Welcome to my project-based learning & inquiry classroom!
Teaching Ancient Greek Philosophy in a 21st Century Classroom
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How do you overcome your fear of public speaking? How do you react to a subpar test score? How do you find peace in these Covid-19 times? Such questions occupy our students' thinking. Unchecked, they may turn into stress and anxiety. Where can our students find answers? Where can they find an antidote for that anguish?
How about Ancient Greece?
My "Becoming Stoic: An Inquiry Project" had students inquire into stoicism, an Ancient Greek philosophy. After brainstorming personal challenges and learning a variety of stoic concepts, students used both to address the following essential question:
Does stoicism have significance for
21st century students and their challenges?
SO WHY STOICISM?
Founded 2300 years ago in Ancient Greece, stoicism promotes virtue and mental fortitude; it's a philosophy for anyone and anytime. Thinking stoically helps people overcome life's challenges, big and small: from dealing with a personal loss to failing a math test, and everything in between.
As a teacher of stoicism, I was my own first student. This past six months, I adopted its concepts in my own life, with my own challenges. From becoming a father to teaching during Covid-19, stoicism's teachings transformed me into a calmer and more focused version of myself. I lived stoically and wished to transfer that same wisdom to my students.
Stoic wisdom transcends time. From Roman emperors to Hollywood stars, it has something for everyone. Living stoically means living virtuously. Stoicism promotes living in a wise, courageous, just, and modest manner, or at least trying your best to do so! It also means understanding what's in and out of your control, and acting accordingly. The ultimate destination for any stoic is a peaceful mind. What student couldn't benefit from that?
From a curricular standpoint, stoicism's relevance looms large, especially in its relation to the Personal Awareness & Responsibility Core Competency, which promotes student well-being and resilience. With the onset of Covid-19 and its related challenges, 21st century
students face unprecedented adversity; they need effective strategies to "find
peace in stressful times."
Initially, I feared a philosophy founded 2300 years ago could be a tough sell to my students. How could I make it relevant to them? Then it hit me, if something has two millennia of staying power, it may just sell itself. Stoicism's ideas have undoubtedly stood the test of time, and thankfully they stood the test of my Philosophy 12 class.
My students welcomed stoicism's wisdom with open minds. All students have challenges in their lives and all want to overcome those challenges. In fact, some of our most vulnerable and reluctant learners battle some of the most intense challenges: erratic home lives, mental health issues, etc. Thinking stoically offers those students and others positive strategies to address their challenges. In my own classroom, stoicism compelled my students to gaze inwards and conduct an inventory of their own struggles. And what could be more relevant than that?
HOW DID I SCAFFOLD THE "BECOMING STOIC" PROJECT?
1. Brainstorming Challenges: We started by individually brainstorming the challenges we face. I shared first, and others followed. It quickly became a powerful bonding experience for the class. Students shared willingly and at times emotionally. Many found comfort in the realization that their peers dealt with similar challenges: "I'm scared to start driving." "Hey, me too!" Next time I teach stoicism, I'll incorporate a 'talking circle' into this activity.
2. Reading Article: Next, we read Ryan Holiday's article, "7 Stoic Tenets to Keep in Mind Today" (https://dailystoic.com/7-stoic-tenets-to-keep-in-mind-today/). Holiday's mix of ancient wisdom and modern pizazz captures the spirit of stoicism. I read the article aloud and students followed along while annotating. Afterwards, we discussed which concepts jumped out to them and why. Some students were already making connections between Holiday's stoic concepts and their own challenges. This is just one way to learn stoic concepts! There are a seemingly endless supply of texts and resources online.
3. Analyzing Visuals through a Stoic Lens: I then showed students visuals of challenges: a poor test mark, an argument with a parent, and an incoming tornado. As a class, we discussed which stoic concepts would address those aforementioned challenges. Through this activity, students demonstrated their rapidly developing understanding of stoic concepts.
4. Completing the Graphic Organizer: Afterwards, students completed the planning page of the project handout. They first jotted down personal challenges and described the nature of their burden. Students then matched each challenge with a corresponding stoic concept and described how their chosen stoic concepts could potentially help with their challenges.
5. Drafting Findings: Students were now prepared to draft their findings and choose a medium to demonstrate their learning (written report, podcast, etc.).
POST-PROJECT REFLECTIONS:
Following completion of the project, I posed three questions to students:
1. What did you appreciate about the project?
2. What did you struggle with?
3. What would you change about the project?
Though the majority of studentsappreciated the opportunity to be introspective, others weren't as comfortable. Theyfound the process to be daunting. For those students, I'd suggest starting with less intimidating challenges, such as procrastination or a sibling dispute.
Reading and listening to students' findings wasa satisfying process. Their learning presented itself in many forms: partner podcasts, written meditations, posters, and PowerPoints. Most went above and beyond project expectations in both length and substance. One group recorded a forty-five minute podcast that remarkably stayed on topic.
Though I taught this "Becoming Stoic" Project in my Philosophy 12 class, I have no doubt it could be adapted to a variety of teaching contexts. I believe it could be taught in everything from Middle School advisory to Secondary English Language Arts classes.
Give stoicism a chance! Your students will appreciate it!
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