Developing Classical Thinkers

Mar 18 2025 267 ep. 30 mins 42

Developing Classical Thinkers Podcast artwork

Developing Classical Thinkers is a classical podcast for classical thinkers, created and supported by the teachers at Thales Academy, a classical school in Raleigh, North Carolina. A Thales Press podcast.

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"The Anxious Generation" with Ashley Bahor & Olivia Holliday

Mar 18 2025 47 mins

Social media and smartphones present unprecedented challenges for educators and parents. Parents and teachers often recognize that smartphones and social media do not help students, but they have not had data to confirm this belief.In this episode of Developing Classical Thinkers, Ashley Bahor and Olivia Holliday discuss Jonathan Haidt's 2024 book "The Anxious Generation: How the G

Best Practices for Teaching Mathematics with Joe Wolak

Mar 04 2025 53 mins

In this episode, Winston Brady speaks with Joseph Wolak, assistant head of school at the Thales Academy Apex JH / HS campus. Joe is a veteran teacher with over twenty years of experience teaching mathematics, and he shares his best tips and strategies in the classroom concerning pedagogy, classroom management, preparation, and grading for math teachers.

Measuring Pi with Joe Wolak and Winston Brady

Feb 27 2025 8 mins

In this video, teachers Joe Wolak and Winston Brady walk through a fun lesson plan to do with students to calculate pi using some plates, mugs, some string, and a ruler.Free download available at https://bit.ly/4gV7Cyd

Masters of Men, Masters of Nature...FORMA Symposium Speech

Feb 25 2025 16 mins

January 31-February 1, the CiRCE Institute held its annual FORMA Symposium, hosted on the beautiful campus at Belmont Abbey College. The In this speech from the FORMA Symposium, Winston Brady addresses the plight of science education in the twenty-first century.Today, much of science education is not oriented toward truth but the cultivation and consolidation of power, with the obj

Cutting Costs for Schools

Feb 04 2025 42 mins

The problems in American secondary education cannot be solved by simply throwing money at the problem. They require innovative but practical insights to help drive down costs while creating more value for students, teachers, and parents.In this episode of Developing Classical Thinkers, Robert Luddy explains his philosophy of continuous improvement and value creation and how he appl

Classical Approaches to Math

Jan 28 2025 39 mins

In this episode, Joseph Wolak will present strategies for teaching junior high mathematics for teachers. He will present tips on classroom management, strategies for grading, and some ideas for building inquiry-driven lessons with the Saxon math curriculum. Mr. Wolak is joined by Ashley DiPenta and Naomi Back, members of the Thales junior high staff. Lesson plans and materials are

Classical Education & Classical Liberalism with Bob Luddy, Jenna Robinson, & Jake Noland

Jan 21 2025 42 mins

The success of the classical education movement continues to generate headlines in major publications and the support among parents hoping to see better educational options for their students continues to grow. As the number of classical schools continues to increase, whether they are charter schools, independent private, or parochial schools, people are now debating the extent to

Direct Instruction: What It Is & Why It Works

Jan 16 2025 32 mins

In this webinar, Kristin Gyure and Katie Jones present an overview of Direct Instruction and their best teaching practices for meaningful and effective engagement and learning.Mrs. Gyure received a B.A. in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She serves as Assistant Head of School at Thales Academy Wake Forest. Mrs. Jones served as

Character Education, Virtue, and Super Habits | Robert Luddy & Winston Brady

Jan 14 2025 54 mins

Virtue refers to the habits of moral excellence, something that cannot necessarily be taught but classical educators must try and incorporate into their lessons each and everyday.To this end, Robert Luddy and Winston Brady provide this webinar for our character education program, the need to teach virtue and character formation, and a book to aid in the pursuit of noble character,

Lessons from the Great Naturalists | Matt Ogle

Jan 10 2025 49 mins

There is great power in our ability to observe the world around us. We must make time to stop and see, for we never know when a small observation leads to a great encounter with truth. Students need to be trained in the way to discover truth by developing the naturalists ability to take an interest in what they can observe.Naturalists like John Muir, Wendell Berry, Jacques Cousteau