The Tecolote Colloquium series provides the inspiration and renewal that come from cooperative, conversation-based study of important texts and ideas. Additionally, our Colloquia offer educators the opportunity to meet with their peers to think freely and exchange ideas about best practices.
Scheduled on Saturdays that avoid the busiest times of the school year, our Colloquia are based on the “Socratic” method of learning through discussion developed in the great books curriculum at St. John’s College. Participants include elementary, middle, and secondary teachers and administrators in public and independent schools, as well as a small number of college-level educators, school principals, school board members, government officials, and students planning to become teachers. Led by St. John’s faculty and other experienced seminar leaders, our Colloquia are designed to provide occasions for genuine liberal learning through discussion of carefully selected texts.
After participating in Tecolote Colloquia, teachers return to their classrooms refreshed and with a renewed sense of their vocation. Many teachers and administrators initiate follow-through activities, engaging their students and colleagues in reading and discussing great texts. Others develop their own related initiatives, which Tecolote helps to implement. Beyond the general approach of learning through conversation based on worthy texts, our program is not prescriptive. Teachers continue to develop their own distinctive approaches in the classroom, drawing on their work with Tecolote for ideas and inspiration.
The Tecolote Group believes that great books make great teachers! Tecolote honors the work of New Mexico educators at all levels and supports them in the cultivation of active learning across the curriculum. Through our yearly Colloquium series in Santa Fe we offer occasions for thoughtful discussion of important texts, and a forum for dedicated teachers and school administrators to learn from and inspire one another. Since our founding in 2001, Tecolote has hosted nearly 1,000 educators in our Colloquia. Our pool of dedicated Tecolote Fellows serves as a resource, supporting teachers and advocating for liberal education throughout New Mexico and the Southwest.
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