adler in his acclaimed work, How to Read a Book...
2021-07-0931 minThe Consortium PodcastA Rising Tides Lifts All BoatsThis is Episode 21 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss the importance of collaboration in Classical Christian Education because education in central to building up the kingdom of Christ: recovering a virtuous cultural and fighting the battle for the hearts and minds of the children of the Saints.
Too often, Christians tend to silo and huddle around personal agendas and secondary and tertiary beliefs instead of working together for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel in education and culture. To...
2021-07-0233 minThe Consortium PodcastThe Vital Importance of Rhetoric in the Age of Cancel CultureThis is Episode 20 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss the Art of Rhetoric, including misconceptions about what it means, and why it's so important for students to study in the modern age of cancel culture.
Being apt in the art of rhetoric is part of what it means to be fully human. To be an apt rhetorician is to be able to speak truth with our lives and with our words about the world and into the world.
To help students d...
2021-06-1730 minThe Consortium PodcastNobody's Coming: Students Taking Personal Responsibility For Their EducationThis is Episode 19 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss how educators, especially homeschooling families, have the most potential for cultivating both work ethic and creativity in their students' character. "Adulting" is hard and we don't always have an elegant solution for the challenges life providentially brings our way. Sometimes it takes extra effort, sheer hard work, or just starting the task and plodding ahead when we don't know all the answers.
But the first thing we need to embrace for success in education...
2021-06-1133 minThe Consortium PodcastFree Market Education: The Kepler Model for Classical Christian EducationThis is Episode 18 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott and Joffre are joined by Kepler CEO, Daniel Foucachon, to discuss the Kepler Model, a free-market approach to classical Christian education that empowers families by liberating teachers.
A unique feature of this episode is that we unpack a review by homeschooling blogger, Erin Cox of Life, Abundantly Blog, who understands the model and shares her experience with Kepler Education.
2021-05-2741 minThe Consortium PodcastThree Essential (But Often Overlooked) Qualities of a Good TeacherThis is Episode 17 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
Since parents are responsible for their child's education, it's helpful if parents both know how to be good teachers and how to identify good teachers for their children when it's appropriate to hire one. In his book, The Truth of Things: Liberal Arts and the Recovery of Reality, Marion Montgomery notes,
"The good teacher must accept as a starting point an alumni association of parents who generally cannot make a distinction between intellectual accomplishment and moral goodness. Then he must, soundly...
2021-05-2039 minThe Consortium PodcastThe Way to Make Thy Son Rich: The True Purpose of an EducationThis is Episode 16 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
Aristotle famously noted that poetry is more philosophical than history because while history teaches what man has done in particular, poetry teaches us what he can and might do universally. This quite evident in George Herbert's Poem, "The Church-Porch." In this Episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait unpack a few stanzas of Herbert's delightful poem and discuss the perennial human questions--really, the causes and effects--centered around raising children, education, and its effects on society. One important note Herbert makes--The way to make thy...
2021-05-1344 minThe Consortium PodcastOnline Education and the Reclamation of the Idea of a UniversityThis is Episode 15 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
Cardinal John Henry Newman said that “A University seems to be in its essence, a place for the communication and the circulation of thought, by means of personal intercourse, through a wide extent of country." When we use the word University in the academic sense, we are technically shortening the phrase, universitas magistrorum et scholarium, meaning a "community of masters and scholars."
In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss Cardinal Henry Newman's Idea of a University and how online education might be...
2021-05-0647 minThe Consortium PodcastLanguage Acquisition with Jonathan Roberts and the Ancient Language InstituteThis is Episode 14 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott and Joffre talk with Jonathan Roberts of the Ancient Language Institute about the best approaches to language acquisition and the benefits of learning ancient languages when obtaining a liberal arts education.
Kepler Education offers a number of language courses, both ancient and modern, for 5th grade all the way up to adult learners.
2021-04-2947 minThe Consortium PodcastPoetry and a Liberal Arts EducationThis is Episode 13 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott and Joffre discuss the importance of poetry in a liberal arts education. Poetry is more philosophical than history, says Aristotle. And this means poetry gives us insight into the human condition: what humans might do as opposed to history, which tells us what humans have done.
The Romantic poet, Percy Shelley noted that poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. In a sense, they are prophets in the truth-telling sense (rather than the prognosticating sense) because...
2021-04-2250 minThe Consortium PodcastEaster and EducationThis is Episode 12 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
This episode was recorded for Easter but due to technical difficulties recording a previous podcast, it was delayed.
The content is nevertheless still quite relevant given Easter is the celebration of the most important event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection absolutely changed everything, including education, since by it Christ “re-formed the human race” as Irenaeus notes in Against Heresies. In his Second Oration on Easter, Gregory Nazianzen affirms the same saying, “A few drops of blood re-cre...
2021-04-1641 minThe Consortium PodcastVisual Communication and the Liberal ArtsThis is Episode 11 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode is Scott Postma and Joffre Swait interview Roxana Corradino, an artist, college professor, and Kepler teacher, and discuss visual communications and the importance of its study in a liberal arts education.
Images and signs are all around us. But unless we are aware that every day we are being bombarded with ideas, subtly, in the form of visual communication, we may fail to see how our perceptions are being influenced. In this episode Roxana Corradino discusses the nature...
2021-04-0840 minThe Consortium PodcastThe Liberal Arts Education, Practically SpeakingThis is Episode 10 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait get practical about a classical liberal arts education.
You can also learn more about Kepler Education and the consortium of teachers who share this vision for student flourishing by visiting our website at https://kepler.education.
Or, visit the Consortium Blog at https://consortium.kepler.education/.
2021-03-2045 minThe Consortium PodcastA Liberal Arts Education and the Great ConversationThis is Episode 9 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait make a thorough treatment of the meaning of a classical liberal arts education and show its importance and benefits, namely that it has the potential to cultivate a wise and virtuous people whose resultant happiness produces a free and flourishing society. A liberal arts education can be stated as the pursuit and acquisition of that knowledge which is pleasurable for its own sake, and which frees the mind and prepares the soul to be wise a...
2021-03-1246 minThe Consortium PodcastRobots or gods: AI and Human EducationThis is Episode 8 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait discuss the development of AI and what this means in light of giving our children a Human Education. The robots are coming and that's not changing. But that shouldn't concern Christians who educate their children to be human beings who know how to assess value and not just function as a cog in a rote society.
Writing is an example of this kind of distinction. Writing can formulaic, but it is a...
2021-03-0540 minThe Consortium PodcastYou've Been Schooled! - Deinstitutionalizing SocietyThis is Episode 7 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait discuss the radical idea of deinstitutionalizing society and contend that the modern school, as we know it, doesn’t work for educating free men and women.
It does work well, however, toward the goal for which it was designed, which is to cultivate a society of both consumers and cogs—simultaneously consumers and cogs—a self-licking ice-cream cone if you will.
Building off of previous discussions, they get down into the weeds a...
2021-02-2650 minThe Consortium PodcastThe Architecture of Classical Christian EducationThis is Episode 6 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In this episode, we tackle the architecture of Classical Christian Education. All education has a foundation, a function, a form, and body of materials from which to build. And like any building, the excellence of an education not only depends on the excellence of the materials but on the excellence of the craftsmanship.
The foundation must be solid or else it will collapse under pressure. Additionally, the form of the education should follow the function of the education. Unfortunately, that's not...
2021-02-1846 minThe Consortium PodcastCosmology and Truth in EducationThis is Episode 5 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
In his fabulous work on recovering Classical Education, Norms and Nobility, David Hicks writes, “Education at every level reflects our primary assumptions about the nature of man and for this reason no education is innocent of an attitude toward man and his purposes.”
In this episode Scott and Joffre take Hicks thesis from an anthropological discussion to a cosmological discussion by arguing, “Education at every level reflects our primary assumptions about the nature of the universe and for this reason no educat...
2021-02-1147 minThe Consortium PodcastRecovering the Education of the Western Tradition: An Interview with Dr. Robert WoodsThis is episode 4 of the Consortium Podcast, an academic audio blog of Kepler Education.
The state of higher education has been adrift since the 1960s, and this drift from a truly liberal education to indoctrination for the ideological agendas of the elite has taken our K-12 schools with it. As a matter of fact, the public schools (as well as many "woke" private and prep schools) are little more than the "reeducation camps" so many conspiracists are shouting about today.
The solution to the education crisis is not to throw more money at it. The...
2021-01-2851 minThe Consortium PodcastTen Books That Shaped Our Own EducationIn Episode 3, Scott Postma and Joffre Swait riff off of the humorous anecdote where Chesterton was asked which book he would want with him if ever stranded on a desert Island--Chesterton quickly answered, “Thomas’ Guide to Practical Shipbuilding”--and they discuss the top ten books they would recommend in a similar situation.
Joffre comes at this question from a personal standpoint and discusses the books that shaped his own education. Scott comes at it from both a personal and educator's perspective, highlighting the books that not only shaped his thoughts, but books worth reading again and aga...
2021-01-2651 minThe Consortium PodcastLeisure and Knowledge in EducationWhen a culture is in the process of denying its own roots, it becomes most important to know what these roots are. We had best know what we reject before we reject it. If we are going to build a chair, the first thing we need to know, above all else, is what a chair is. Otherwise, we can do nothing. We are not a culture that never understood what a human being was in his nature and in his destiny. Rather we are a culture that, having once known these things, has decided against living them or understanding...
2021-01-1541 minThe Consortium PodcastClassical Christian Education: A Light Against the Coming Dark AgeWe are witnessing the post-modern project collapse in on itself and left unchecked it will bring a new dark age in its wake. In this inaugural episode of the Consortium Podcast, Kepler Education president, Scott Postma, and Kepler student advisor, Joffre Swait, discuss the current effort to erase the past on which the pillars of Western civilization have been built by censoring literature and scapegoating those who challenge their power. They argue the light of the gospel, which is the only hope for this coming dark age, is best dispensed through classical Christian education.
Learn m...
2021-01-0755 min