A Thomas Jefferson Education is a book written by Oliver DeMille which discusses leadership education concepts inspired by DeMille's study of Thomas Jefferson's education as well as other historical figures. The book's concepts are frequently applied in home school settings, where it is known as Thomas Jefferson Education or TJEd.1
"Seven Keys of Great Teaching"
Education can not be fixed as long as we believe this basic myth. The myth is that it is possible for one human being to educate another. The fact is the only person who can fix education is the student.2
—Oliver DeMille in A Thomas Jefferson Education |
In the book DeMille reinforces the use of what he calls "Seven Keys of Great Teaching":
1. Classics, not Textbooks
2. Mentors, not Professors
3. Inspire, not Require
4. Structure Time, not Content
5. Quality, not Conformity
6. Simplicity, not Complexity
7. You, not Them
"Four Phases of Learning"
I have learned that education boils down to two things: the student putting in the work to educate himself, and the teacher getting the student's attention long enough and deeply enough to get him started and help him keep going.3
—Oliver DeMille in A Thomas Jefferson Education |
DeMille also outlines what he calls the Phases of Learning:
- Core
- Love of Learning
- Scholar
- Depth
He also discusses the application of these principles.
"5 Pillar Certification"
Following is a listing of classics needed to read in order to complete the "5 Pillar Certification" of "Thomas Jefferson Education":
Level I
Level II
- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
- Frederic Bastiat, "What is Seen and What is Not Seen" from Essays on Political Economy
- Spencer Johnson (writer) & Constance Johnson, The One Minute Teacher
- Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
- Pat Frank, Alas, Babylon
- Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences
- John Taylor Gatto, "The 7 Lesson School Teacher" from Dumbing Us Down
- Kathleen Harward, Market-Based Education
- John Holt, How Children Learn
- Patrick Kavanaugh, Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
- C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
- David A. Noebel, Understanding the Times
- Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
- William Shakespeare, five plays from The Complete Works
- Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
- William Strauss & Neil Howe, The Fourth Turning
- Henry David Thoreau, Walden
- Owen Wister, The Virginian
Criticism
One critic of TJEd, while acknowledging that some of its auxiliary materials are useful, calls it "an impoverished pedagogy with dubious origins that, when implemented in a homeschooling setting, may be illegal in certain cases."4
See also
References
- ^ "Three Ways to Home School". CBS Morning Show. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ DeMille, Oliver. A Thomas Jefferson Education, 2nd, 12.
- ^ DeMille, Oliver. A Thomas Jefferson Education, 2nd, 15.
- ^ Smith, Julie A.. "A Thomas Jefferson Education?". www.timesandseasons.org. "I believe that TJE is an impoverished pedagogy with dubious origins that, when implemented in a homeschooling setting, may be illegal in certain cases. The continued spread of TJE is an embarrassment to the ... homeschooling community. As a member of [the homeschooling community], I encourage you to avoid TJE while at the same time I acknowledge that some of its practitioners are well-intentioned people providing their children with quality educations and that some of its auxiliary materials are useful."
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