The Consortium Podcast

Jake Litwin on Apologetics and Integrated Humanities

This 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 in Idaho with this wife and two children and enjoys reading, watching and discussing movies, playing guitar, hiking and traveling.

You can find Jake's courses at here at Kepler Education.

Dr. Chris Schlect on the History and Meaning of the Liberal Arts

This 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 program in Classical and Christian Studies.

He has taught courses in US history and Ancient Rome at Washington State University and has authored, as well as contributed to, numerous books and articles, appearing in several classical Christian publications as well as the National Park Service’s “Getaway” series. Dr. Schlect is also a teaching elder at Trinity Reformed Church (CREC) in Moscow, Idaho. He and his wife, Brenda, have five children and five grandchildren.

 

New Podcasts Coming from the Consortium and Kepler Education

This 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 that affect parents and educators who are engaged in the trenches of Classical Christian Education. 

The Eccentric Podcast is the podcast for students and eavesdropping parents of Kepler Education. Taking its name from our student magazine, The Kepler Eccentric, Joffre Swait (Kepler's Academic Advisor) will tackle student issues, feature Kepler students, and bring Kepler student life to the streaming airwaves.

All three podcasts can be found wherever you listen to you podcasts

How to Have a Successful Academic Year

This 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 Classical Christian Education at https://kepler.education.

 

Interview with Dr. Mitch Stokes on Calculus and Teaching Math Classically

This 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 of Newton and Galileo.

 

To learn more about classical education and browse courses, visit us at http://kepler.education.

Social Life and Online Education

This 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 life. In this episode, Scott and Joffre take on that false assumption and discuss productive and enriching ways of cultivating a social life in a homeschooling or online learning environment.

Listen in to learn more and check out http://kepler.education to learn about Student Life and clubs at Kepler Education.

Top Twenty Books

This 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.education.

 

Logic and Latin: Foundations for Classical Christian Education

This 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 poetic and artistic appreciation of it.

Two of the foundational aspects of this kind of education are Logic, the clear-sighted arguments which separate the true from the false, and Latin, the language of antiquity and Christendom by which a student learning the language is able enter into the texts which shaped the western world while also cultivating his poetic and artistic appreciation of the world.

Learn more about the Logic and Latin of liberal education by visiting https://Kepler.education.

 

Teaching Science in Classical Christian Education with Will Boyd

This 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

The Surprising Benefits of Online Education

This 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 students are being impacted, why parents are more than just satisfied with their children's academic achievements (they are delighted by them), and how wonder and curiosity are being fostered in an online classroom, all while Kepler teachers maintain their commitment to liberalis, and scholé learning.