Teachers’ Experiences of Integrating the Classics with History in a Classical School
Date of Conferral
10-13-2023
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Brenda Kennedy
Abstract
A central component of classical education, which originated in ancient Greece, is the integration of literature with history content. The problem at the local site was that humanities teachers hired between 2015 and 2021 did not effectively integrate the literary classics with history using the classical model as required. The purpose of this case study was to explore the experiences of those teachers as they worked to integrate literacy classics with history using the classical model of teaching. The school philosophy dictates the use of integrated curriculum to increase active learning and critical thinking skills. Sayers’s theory of classical education and a resource developed by the site administrator were used as the conceptual framework. Data were gathered by conducting semistructured interviews with eight teachers at the project site and by reviewing the participants' written lesson plans and recorded classroom lessons. The participants taught seven different grade levels. The participants described integrating literacy and history by using vocabulary and selected literary texts. The participants expressed challenges with limited understanding of the role of the trivium (the three stages of learning in classical education: grammar, logic, and rhetoric) in lesson development, the lack of prior preparation in teaching history, few strategies for integrating content using the classical model of teaching, and no strategies for assisting students new to classical education. A professional development project was developed to further prepare teachers at the site to effectively integrate the classics with history. Implementation of the professional development may increase teachers' self-efficacy at meeting the school requirements while also increasing students’ critical thinking and analysis skills.
Recommended Citation
King, Laura, "Teachers’ Experiences of Integrating the Classics with History in a Classical School" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 14947.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/14947
