A Classical Guide to Narration

Product Description

Full of step-by-step advice for how to implement narration in the classical school classroom, it presents the historical context of narration alongside contemporary studies that reveal its immense value in the development of young minds. By exploring the history of narration and its relationship to the liberal arts tradition, the book sets Charlotte Mason’s powerful practice on solid footing for wider adoption in the classical renewal movement.

FAQ: What is the difference between this book and Karen Glass’s book, Know and Tell? (With an answer from the author)

Know and Tell addresses the practice of narration primarily from the vantage point of home education, though she addresses a chapter to narration in the classroom with primarily a single school that was just beginning to use narration as an example. Karen Glass provides a practical introduction to the home educator, elaborating on Mason’s recommendations for the practice and providing plenty of examples of home educated student work. She pays particular attention to written narration and how it leads to teaching writing and composition. She even addresses student with special needs.

A Classical Guide to Narration is written from the perspective of application in a classical Christian school. It situates the practice of narration within Charlotte Mason’s own journey of discovery and her educational movement. It makes broader connections both to classical education theory and to the findings of recent learning science, addressing specific challenges and applications in the classroom for optimal implementation. It further proposes a unique theory on how the trivium arts find application in the narration lesson, and establishes a case for narration as a natural development within the liberal arts tradition.

About Jason Barney

Jason Barney serves as the Principal of Coram Deo Academy in Carmel, IN. In 2012 he was awarded the Henry Salvatori Prize for Excellence in Teaching from Hillsdale College. He completed his MA in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton College, where he received The Tenney Award in New Testament Studies. Before joining Coram Deo Jason Barney served as the Academic Dean at Clapham School, a classical Christian school in Wheaton, IL. In addition to his administrative responsibilities in strategy, philosophy and faculty training, Jason has taught courses from 3rd-12th grades in Latin, Humanities, Math and Science, and Senior Thesis. He regularly speaks at events and conferences, including SCL, ACCS, and the CiRCE Institute. He recently published The Joy of Learning: Finding Flow Through Classical Education. Jason blogs regularly on ancient wisdom for the modern era at www.educationalrenaissance.com.