It is increasingly difficult to find students at the collegiate level who know how to engage in spirited, rigorous, but amiable debate about important matters. Grandstanding, emotive outbursts calculated to silence opposition, and the recitation of prefabricated talking points mark much of the environment. Rather than seeking to expose the truth, much of what counts for debate is actually aimed at domination and manifests an unhealthy conformance to the reigning ideas of a school of thought or a political activist agenda. A proper training from a younger age in the art of seminar discussion would help contemporary college students navigate the choppy waters of young adulthood.

This talk addressed how those of us who teach secondary students can create environments free, curious, and open for seminar discussions. It will address the goals of a seminar; the necessary habits and tools for a fruitful discussion; and common mistakes that spoil a seminar.

Andrew J. Zwerneman serves as Cana Academy’s President and as Cana Academy's Master Teachers. For 39 years, he has taught and consulted in secondary schools that emphasize classic humanities. For 19 years he headed schools—2 at the public charter school, Tempe Preparatory Academy in Tempe, Arizona, 17 at Trinity School at Meadow View in Falls Church, Virginia.

He is the founder and owner of The Academy Project, LLC, which wrote the curricula and trained faculties for Thomas MacLaren School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Trinity Academy in Portland, Oregon. Education: B.A., A.B.D., University of Notre Dame; M.A., St. John’s University. He is the author of "History Forgotten and Remembered" (2020) and "The Life We Have Together: A Case for Humane Studies, A Vision for Renewal" (2022).

This lecture was delivered live at the Fall Classical Summit, a regional classical conference held at Thales Academy Rolesville Junior High-High School on October 6, 2023.

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