Felten discussed St. John's College approach to learning and what other institutions of higher education can learn from the school.
Peter Felten, assistant provost for teaching and learning, and executive director of Elon’s Center for Engaged Learning, was quoted in a recent Chronicle of Higher Education feature examining the enduring value of discussion-based, text-centered learning.
The article, explores how the collegeâs Great Books curriculum emphasizes conversation, critical thinking and intellectual community in an era increasingly shaped by technology and artificial intelligence.
Felten emphasized that the most transferable aspect of St. Johnâs model is not necessarily its curriculum, but its underlying philosophy of education, specifically that learning can be difficult and is a communal act.
âI donât think we spend enough time talking with students about how what weâre doing is supposed to be challenging,â says Felten. âIf youâre in a community where you see other people struggling with the same material, and you can talk with them and think with them and not feel like youâre weird because itâs hard, then I think itâs motivating, then itâs exciting.â