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Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series)

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Manufacturer: Crossway Books
List Price: $15.99
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Douglas Wilson, director of the renowned Logos School, puts forth his ideas for the restoration in the curriculum of "Christian humanism"--as contrasted with what Christopher Dawson has called "secular humanism.


DESCRIPTION:

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 370.114
EAN: 9780891075837
ISBN: 0891075836
Label: Crossway Books
Manufacturer: Crossway Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: 1991-04-01
Publisher: Crossway Books
Studio: Crossway Books


SIMILAR ITEMS:

• The Case for Classical Christian Education
• Repairing the Ruins: The Classical and Christian Challenge to Modern Education
• The Seven Laws of Teaching
• The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Editition)
• Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradigm for Classical Learning


CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Customer Rating:
Summary: One big ad for Logos School!
Comment: I appreciate many of the Logos School curriculum materials, along with the overall philosophy of the school. I looked forward to reading founder Douglas Wilson's book.

At the beginning, the book was very interesting, mostly discussing what goals the Logos School has and how the school implements various curriculum to teach its students.

The author continually vaguely slams Christian schools that are basically secular but just add in Bible study/prayer time. I think it's fair to say that most people would not want this type of Christian school, but other than bashing these schools, Mr. Wilson did not give any advice to the reader as to how to identify these schools or help to bring about change.

When I reached the chapter on homeschooling, Mr. Wilson lost all credibility with me. Being an educator at a Christian school, I would assume he is also very familiar with homeschooling, and he in fact claims that he and his wife would choose this option, if "a good Christian school were not available." Reading his book, the reader begins to understand that Logos School is one of the few schools in the nation that might meet this criteria.

He then goes on to say that parents teaching at home in the early years who then place their children "in a Christian school to continue their education" have fundamentally identical education principles as the Christian school. BUT "if a home schooling family maintains that children can be given a complete education in the average home (say, K-12), then frankly there is an important difference in educational philosophy." Boloney. I began to see that the "difference" might have more to do with the funding of Christian schools, not the educational choices among each family.

The logic Mr. Wilson puts forth for this argument is bizarre. He claims that a homeschool mom could be dividing her time "teaching a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, and an 8-year-old, and she has to teach each one of them history, math, English, science, etc." Hunh? The homeschooling families that I know blend as many of these subjects as possible. The only people that I know who teach each child separately in all of these subjects belong to virtual academies (publically funded schools where the children are taught at home by a parent).

Mr. Wilson claims that parents can more easily teach younger children at home but that it becomes more difficult as children get older. "[I]t is one thing to teach your 5-year-old how to read and quite another to teach Latin to an 11-year-old." Yes, Mr. Wilson, it is. Teaching reading is a far more scary thought, especially considering so many schools do a poor job. Latin's not so tough in comparison.

Additionally Mr. Wilson also claims that homeschooling parents are unable to adequately research claims of various textbooks they use to teach their own children. I beg to differ. Many homeschoolers can and do often refer to original material, just as one is led to assume must be done by Logos School (although there are no claims that Logos School "adequately researches" textbook claims).

Mr. Wilson interjects quotes by homeschooling experts Raymond and Dorothy Moore, and various "unschooling" theories to "prove his point." However, these experts and theories are fundamentally opposite of the whole rigorous classical approach that Mr. Wilson promotes. This would be similar to using quotes from (former California Governor) Jerry Brown to argue a platform of President Bush!

This book was a huge disappointment. I believe Mr. Wilson is capable of so much more, and unfortunately, he left a very bad taste in my mouth. Blech!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Classical Christian Education provides children with integrated view of the world
Comment: I found this book to be excellent. We have our two children (5 and 7 years old) enrolled in a Classical Christian School in Troy MI. Both are doing wonderfully, and the rigorous approach to all areas of their education is producing great results. Doug Wilson does a great job of inspiring the reader to look into this great alternative to public education (or even watered down "christian" education). Giving your children the Tools of learning is one of the best gifts you can give to them.

Customer Rating:
Summary: An "education" about Classical education
Comment: Excellent-Insightful and thought-provoking. Makes me proud and excited to have my child enrolled in a classical education school.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Tested and found excellent
Comment: We started our daughter in kindergarden at a school modeled after this Book. She will start 3rd grade, and Latin, this fall.
We are pleased, from a historical and Christian context, with the outstanding learning and environment she has been recieving.
I would like to point out that 2 reviewers said that they didn't think the book was helpful for homeschooling. They are looking at the wrong book. There is a very good book on how to homeschool in the classical fashion: The Well-Trained Mind. I stumbled onto that book in my search for alternatives to government education, and then found that there was a school locally that followed these techniques. There are 140 schools around the country that follow this model; you can see them at www.accsedu.org

Customer Rating:
Summary: Seeing this stuff work!
Comment: My wife and I read this book as a prerequisite to getting our son into a private Christian school. While I am no education expert, my wife has a masters degree in the field, and experience in the public school bureaucracy.

We are seeing the approach that Wilson describes have fantastic results. At our son's school, the kids are tested at the end of third grade in the major subjects, and their scores are weighed against public school proficiency levels in each subject. There is not one subject where our 3rd graders are performing lower than a 6th grade (public school) level.

That alone speaks volumes. However, the book repeatedly makes the point that cleansing a public school curriculum from objectionable material and adding "chapel" or a Bible class does not a Christian school make. Our goal is to build an education around a Christian worldview, in hopes that our children can understand the Bible in context (without cherry-picking verses to suit some agenda) AND in application. This way, we don't raise "compartmental Christians," or folks who live one way during the week and another on Sunday.

Wilson also makes great points about what effect being accredited can have on a private school.

Lastly another focus of the overall text is to teach children to THINK. If public schools can graduate students that cannot read, do you really want to trust them with equipping your child with cognitive reasoning skills? Our answer is "no." This book lays a foundation to equip our kids with the ability to reason and think on a high level.

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