The Transcendentalists expressed their idealistic philosophy in a variety of ways. They delivered lectures and sermons, and wrote essays, articles, and books. Emerson, Alcott, Ripley, Parker, Brownson, Fuller, Peabody, Channing, Thoreau, Clarke, and others participated in meetings of the Transcendental Club (formed in 1836), which served as a discussion group for crystallizing their views on aspects of religion and philosophy. For four years (1840–1844), they had in the quarterly periodical The Dial a vehicle designed specifically for the dissemination of their thoughts. But they also embraced more active, as opposed to strictly verbal and textual, modes of expression.
Teaching and educational reform were major activities to which the Transcendentalists devoted their energies. Because the intuitive nature of knowledge formed such a basic part of their outlook, education was naturally a prime area in which to test their philosophy. Bronson Alcott, a progressive teacher, relied extensively on the power of intuition in the classroom. He ran a school at the Masonic Temple in Boston — the Temple School — from 1834 to 1838. He employed the Socratic dialogue format, or the so-called "conversational" method, in which he asked questions on a designated topic and gave direction to the course of the ensuing discussion. Learning was an interactive process, intended to uncover innate truth and morality rather than to instill these values from without. Alcott served as Superintendent of Schools in Concord from 1859 to 1865. In 1879, he established the Concord School of Philosophy, an early experiment in adult and continuing education.
Elizabeth Peabody gave much of her life to teaching and to improving educational methods. She taught school in a number of places, both on her own and with various members of her family, and she served as Alcott's assistant at the Temple School. More importantly, in terms of her lasting impact on education, she went on to establish kindergarten in the United States, beginning with her founding of the first American kindergarten in Boston in 1860. She also conducted conversational series (discussion groups) similar to those offered by Margaret Fuller.
