Dr. David Diener Shifts Teachers from Technicians to Intellectuals at Symposium

Dr. David Diener will be presenting a special workshop for classical educators and administrators at the 2024 National Symposium for Classical Education, hosted by the Great Hearts Institute on March 20-22 at the Phoenix Convention Center.

In his workshop, Teachers as Intellectuals, Not Technicians, Dr. Diener will discuss how many 21st-century teachers view themselves primarily as technicians: they are professional educators who have been trained with a set of skills that, when correctly employed, will produce the desired outcomes. “In this seminar, however, I argue that teachers should view themselves primarily as intellectuals, not as technicians,” he said. “Teachers are master learners whose primary job is to model a life of learning for their students and to lead students on a path of learning that they also are travelling. In addition to examining the conceptual differences between these two paradigms, I also will consider some practical applications of this understanding of teachers as intellectual guides. I will focus in particular on how teachers conceive of their purpose, how they interact with students in and out of the classroom, and what teachers and administrators alike understand to be excellent teaching and worthwhile professional development.”

Dr. Diener works at Hillsdale College where he is an Assistant Professor of Education.

Previous experience includes fifteen years in K-12 private education, eleven of those in administration and eight as headmaster of classical Christian schools. He also is a Fellow on the Alcuin Fellowship National Council and Director of the Alcuin Fellowship Midwest Chapter, serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Classical Learning and the Board of Academic Advisors for the Classic Learning Test, is a member of the National Council of Classical Educators, and offers consulting services through Classical Academic Press. He is the author of Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator and has published articles on Plato, Kierkegaard, and various topics in philosophy of education. He also serves as the series editor for Classical Academic Press’ series Giants in the History of Education and is an associate editor for the journal Principia: a Journal of Classical Education. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Ancient Languages from Wheaton College as well as an MA in Philosophy, an MS in History and Philosophy of Education, and a dual PhD in Philosophy and Philosophy of Education from Indiana University.

Diener is looking forward to presenting along with other inspiring and informative speakers on March 20-22, 2024 at the Phoenix Convention Center, where they will each be giving their unique talks during the National Symposium for Classical Education. The symposium is just around the corner, but it’s not too late to register.

The Symposium will focus on renewing the Great Conversation concerning great works and perennial ideas. This year we will underscore the importance of teaching and modeling the conversations that lead to insight–among colleagues, between teachers and students, with families, and across our communities. At a time when our society most needs genuine dialogue, classical schools provide a sanctuary of genuine civility. Join us to discover how classical education embodies the good conversations, providing both the means and the model for a more civil society.

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