Title: Philosophy and science in the Middle Ages

Lesson plan elaborated by: Katarzyna Maciejak

Topic:

Philosophy and science in the Middle Ages.

Target group:

1st‑grade students of a high school.

Core curriculum

I. Literary and cultural education.

1. Reading literary works. Student:

1) understands the basis for periodizing literature, situates literary works in particular periods: antiquity, the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, enlightenment, romanticism, positivism, Young Poland, the interwar period, literature of war and occupation, literature of 1945‑1989 national and emigre literature, literature after 1989;

2) understands the concept of literary and cultural tradition, recognizes elements of tradition in works, understands their role in building universal values; ZR

9) recognises the subject and issues of the texts learned and its relation to the programs of the literary era, social, historical, existential and aesthetic phenomena; he reflects on it;

13) compares literary works or their fragments, sees continuations and references in the compared works, defines common and different features;

14) presents a proposal for interpretation of the work, indicates in the text places that may constitute arguments in support of its interpretation proposal;

15) uses the necessary contexts in the interpretation of literary works, especially the historical, literary, historical, political, cultural, philosophical, biographical, mythological, biblical and existential context;

16) recognises universal and national values present in literary works; determines their role and relationship with the work's issues and the importance to build their own value system.

2. Receipt of cultural texts. Student:

1) analyses the structure of the essay: it reads the meanings contained in it, the way of conducting the argument, the characteristic features of the style; ZR

2) analyses the structure of the text: it reads its meaning, main thought, way of leading the argument and argumentation;

5) characterises the main philosophical trends and determines their influence on the culture of the era;

6) read philosophical views contained in various works; ZR

7) reads non‑literary cultural texts, using the code proper in a given field of art.

III. Creating statements.

1. Elements of rhetoric. Student:

6) understands what is the logic and consistency of reasoning in argumentative statements and uses them in their own texts;

2. Speaking and writing. Student:

1) agrees with other people's views or polemicizes with them, substantively justifying their own opinion;

4) in accordance with standards formulates questions, answers, evaluations, edits information, justifications, comments, a voice in the discussion;

10) in the interpretation presents a proposal to read the text, formulates arguments based on the text and known contexts, including personal experience, and performs a logical argument for the validation of formulated judgments;

IV. Self‑study. Student:

1) develops the ability of independent work, among others, by preparing various forms of presenting their own position;

2) organises information into a problematic whole by valuing it; synthesizes the learned content around the problem, topic, issue and uses it in your statements;

9) uses multimedia sources of information and makes their critical evaluation;

11) uses multimedia resources, eg from: libraries, on‑line dictionaries, e‑book publications, original websites; selects web sources, taking into account the criterion of material correctness and critically evaluates their content;

General aim of education

Students learn the assumptions of Augustinism and Thomism, compare them and consider the concept of human dignity.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Learning outcomes

Student:

• gets to know the philosophy of thinkers whose works became the foundations of the medieval period ideas (St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine);

• explains the assumptions of Augustinism and Thomism;

• discusses the universal values;

• agrees or polemicises with other people's views, justifies his own opinion.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned;

  • leading text method.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. Students recall knowledge about the philosophy of antiquity..

Introduction

1. The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

2. Students selected by the teacher report what they have repeated about the philosophy of antiquity..

Realization

1. The teacher points out that the term „darkness of the Middle Ages” can be harmful to an era in which many philosophical trends developed..

2. Students recall and explain the term „theocentrism”.

3. Students will get acquainted with fragments of texts and answer questions on their basis. If necessary, the teacher additionally presents the philosophers' profiles if the students have problems with answering questions only on the basis of source texts.

4. Students in any graphic form (drawing, collage, photo gallery) compare the assumptions of Augustinism and Thomism (interactive task No. 4).

5. The teacher talks about seven liberal arts and then presents an illustration on which students identify each of the seven pieces and indicate its attributes.

6. Students wonder how individual liberated arts could serve to know God (in accordance with the idea of theocentrism). They use available sources if necessary. Students perform the remaining exercises.

Summary

1. The teacher asks questions summarizing the classes: Which philosophical conception is closer to you? Why? Do you think that you can nowadays teach in schools according to the model of seven liberal arts?.

2. The teacher asks students what words in the abstract made them difficult. Students form one sentence with each of these words.

Homework

1. Being aware of all the differences between the philosophy of antiquity and the Middle Ages, try to look for similarities. Justify your observations.

2. Listen to the word recordings at home. Examine the dictionary from the abstract and record your own.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Philosophy and science in the Middle Ages

Try to refresh your knowledge about the ancient philosophy.

Dark Ages – is an unfair term concerning different aspects of life in this epoch. It suggests that people then had no sensible approach towards the world. Weren’t there any rationally thinking people at that time? Of course there were, but they considered the justification of the catechism their calling.

One of the greatest medieval theologians, philosophers and doctors of the Catholic church was bishop of Hippo. The philosophical belief, Augustinism, was named after him; its main principle was dualism. Saint Augustine believed that the reality consisted of two elements: good and evil, God and Satan, virtue and sin, darkness and brightness. The human is also composed of two elements: matter and spirit. In the age‑old struggle of good and evil, the nation of God and Satan, people should actively fight on the side of the former. The Christian knight who fought with infidels was on duty. Moreover, even a peasant could be such a knight, struggling with his temptations, praying and mortifying their flesh.

Saint Thomas was a Black Monk, theologian and doctor of the Catholic Church considered to be the greatest medieval philosopher. His beliefs are often called the Aristotelian theology. He proclaimed that to discover the truth about the world and fully understand it, one should not only by experiencing the God’s illumination, but also use their own mind. In this way, Saint Thomas contributed to the development of Scholasticism. He saw the world as very hierarchical. He believed that on the top of the “Ladder of Being” there is God and then angels, below them there were people, animals, plants and at the end - minerals. The special significance of human guaranteed the combination of the “Divine Spark” with the body matter. The human mind helped the philosopher to lead the evidence concerning the catechism; hence, Saint Thomas presented five evidences for the existence of God. The most important work of Aquinas is Summa theologica. The philosophical system, which bases on the Saint Thomas’ view was called Thomism

The philosophy was part of so‑called seven liberal arts (Latin: septem artes liberales). That were the branches of science based on the power of mind. Moreover, they were the basis of the education in the Middle Ages. Children started the course of artes liberales in the age of seven and it lasted for about seven years. Its completion was a prerequisite to study law, medicine or theology.
The liberal arts were also called as seven ways to wisdom. They were divided into two groups: trivium (three ways) and quadrivium (four ways).

Trivium included grammar, dialectics, rhetoric and quadrivium consisted of geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music.