Grammar School Teaching and Leadership

Welcome!

This course is a must-take course for both grammar school teachers and grammar school leaders. In this course, master grammar school educator and principal Lori Jill Keeler blends her knowledge and insights into the classical tradition of education with practical counsel on how grammar school teachers can plan and teach with excellence, shepherd the hearts of children, and create dynamic yet peaceful classrooms. She also harmonizes classical principles of education with modern research on the brain, and makes practical suggestions for how to wholly engage every student when teaching. Lori Jill offers her insights on how to lead and mentor other teachers, and how to provide overall leadership to a classical grammar school. Lori Jill has been a classical educator and principal for almost 15 years and is a regular speaker and trainer at annual conferences and other gatherings.

Teachers taking this course will also enjoy hearing Lori Jill’s insights and passion for education in the recorded conversations with Dr. Christopher Perrin.

This course is divided into 12 lessons, each featuring a presentation by Lori Jill Keeler. The end of the course also features 3 conversations between Lori Jill and Christopher Perrin, in which they discuss Lori Jill’s own journey into classical education, and ways of cultivating great teachers and a great school. Within the lessons below, you will find video lectures, session outlines, recommended readings, questions for discussion and reflection, and additional recommended resources.

Lesson 1: Building on a Strong Foundation
Lesson 2: Teaching with Excellence in the Grammar School
Lesson 3: Classroom Management Conducive to Learning
Lesson 4: Shepherding the Grammar School Student’s Heart
Lesson 5: Partnering with Parents
Lesson 6: Developing a Growth Mind-Set
Lesson 7: More Effective Lesson Planning
Lesson 8: Teaching Reading in the Grammar School (Part 1)
Lesson 9: Teaching Reading in the Grammar School (Part 2)
Lesson 10: Total Participation Techniques
Lesson 11: Teaching with the Brain in Mind
Lesson 12: Building a Culture of Learning in the Grammar School
Discussion 1: Lori Jill’s Journey into Classical Education
Discussion 2: What Makes a Great Grammar School Teacher?
Discussion 3: How to Develop a Great Grammar School

Lori Jill Keeler has served as the lower-school principal at the Westminster School at Oak Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama, since 2003. She earned a BA in secondary education and English literature, and a MEd in integrated curriculum and instruction from Covenant College. She served as the educational expert on the founding board of directors for Evangel Classical Christian School in Helena, Alabama, has written 2nd through 6th grade Bible curriculum, and has been a guest speaker on creating a culture of grace at several classical schools in the Southeast. Lori Jill and her husband, Scott, have 2 sons.

Lori Jill Keeler mentions and recommends the following helpful books at various times throughout this course.

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp
Teaching Redemptively by Donovan L. Graham
Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson
Mindset by Carol S. Dweck
Total Participation Techniques by Persida and William Himmele
How the Brain Learns by David Sousa
Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel Willingham

Please Note: The certification credit component of this course is now active but also undergoing refinement and testing.

To obtain a certification credit for this course, simply complete the quiz that follows each presentation by Lori Jill Keeler, and then also take the certification test at the end of the course. The quizzes are designed to ensure that you have understood the essential content of each presentation, and they can be taken more than once if necessary. The cumulative certification test at the end of the course is given as a pass/fail test and requires that you upload one or more essays demonstrating your understanding this course (with essays evaluated by word count only). When you have completed the course, a certificate that you can print or email will magically appear under the “My Courses” section of this website.

We recommend previewing the essay question at the end of the End-of-Course Test. This will help in guiding your note taking as you progress through the course.

Please allow approximately 2 weeks for essay submissions to be reviewed.

By taking the course for certification credit, you also will be on your way to obtaining a Level 2 certification.

Note: This information is not needed for any current CU subscribers.

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