What is Classical Education?
(If you want to see how this looks in practice, please see our curriculum overview here.)
A classical education recognizes that we learn anything by going through three distinct phases: learning the words and basic facts associated with the subject, sorting, understanding, and practicing using those words and facts, and finally, using the information by teaching the subject to someone else, writing original essays on the subject or solving problems with the information.
These three phases are called, respectively, grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.
Grammar
This first step in learning any subject is to learn the vocabulary. For example, when you learn to read, you learn the names of the letters and the sounds they make. Classical educators call this the grammar stage. Young children enjoy this phase: they love repeating songs, chanting rhymes, and pronouncing big words.
This is the phase Kindergarten and First Grade students are in. And is the first phase for learning anything no matter how young or old you are!
Dialectic
This second step in learning a subject is to sort, compare, and understand the words and the rules that apply to them. For example, when learning to read, students will learn how to put letters together to form words and how to construct a sentence. We call this stage the dialectic (or logic) stage because much of the work done in this process is accomplished through dialogue. Children generally enjoy this process most between the ages of ten and thirteen.
Rhetoric
The third stage in learning a subject is to use what you have learned to solve a problem, write an original paper or speech, or lead a discussion. In reading, this would be the time to focus on the themes and context of what you have read and to apply the lessons learned to one’s own life experiences. Older teens usually enjoy this process because they long to express themselves and be creative problem solvers. We call this the rhetoric stage.
More about the Term “Classical”
Classical schools vary in their definition of “classical.” Some educators believe that classical education simply means adding Latin to a modern education; others define it as the study of classical works of literature. When we say “classical,” we are referring to the three stages of learning listed above, which guide our teachers and all that we do.
This is the classical model of education that was used by the great thinkers and leaders of the past, including Aristotle, Plato, C.S. Lewis, and Thomas Jefferson.
Classical education is sometimes called “leadership education” because it builds skills needed for leadership: logic, debate, public speaking, clear reasoning, researching, writing, and communicating. These skills are practiced in every subject (math, science, history, geography, Latin, fine arts, and more), which prepares students to become leaders in any field they pursue.
(If you want to see how this looks in practice, please see our curriculum overview here.)
A classical education recognizes that we learn anything by going through three distinct phases: learning the words and basic facts associated with the subject, sorting, understanding, and practicing using those words and facts, and finally, using the information by teaching the subject to someone else, writing original essays on the subject or solving problems with the information.
These three phases are called, respectively, grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.
Grammar
This first step in learning any subject is to learn the vocabulary. For example, when you learn to read, you learn the names of the letters and the sounds they make. Classical educators call this the grammar stage. Young children enjoy this phase: they love repeating songs, chanting rhymes, and pronouncing big words.
This is the phase Kindergarten and First Grade students are in. And is the first phase for learning anything no matter how young or old you are!
Dialectic
This second step in learning a subject is to sort, compare, and understand the words and the rules that apply to them. For example, when learning to read, students will learn how to put letters together to form words and how to construct a sentence. We call this stage the dialectic (or logic) stage because much of the work done in this process is accomplished through dialogue. Children generally enjoy this process most between the ages of ten and thirteen.
Rhetoric
The third stage in learning a subject is to use what you have learned to solve a problem, write an original paper or speech, or lead a discussion. In reading, this would be the time to focus on the themes and context of what you have read and to apply the lessons learned to one’s own life experiences. Older teens usually enjoy this process because they long to express themselves and be creative problem solvers. We call this the rhetoric stage.
More about the Term “Classical”
Classical schools vary in their definition of “classical.” Some educators believe that classical education simply means adding Latin to a modern education; others define it as the study of classical works of literature. When we say “classical,” we are referring to the three stages of learning listed above, which guide our teachers and all that we do.
This is the classical model of education that was used by the great thinkers and leaders of the past, including Aristotle, Plato, C.S. Lewis, and Thomas Jefferson.
Classical education is sometimes called “leadership education” because it builds skills needed for leadership: logic, debate, public speaking, clear reasoning, researching, writing, and communicating. These skills are practiced in every subject (math, science, history, geography, Latin, fine arts, and more), which prepares students to become leaders in any field they pursue.
Why Classical Education?
“In 1947 Dorothy Sayers presented an important paper, "The Lost Tools of Learning." In it she critiqued the modern education system and called educators back to the classical approach to education. The main problem that afflicts modern education is that it does not teach children to think. The students learn subjects and facts, but they do not learn to think. As Dorothy Sayers so elegantly stated, "...they learn everything, except the art of learning." This is equivalent to teaching a child to play the piano by having them memorize a song or two, but not teaching them scales or how to read music. No one would say the child has learned to play the piano and neither should anyone think that a child is educated who does not know how to think.
Looking past the advent of modern education into the past there is found a foundation of education that has largely been neglected - the Trivium. The Trivium consists of Grammar, Dialectic (Logic), and Rhetoric. This already marks a stark contrast with modern education. These are not subjects as such, but rather the Trivium's goal is to give the student the tools of learning. Grammar is the stage that is primarily concerned with memorizing information - learning the vocabulary of a subject. It takes advantage of the child's ability to retain large amounts of information. They memorize a lot of rules and facts as the very foundation of their education. The next stage is the Dialectic stage. During this stage the student starts paying attention to cause and effect and how things are connected. That is they are beginning to understand the "Why" of the "What" they learned in the Grammar Stage and learning how to apply their knowledge to solve problems. Finally, there is the Rhetoric stage. This is where the students learn to take what they have learned and express it elegantly, both in writing and speaking.
When the Trivium is properly understood, then understanding the integration of subjects is much easier. If all subjects are understood within the framework of the Trivium then it is clear that every subject can be taught within these stages. Sayers goes through various subjects showing how the Trivium influences the teaching of them all. The Trivium itself integrates the subjects as the teacher sees that each subject is best taught through these stages. As this is done, the connection between the various subjects is also seen more clearly. As Sayers said, "The "subjects" supply material; but they are all to be regarded as mere grist for the mental mill to work ."
So that the students are taught in accordance with how God has made them to learn and in so doing they learn how to think as Christians, are taught to appreciate the good, the beautiful, and the wise, and are and are so equipped to better love and serve the neighbor.
(If you want to see how this looks, please see our curriculum overview here.)
“In 1947 Dorothy Sayers presented an important paper, "The Lost Tools of Learning." In it she critiqued the modern education system and called educators back to the classical approach to education. The main problem that afflicts modern education is that it does not teach children to think. The students learn subjects and facts, but they do not learn to think. As Dorothy Sayers so elegantly stated, "...they learn everything, except the art of learning." This is equivalent to teaching a child to play the piano by having them memorize a song or two, but not teaching them scales or how to read music. No one would say the child has learned to play the piano and neither should anyone think that a child is educated who does not know how to think.
Looking past the advent of modern education into the past there is found a foundation of education that has largely been neglected - the Trivium. The Trivium consists of Grammar, Dialectic (Logic), and Rhetoric. This already marks a stark contrast with modern education. These are not subjects as such, but rather the Trivium's goal is to give the student the tools of learning. Grammar is the stage that is primarily concerned with memorizing information - learning the vocabulary of a subject. It takes advantage of the child's ability to retain large amounts of information. They memorize a lot of rules and facts as the very foundation of their education. The next stage is the Dialectic stage. During this stage the student starts paying attention to cause and effect and how things are connected. That is they are beginning to understand the "Why" of the "What" they learned in the Grammar Stage and learning how to apply their knowledge to solve problems. Finally, there is the Rhetoric stage. This is where the students learn to take what they have learned and express it elegantly, both in writing and speaking.
When the Trivium is properly understood, then understanding the integration of subjects is much easier. If all subjects are understood within the framework of the Trivium then it is clear that every subject can be taught within these stages. Sayers goes through various subjects showing how the Trivium influences the teaching of them all. The Trivium itself integrates the subjects as the teacher sees that each subject is best taught through these stages. As this is done, the connection between the various subjects is also seen more clearly. As Sayers said, "The "subjects" supply material; but they are all to be regarded as mere grist for the mental mill to work ."
So that the students are taught in accordance with how God has made them to learn and in so doing they learn how to think as Christians, are taught to appreciate the good, the beautiful, and the wise, and are and are so equipped to better love and serve the neighbor.
(If you want to see how this looks, please see our curriculum overview here.)