Ignatian

I.  OBJECTIVES OF IGNATIAN EDUCATION

1. A special loyalty to the Holy See;
2. The direction of all the student's efforts and accomplishments toward the supernatural ideal epitomized by the phrase, Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, or simply AMDG;
3. To prepare leaders in order to become effective agents of Catholic action;
4. An intelligent obedience to all duly constituted authority;
5. A respect for the significant contributions of the past;
6. The production of Christian humanists;
7. To produce in the student the habit of orderly thinking, trained first by the analytic/syn­thetic method of studying languages and then by study in a literature-based curriculum; and
8. Competency in the arts of expression.

II.   BASIC METHODS

1. SELF ACTIVITY: Insistence on self-activity should be directed toward forming in the stu­dent the habit of independent study and reading directed toward interest in scholarly pursuits.
2. MASTERY: The most effective motivation for the student is the growing sense of mastery that is acquired in completing progressively more difficult material.
3. FORMATION: The final objective is "formation" not "information"! Myriad levels of unre­lated information can never stand against the education that "forms" the mind to think, reason, express and convince.

III.  PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING IN THE IGNATIAN CONTEXT

1. Aim of teaching
2. Teacher / parent / student relationships
3. Student self-activity
4. Training of memory
5. Repetition
6. Active teaching techniques
7. Mastery formula
8. Expression

A.    AIM OF TEACHING:

1. To impart not only intellectual content but also method;
2. To require the teacher to train the student how to
   1. grapple,
   2. explore, and
   3. grasp significant details;
3. To control the means of testing progressive advancement.

B.    TEACHER / PARENT / STUDENT RELATIONSHIP:

1. Prevent:
   1. discipline from becoming law without influence,
   2. a system without personality;
2. The informal agencies are more effective than the formal;
3. Student problems should be brought to the attention of the student first with the objec­tive of obtaining the cooperation of the student, then as problems persist, the parent must always be brought in;
4. Cooperation, and mutual support between parent and teacher must be a primary objective of administration;
5. Teacher's influence should be a stimulus in forming religious as well as intellectual habits;
6. Through association with staff, the abilities and talents of the student should be fostered and guided toward the vocation God has in mind for the student in order to bring about superior Catholic life.

C.    STUDENT SELF-ACTIVITY - Aim of stimulating self-activity:

1. Self-activity results in co-operative effort between student and teacher;
2. Active methods that foster "mastery" are
   1. prelection (preview),
   2. class recitation, and
   3. repetition;
3. Self-activity forms habits of independent study, reading and scholarly pursuits;
4. Ignatian teaching is an art rather than a science.

D.    TRAINING OF MEMORY

1. Sharpens faculty itself;
2. Basis for oral and spontaneous written expression;
3. Gradually imparts rhythm and style for literary expression;
4. Furnishes other faculties (imagination, intellect) with material on which to work.

E.    REPETITION

1. Five types of repetition:
   1. brief review immediately after the prelection,
   2. thorough testing of home study next day,
   3. weekly review of class material,
   4. comprehensive review at the end of the month,
   5. quarter and semester review;
2. Is broader than drill. It takes in new relationships and meanings and gives depth, organization, and perspective;
3. Should be diversified by a variety of techniques and exercises motivated by emulation (especially at the high school level);
4. Demands careful preparation on the part of the teacher;
5. To omit periodic repetition with the idea of "covering more material" is to confuse the very idea of repetition;
6. Quarterly / semester repetition is of critical importance in high school;
7. Repetition is necessary for formation of habits.

F.   ACTIVE TEACHING TECHNIQUES:

1. Discussion and objection are distinct aspects of the teaching art:
   1. They demand careful study and practice;
   2. Student participation in them is a valuable experience because of the precision and close reasoning required.
2. Emulation is valuable because of its universal appeal:
   1. It is based on the natural desire to excel;
   2. It centers the young mind on the class matter;
   3. It energizes effort in mastering it.

G.  MASTERY FORMULA:

1. The most effective motivation for the student in study is the growing sense of mastery;
2. Pertinence of class techniques: repetition, discussion, objection, etc.;
3. Need for constant and varied class exercises, written and oral, centering on the same material;
4. Testing of mastery measures student achievement, diagnoses weakness, and guides the teacher in adapting procedures;
5. The teacher can never rest until he has brought students to their individual capacity. His initial procedures will be slow and thorough. A thorough grasp of fundamentals will make possible progression in the amount of matter than can be covered.

H.  EXPRESSION:

1. A student's ability to express himself is a test of the quality of his education,
   1. hence the need of constant exercises of written expression,
   2. hence, too, the value of the essentially active teaching techniques - discussion, objec­tion, emulation, and recitation - in the development of competent oral expression.
2. Similarly, the aim of traditional Ignatian extra-curricular activities is to develop the power of expression:
   1. dramatics,
   2. debating,
   3. publications,
   4. literary academics,
   5. intra-school literary competition.
3. Teacher's prime task is the cultivation of this power in the student by:
   1. first, painstaking and constant guidance and correction of the student's effort in expression, and
   2. encouraging the more talented to persevere in seeking worthy and scholarly achieve­ment in this field.
4. Emphasis should be on expression in high school. Expression is proof of "mastery"! The ability to express oneself is the test of an educated person and the quality of his educa­tion. Emphasis should be placed on expression from the fifth grade through to the senior year in high school:
   1. correct grammar and idiom;
   2. on practice in typical forms of expression, i.e. description, exposition, narration, and argumentation.
5. The responsibility of the Ignatian trained student is to exert a Catholic influence on the academic and social sphere in which he lives.