Special Education Pre-Conference Returns for 2027 Symposium

The countdown is on for the 2027 Great Hearts National Symposium for Classical Education, coming to the Tempe Mission Palms in Tempe Ariz., February 24^th – 26^th, 2027. And after an overwhelmingly positive response to last year’s inaugural Special Education Pre-Conference, the organizer of the event, Great Hearts Institute, is pleased to offer it as an important addition to the already rich Symposium program.

The Pre-Conference on February 24^th, 2027, is titled Physical Space and Pedagogy: Designing Doxological Classrooms for Students with Disabilities, with Tom Doebler from Great Hearts Academies and Dr. Amy Richards from the Templeton Honors College’s Master of Arts in Classical Teaching program returning to lead the sessions. Dr. Richards is also the author of Disability and Classical Education: Student Formation in Keeping with Our Common Humanity.

During the series of workshops at the Pre-Conference, Doebler and Richards will look more specifically at how classical principles and pedagogy provide pathways for effectively welcoming students with disabilities and learning differences. Far from excluding such students, classical education has unique resources for welcoming all kinds of learners given its grounding in a rich and full understanding of the human person. But it can sometimes be difficult to see how this grounding can provide the tools needed to shape classrooms where all students can thrive.

Attendees of the Pre-Conference will learn how to bridge this perceived gap! Through seminar and workshop sessions, you will explore tangible examples of and tools for putting classical principles into practice to welcome students with disabilities and learning differences. From classical principles of beauty and balance in physical classroom design to classical pedagogical approaches to learning design, you and fellow attendees will build a vision of genuinely Doxological Classrooms together, which you will be able to take back to your schools to renew your welcome for all learners!

Pre-Conference Program
8:00 AM Check-in: Welcome, Coffee and Pastries
8:30 AM Introduction: What is a Doxological Classroom?
8:55 AM Seminar: What Can A Body Do? By Sarah Hendren – The “Chair” Chapter
10:00 AM Session: Beauty and Welcome: Principles of Physical Spaces and the Impact on Accessibility
11:00 AM Session: Levels of Inquiry – Differentiating Socratic Instruction
12:00 PM Session: Q&A, Conclusion
12:30 PM Lunch

The Special Education Pre-Conference is a prelude to the official 2027 Great Hearts National Symposium for Classical Education that will kick off later that same day. It will serve as a launchpad for a broader network of educators committed to the belief that classical education can and should be for every learner.

For more information about the pre-conference or to register, visit https://classicaleducationsymposium.org/en/pre-conference-page.

We are also pleased to welcome Sophie Winkleman, Zena Hitz, and Andrew Ellison to this year’s Symposium stage as keynote speakers. Make plans to attend and join us in this year’s theme of Recovering Reading and Reason in a Distracted Age. Don’t delay – Early Bird discounts will expire in November!

Register today for the Pre-Conference at https://classicaleducationsymposium.org/en/registration-form?seg2

Register for the 2027 Symposium at https://classicaleducationsymposium.org/en/registration-form?seg2

OR Register for both the Pre-Conference AND the 2027 Symposium at https://classicaleducationsymposium.org/en/registration-form?seg2

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Submit a student application to a Great Hearts Academy by visiting: https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/enroll/.