Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm

pedagogy: the art, science, or profession of teaching

At its core, Fairfield Prep's curriculum is based on the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP), an educational framework derived from the Ratio Studiorum (Plan of Studies) formulated by Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, for use in the first Jesuit Schools. Teachers in Jesuit schools are themselves taught how to create lessons that flow from the IPP's elements, which are:

• Context
• Experience
• Reflection
• Action
• Evaluation

By looking at lesson planning through the lense of the IPP, teachers are able to teach more than just the "material" that must be covered in a typical, chronological syllabus. Instead the student's whole person is joined to the educational enterprise, helping to bring about the desired result: a student who understands the interconnectedness of knowledge and the importance of applying fundamental principles to the application of knowledge to help make the world a better place for all, privileged and unprivileged.