Great Books Foundation

THE MISSION OF THE GREAT BOOKS FOUNDATION IS TO ADVANCE THE CRITICAL, REFLECTIVE THINKING, AND SOCIAL AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT OF READERS OF ALL AGES THROUGH SHARED INQUIRY DISCUSSION OF WORKS AND IDEAS OF ENDURING VALUE.

K-12 PROGRAMS:IN KEEPING WITH THE FOUNDATION'S MISSION, THE GREAT BOOKS K12 PROGRAM PROVIDES STRONG, INQUIRY-BASED LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAMS FOR GRADES K12 THAT IMPROVE STUDENTS' ACHIEVEMENT IN, AND COMMITMENT TO, READING COMPREHENSION, INCREASED LITERACY, CRITICAL THINKING, WRITING AND SPEAKING, CIVIL DISCOURSE, AND LISTENING. GREAT BOOKS PROGRAMS COMBINE CLASSROOM MATERIALS AND THE SHARED INQUIRY METHOD OF LEARNING TO PROVIDE THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS STUDENTS NEED TO MEET AND SURPASS THE GOALS OF THE COMMON CORE AND OTHER STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS.K12 DIGITAL PROGRAMS: TO REMAIN RELEVANT AND SUCCESSFUL IN THE 21ST CENTURY, GREAT BOOKS CREATED A DIGITAL EXPERIENCE BY DEVELOPING DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS AND PRODUCTS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO CONTENT. INITIALLY THIS WAS IN THE FORM OF GREAT BOOKS PLUS, A DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT OFFERS ELECTRONIC VERSIONS OF GREAT BOOKS ANTHOLOGIES. IN ADDITION, IN 2021 AND 2022, GREAT BOOKS LAUNCHED VERSIONS 1 AND 2 OF JGB DIGITAL CLASSROOM, MOVING US FROM AN EREADER PLATFORM TO A MORE FULLY AGILE DIGITAL PLATFORM.THESE DIGITAL EXPERIENCES UPDATE AND ENHANCE THE GREAT BOOKS LEARNING MODEL AND ALLOW THE FOUNDATION TO REACH A WIDER, MORE DIVERSE AUDIENCE.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE FOUNDATION'S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM PROVIDED OVER 900 EDUCATORS WITH SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTION AND CLASSROOM ASSISTANCE IN THE SHARED INQUIRY METHOD OF LEARNING THROUGH READING AND DISCUSSION OF GREAT LITERATURE. THE FOUNDATION WORKED CLOSELY WITH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO BUILD TEACHERS' PROFICIENCY AND INTEGRATE INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM BY PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED DAYS OF IN-PERSON AND ONLINE TRAINING, MODELING, COACHING, AND CONSULTATION. THE FOUNDATION OFFERS TEACHERS AND PARENTS INSTRUCTION IN THE SHARED INQUIRY METHOD OF LEARNING THROUGH IN-PERSON TRAINING, BLENDED ONLINE COURSES, IN-PERSON AND ONLINE COACHING, AND WEBINARS ON SPECIFIC SKILLS. THIS YEAR, THE FOUNDATION RELEASED THE SHARED INQUIRY ESSENTIALS ON-DEMAND TRAINING COURSE, WHICH ROUNDS OUT OUR TRAINING OPTIONS BY OFFERING IN-PERSON, ONLINE, AND ASYNCHRONOUS AS WAYS TO COMPLETE THE FOUNDATION'S TRAINING. AS WELL, THE FOUNDATION LAUNCHED THE SHARED INQUIRY LEARNING CENTER, A PLACE WHERE TRAINED SHARED INQUIRY LEADERS CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE USE OF THE SHARED INQUIRY METHOD IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, PARTICIPATE IN FREE EVENTS SUCH AS A PANEL OR EDUCATOR DISCUSSIONS, AND JOIN AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY-BASED EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS.THE JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS PROGRAM HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE NATIONAL STAFF DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL AS AN "EXEMPLARY PROGRAM" IN TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. FEEDBACK FROM THOSE WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE FOUNDATION'S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SUGGESTS THAT THE FOUNDATION PLAYS AN IMPORTANT PART IN CREATING AND SUSTAINING VIBRANT, RESPECTFUL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND INCREASED LITERACY FOR ADULTS AND STUDENTS.

ADULT DISCUSSION GROUPS: THE ADULT EDUCATION DIVISION OF THE GREAT BOOKS FOUNDATION SHARES THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE: TO HELP SUSTAIN AND STRENGTHEN OUR DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNERS TO ENGAGE IN DISCUSSIONS OF WORKS AND IDEAS OF ENDURING VALUE AND TO DEVELOP THE HABITS OF MIND ESSENTIAL TO CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND PERSONAL FULFILLMENT. TO THIS END, THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTS A NETWORK OF SIXTEEN GREAT BOOKS COUNCILS, AS WELL AS 650 BOOK GROUPS NATIONWIDE, ACROSS CANADA AND SOUTH AMERICA; CREATES SPECIAL INITIATIVES FOR OFTEN UNDERSERVED SECTORS OF THE POPULATION, INCLUDING VETERANS OF THE ARMED FORCES; AND HOLDS PUBLIC EVENTS TO ENGAGE AUDIENCES IN THE DISCUSSION OF BOOKS AND IDEAS, INCLUDING ONLINE DISCUSSIONS FOR ADULTS. THE FOUNDATION PARTNERS WITH OTHER CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS TO BRING ITS WORK TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. TO ENABLE THESE VARIOUS PROGRAMS, THE ADULT DIVISION PUBLISHES BOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS DESIGNED TO ASSIST IN THE PRACTICE OF SHARED INQUIRY, THE GREAT BOOKS FOUNDATION'S UNIQUE DISCUSSION METHOD. IN ANTICIPATION OF THE FOUNDATION'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY, A NEW TWO-VOLUME ANTHOLOGY, CLASSIC READINGS FOR DISCUSSION, WAS PUBLISHED IN MARCH 2022.