Summer Shared Inquiry Institute for Secondary School Teachers

See the full program schedule of activities.

What time does the Institute begin and end?

The Institute begins with dinner at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, followed by a working session from 6:30–8:00 p.m. The final training session will end around 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16. (Lunch on Wednesday is included in the registration fee.) You may register and check into your room after 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 13.

Can I attend if I live locally or don’t want to stay with the group on campus? If so, what is the registration fee?

Yes, you can choose to pay only the tuition and materials costs ($425) if you commute or make your own lodging and meal arrangements off campus. Be advised that summer accommodations in Santa Fe are costly and require reservations far in advance. We will not provide assistance in locating off campus lodging. In addition, the St. John’s campus is several miles from downtown Santa Fe and you will be responsible for your own transportation to the Institute.

Can I get college or continuing professional development credit for the Institute? How many instructional units will the Institute provide?

The Institute will provide participants 18 hours of instruction. The Great Books Foundation has been approved by many states and districts to provide college or continuing professional development credits for our workshops. Foundation instructors have at least a master’s degree and are experienced Shared Inquiry practitioners. The requirements and paperwork for obtaining credit vary by district and state. Please contact your local district or state office of professional development for more information. The Foundation can provide you with an outline of the Institute’s content, background information of the instructors, or other information you may need to obtain credit approval.

I have already taken one (or more) Great Books workshop(s). Can I/should I attend the Institute?

The Institute will provide an intensive introduction to Shared Inquiry and Great Books programs. Much of the Institute’s content is equivalent to the Foundation’s core sequence of professional development. However, topics will be covered in more depth and participants will have opportunities to share strategies for adapting Shared Inquiry to particular settings. Therefore, you are welcome to attend the Institute if you have already attended previous Foundation workshops with the understanding that it will provide a review and refresher of the basic concepts of Shared Inquiry and Great Books.

I will be working with college students (or adults). Will the Institute address my needs?

Although portions of the Institute will address issues particularly important to middle and high school teachers, the Institute's focus will be on Shared Inquiry and the art of focused discussion through well-formed questions. This should be equally helpful to college level instructors. Because the Institute will focus on using Great Books programs in schools, leaders of adult discussion groups (non-classroom settings) might find it more rewarding to enroll in one of the briefer adult training courses that are offered around the country by Foundation staff.