This page addresses the Teacher Certification program. Adults interested in studying The Great Tradition without pursuing a Certification in Classical Christian Education can learn more HERE.

Teacher Certification and CEUs

Kepler's Teacher Certification prepares Christian educators to engage students in the Great Conversation of the Western Tradition by providing the training, knowledge, and insights necessary to be a competent classical Christian educator in today’s market—and at the fraction of the time and cost of earning another degree.

Through Kepler's certification program, educators will study with Dr. Robert Woods to “think Christianly” about how classical christ-centered education looks in the modern world. 

Any teacher (Kepler or non-Kepler) or adult who takes Kepler's Great Introduction to the Tradition of Classical Education and completes one preceptorial and four micro courses will receive 3 hours of Continuing Education Units accredited by ACSI (accreditation pending - expected Spring 2023). 

Requirements

Any teacher seeking the "Kepler Teacher Certification" should complete all four preceptorials (see below) and 10 of the micro-courses (12 CEUs), plus all three following teacher certification tracks (12 CEUs each for a total of 60 CEUs). See the following:

• Teacher Certification Track 1: Classical Christian Education

• Teacher Certification Track 2 - The Great Books and Liberal Arts

• Teacher Certification Track 3 - Paideia Pedagogy Certification

Kepler Teachers

Any Kepler Teacher seeking a higher percentage of tuition compensation may receive the terminal-degreed percentage after they complete the four preceptorials and 10 micro courses successfully, which will entitle the teacher to a certificate of the “Great Tradition of Education.” (This is NOT the same as a Kepler Teacher Certification but is the initial step toward full certification.)

In order to keep the terminal-degreed tuition percentage, Kepler teachers must complete the three remaining tracks (listed above) within the next three years.

For example, a teacher may complete one track per year or complete all three tracks in a single year (if the option is available).

Upon completing the Certificate of Classical Christian Education, all three Teacher Certification Tracks, and a capstone project assigned by the Teacher Certification instructor (i.e., design a Paideia type course or a seminar over a key reading in fiction, non-fiction, science, social science, math or artifact such as a work of art or masterpiece of music - 12 CEUs.), Kepler Teachers will be considered “Certified,” and will receive a certificate (60 CEUs), a distinction on their Kepler Profile, and will only need to complete a minimum of 3 CEUs every three years to maintain certification and terminal-degreed tuition percentage.

In addition to Teachers, this course of study is ideal for parents who are seeking a liberal arts education with limited time and financial resources available to commit to the Republic of Letters, or as an option for students who are seeking alternatives to college but want the kind of education the "Kepler's Great Tradition of Classical Education" course of study offers. Learn more HERE.

PRECEPTORIALS

Preceptorials emphasize independent reading, discussion in small groups, and individual conferences with the teacher or professor. Each preceptorial will consist of two live, online sessions for 1.5 hours. The reading(s) must be done in advance. Mini-lectures will also be shared in advance of the live sessions and an online quiz will also be given as part of the final assessment. Three hours of CEU or PD hours will be granted at the completion of each quiz.

• Preceptorials are $60 each with some FREE Readings* 

• Offerings for the 2023 Academic Year

  • Register for Winter (February, Friday 10th & 17th 6:30-8:00 ET) David Hicks’s *Norms and Nobility 

  • Register for Spring (April, Friday 14th & 28th 6:30-8:00 ET) James Taylor’s Poetic Knowledge

  • Register for Summer (June, Friday 2nd & 9th 6:30-8:00 ET) Kevin Clark & Ravi Jain’s The Liberal Arts Tradition

  • Register for Fall (September, Friday 22nd & 29th 6:30-8:00 ET ) Mortimer Adler’s *Reforming Education

MICRO-COURSES

Micro-course consists of one live, online session for 1.5 hours. The short reading(s) must be completed in advance of the live session. No quiz is given as part of the final assessment. CEUs toward Teacher Certification will only be granted in conjunction with preceptorials.

• Register for Micro-courses

• Micro-Courses are $30 each with FREE READINGS provided via PDF format

• Offerings for the 2023-2025 Academic Years

Three Teacher Certification Tracks

Classical Christian Education Certification Track I

The Classical and Christian School Certification has been arranged with the person who is relatively new  to this way of educating. Individuals in Classical and Christian schools can greatly increase the value they bring to their calling by honing a common set of competencies in areas of the trivium and quadrivium (the seven Liberal Arts). With this goal in mind, the Classical and Christian certificate provides a six-module sequence that enables students to excel in precisely these core competencies and gain knowledge and wisdom from the Great Books.

The Great Books and Liberal Arts Certification Track II

The Great Books and Liberal Arts Certification has been designed to enhance the knowledge of people who want a wider understanding of liberal education. This certification has great value to those serving in a Classical and Christian school or homeschooling within the Classical Christian tradition. Individuals in Classical and Christian schools can greatly increase the value they bring to their calling by honing a common set of competencies in areas of the seven Liberal Arts or related to but moving beyond the seven liberal arts. With this goal in mind, The Great Books and Liberal Arts Certification provides a six-module sequence that enables students to excel in precisely these core competencies and gain knowledge and wisdom within the Great Tradition.

Paideia Pedagogy Certification Track III

The Paideia Pedagogy Certification has been crafted to maximize its value to those serving within a Classical educational setting. This may be homeschool, an online Classical program, an onsite educational institution and even a consortium. Teachers in these schooling cultures can greatly increase the value they bring to their calling by honing their skills and enriching their understanding of authentic teaching and learning. With this goal in mind, The Paideia Pedagogy Certification provides a six-module sequence that enables participants within this program to excel in precisely these core competencies and gain knowledge and wisdom within the Paideia approach to teaching and learning.

Instructors

Dr. Robert Woods

Teacher

Dr. Woods has been a Classical Christian educator for nearly 20 years. He has a B.A. in biblical studies and ministry from Point University, an M.A. in religious studies from Barry University, and a Ph.D. in humanities from Florida State University. He developed and chaired the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University for more than 15 years and is the author of “Mortimer Adler: The Paideia Way of Classical Education.”

Shawn White

Teacher

Shawn White is a Ph.D. candidate in Humanities at Faulkner University. He has an M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Biola University (2015), and a B.A. in Religious Studies from Southern Evangelical Seminary (2012). He and his wife married in 1996 and live in Phoenix, AZ where they love to read, watch films, and play board games. Shawn reads Chesterton’s Orthodoxy and The Man Who was Thursday at least once a year.

Watch a Sample Lecture

Teacher Training with Dr. Christy Vaughan

Christ-centered Educational Methods

Not ready for a certification, but want to explore the vocation of Classical Christian Education? Dr. Christy Vaughan invites high school seniors, college students, and interested life-long learners to explore the vocation of Classical Christian Education in her course, Christ-centered Educational Methods.

Dr. Christy Anne Vaughan

Teacher

Dr. Vaughan holds an Ed.D. from Liberty University in Educational Leadership and serves as Secretary for Classical Christian Education International, Inc., and served as Head of Curriculum and Instruction at Brown County Christian Academy for three years.