Welcome, symposium attendees!
The Great Books Foundation is an independent, nonprofit educational organization founded in 1947 by two University of Chicago educators, Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, following the success of their Great Books Shared Inquiry™ seminars.
For over 75 years, we have been preparing teachers to use the Shared Inquiry method and creating engaging educational programs that foster the close reading and thoughtful discussion of great literature while strengthening the habits of respectful dialogue that help people participate responsibly in civic life.
How Shared Inquiry Supports Classical Education
Junior Great Books® discussion programs follow the Shared Inquiry method of learning—a structured sequence of reading, questioning, and discussion activities designed to guide students toward a deeper understanding of a text’s meaning.
Great works of writing are at the heart of each program. From classic fairy tales and fables from around the world, to nonfiction selections, and contemporary stories with exceptional depth and complexity, all text selections are chosen for their literary quality and their engagement with enduring ideas.
Interpretive prompts ask students to consider character, motive, and theme with precision. Evaluative prompts encourage students to weigh ideas and arrive at well-reasoned judgments grounded in the text. Throughout, students are challenged to support their conclusions with evidence, to refine their thinking through discussion, and to better understand the significance of the text.
This distinctive approach to learning enables teachers to foster habits central to classical education: attentive reading, careful reasoning, articulate expression, and respectful dialogue.
Learn more about Great Books programs!
Contact us to speak with a member of our team at the 2026 National Symposium for Classical Education. We’d love to connect!
Professional Development
Socrates knew the power of questions to facilitate learning. The Great Books Foundation’s Shared Inquiry method uses the power of questions to help students make a claim about the text, challenge their assumptions, and find supporting evidence. The professional development offered by the foundation immerses teachers in this ancient pedagogy, which is essential in today’s society.
The professional development will enhance teachers’ ability to improve students’:
- comprehension
- reflective and critical thinking
- writing
- intellectual confidence
- lasting appreciation for literature
The Great Books Foundation offers professional development courses (in-person and online), on-site consultation days, and customized planning sessions to introduce teachers to Shared Inquiry and to provide ongoing assistance.
Join the Great Conversation at Any Age
Junior Great Books
Junior Great Books provide rich stories of enduring value with step-by-step teacher instructions and a full sequence of student activities, across multiple readings, discussion, and writing for students K–8. Featuring beloved favorites, new classics, and folktales from around the world, students engage deeply with the rich ideas of each text. In our Inspire series, students read across genres of fiction, narrative nonfiction, poetry, and drama. In our 2015 series, students explore character-building themes such as gratitude, generosity, responsibility, and honesty.
The Will of the People: Readings in American Democracy
This essential collection of primary sources explores America’s ideals and continued identity from the founding documents, to Lincoln and beyond. Discussion questions guide learners into a deeper understanding of the principles that are America’s founding promise.
Great Books Foundation 75th Anniversary Collection
This meticulously curated collection draws from 75 years of participation in the Great Conversation. From Shakespeare and Swift, to Douglass and Frost, the two-volume set features some of the most influential writers of the Western intellectual tradition, and pairs them with questions honed from decades of experience igniting powerful conversations.