ORIGIN OF GREAT BOOKS Presented by: Group 5 and 6 The History of Great books Foundation For 75 years, the Great Books Foundation has been training teachers in the Shared Inquiry method, publishing engaging classroom materials, and creating educational programs that develop critical thinking skills, reflective thinking, strengthen social and civic engagement, and reach new and underserved audiences. THE FOUNDATION OF GREAT BOOKS The Great Books Foundation was founded in 1947 by Mortimer Adler and Robert Maynard Hutchins. The mission: To empower readers of all ages to become more reflective and responsible thinkers. To accomplish this, we teach the art of civil discourse through the Shared Inquiry™ method and publish enduring works across the disciplines. The Foundation’s stated objective was to provide the means of a genuine liberal education for all adults. An early annual report reflected the belief, or hope, that thousands or even millions of people would join together for small group discussions that foster the “noble work of self-improvement.”
By December 1949, an estimated 50,000 people
Robert Maynard Hutchins in thousands of book discussion groups were meeting regularly in public libraries, homes, churches, and synagogues. 1943 Two University of Chicago educators, Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, launch a series of Great Books “Shared Inquiry seminars” with prominent and enthusiastic Chicagoans. Enormously successful with many influential public figures, these text-based seminars inspire a Great Books continuing education program at the University of Chicago and a Chicago Public Library workshop where librarians and volunteers are trained to start their own groups. Similar workshops are held in New York and other cities, inundating the University of Chicago with inquiries from individuals, clubs, and labor unions across the country. 1947 Hutchins and Adler establish the nonprofit Great Books Foundation to promote lifelong education through the reading and discussion of outstanding literature. Their aim is to encourage all Americans to participate in a “Great Conversation” with the authors of significant works in the Western canon. To make texts accessible, the Foundation publishes paperback editions of its recommended readings, many of which are out of print or available only in costly editions. 1949 Hutchins chairs the Foundation’s distinguished board of directors . 1975 The Foundation’s program is expanded to include younger readers. The 1975 and 1984 editions of Junior Great Books add literature for grades 2–4. 1991 The Junior Great Books Read-Aloud Program is published, bringing outstanding literature to students in kindergarten and first grade. 1992 The Foundation introduces a major expansion of the program that integrates reading, writing, and discussion. The new Junior Great Books curriculum incorporates Shared Inquiry into mainstream reading and language arts instruction.
1993 The Foundation receives an Ameritech Foundation grant of $840,000 for an urban schools initiative to establish a network of 40 schools that use Junior Great Books as an integral part of their curriculums. 2004 The first volume in the six-volume Great Conversations series, an anthology of classic and contemporary selections for adult discussion groups, is published. 2010
2011 The first blended training courses, which feature both in-person and asynchronous instruction, are offered to teachers. The Foundation quickly develops and delivers online training webinars of its intermediate and advanced Shared Inquiry training courses. 2014 Beginning in 2014, the Foundation produces five new anthologies (one of which comprises three volumes) for adult readers over the next four years.
2015 For the first time, the Great Books Foundation publishes anthologies of all nonfiction selections, launching Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry for students in grades 3–5. The series is so popular that the Foundation follows up in 2019 with Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry for grade 2. 2020 To meet the needs of students and teachers affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation establishes the Junior Great Books Virtual Academy. In this virtual collaborative space, students connect with peers in an engaging online environment. Experienced Great Books trainers lead lively discussions and varied interpretive activities.
2021 The Foundation launches Junior Great Books Digital Classroom, a new platform that streamlines the learning process for students and brings classroom management tools, analytics, and standards alignments to teachers. It is a complete solution for inquiry-based online learning. “To empower readers of all ages to become more reflective and responsible thinkers. “ Great Books Mission Thank You for listening!
