Junior High & High School Seminar Program

Seminar Course at Paradigm

Paradigm Schools’ Seminar course helps our scholars to discover who they are. As they continue to grow through our program, they will learn how to ask questions, have discussions, and come to their own conclusions. Seminar typically combines social studies and English courses. We integrated these two subjects because we believe that they go hand in hand. The Seminar program is the heart of Paradigm’s liberal arts approach to learning, and our goal is to have our scholars become empowered citizens by the time they graduate.

View Our Seminar Book List

What Makes Our Seminar Course Unique

The goal of our Seminar course is to help our scholars understand their role in the world by the time they graduate. We want scholars to take the lessons and information they learn in Seminar and apply them throughout their lives.

Our unique environment includes

No Textbooks:

Textbooks are not used in our Seminar course, only original text. We want our scholars to be able to come to their own conclusions, rather than be told what that conclusion is.

Experienced-Based Learning:

In our Seminar course, we like to use a hands-on experience approach. We do simulations with scholars and encourage them to think like the authors from the text.

Structured-Based Learning:

We understand that each scholar learns differently. We structure their learning based on what’s best for scholars.

Real World Discussions:

We want to go beyond the context of our course. We hold discussions that apply to the real world, such as conversations about human nature so that students can have a better understanding of the world that surrounds them by the time they graduate. Our discussions focus on who scholars are as people.

1 on 1 Mentoring:

Mentors are available by appointment before school, during lunch, after school, or even by Zoom for scholars who may need extra support.

Scholar-Led Learning:

We encourage our scholars to take control of their learning. We understand each of our scholars has a voice, and we want them to use it so that each discussion is diverse and shows them who they are as people.

At Paradigm, we strive to provide an individualized learning experience to all our scholars. Our hope is that each scholar learns about who they are and who they want to become. It’s our belief that each scholar learns how to think rather than simply being told what to think.

Courses For All Skill Levels

Preparatory School Course

Scholars in our prep school Seminar class focus on English, American history, and Utah history. We encourage our prep school scholars, (7th and 8th graders) to dive deep into the liberal arts and learn how to ask “how to” questions. We prepare our prep school scholars for our high school Seminar course by:

  • Teaching scholars how to have a discussion
  • Building educational endurance and skills
  • Providing interesting educational resources
  • Engage scholars into reading

By the time scholars leave our prep school, they will have met all the requirements met by the state criteria.

High School Course

Our high school Seminar course is divided into three parts depending on which grade scholars are in. Each grade focuses on:

  • 9th Grade: Our 9th-grade scholars’ main focus is Geography and English.
  • 10th Grade & 11th Grade: Our 10th grade and 11th-grade scholars are combined and in their first-year scholars focus on Greek and Eastern Classics, and in their second-year scholars focus on Roman and Western classics.
  • 12th Grade: Our 12th-grade scholars’ main focus is Freedom Classics, which entails both History and English.

We want our high school scholars to ask the question “Who am I?” and discover the answer through our Seminar course. By the time scholars leave Paradigm, our hope is that they understand the impact they would like to have.

College Preparation

A part of our mission here at Paradigm is to help prepare our scholars for college. By the time our scholars leave Paradigm we want them to be able to ask questions, how to engage in topics, and how to think for themselves.

We believe that one of the best ways to prepare our scholars for college is by teaching them to become independent thinkers instead of receivers of information. We don’t want our scholars to memorize information, repeat it, and forget what they’ve learned after a test. Instead, we want our scholars to focus on quality and own their education.

What Future Scholars Should Know

Our Seminar program can be challenging, the books our scholars read are challenging but very rewarding. The discussions we have can also be challenging, but they will help your child with their self-discovery. Our Seminar is not a reactive way of learning and requires ownership and responsibility. We want our scholars to be involved and give more than just the answer.

Our purpose is to encourage different and innovative teaching methods. If you are interested in getting more information about our school, what courses are offered, and see our campus in person by filling out a request form here.

Apply to Paradigm Schools

If you believe your scholar could benefit from our individualized approach to education, apply to our lottery for the opportunity to become eligible to enroll in next year’s classes. You can also call our registrar at 801-676-1018 to learn more about transferring your scholar to Paradigm Schools.

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testimonials

  • I love Paradigm. My children have never been happier, and have found a love of learning that was missing in their previous education!

    Julia H.

    I went to Paradigm all through high school. Best experience ever. Not only did it help me focus on my strengths, but it also prepared me for college with its challenging curriculum that makes you think outside the box. The mentors there care about each of their students individually, and want nothing more than the students’ success.

    Jennifer L.

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