Classical Education: The Trivium

What is Classical Education?

If you asked that question of 10 people within the Classical Education community, you would receive 10 variations on a theme. I've had a couple people ask me this lately, so here's my take:

First of all, Classical Education does not mean that we educate the same way the Greeks or Romans did. The ancient Greeks, thank God, did not start our schools. Greek education was reserved for wealthy families who hired tutors for their boys only, and these tutors frequently engaged in homosexual relations with their students. The entire Greek culture was one of pagan, idolatrous, hedonistic belief and lifestyle. That is absolutely not what modern classical education is about. Nor do we exclusively study the civilizations of western antiquity. We do utilize the languages of the classical culture as well as their techniques for logical thinking and effective communication, and we do see these cultures as the spring of our own civilization, but I'll talk more about that later. For now, let it suffice to say that classical education draws heavily from Reformation era thinking, as well as modern theory and practices, and could probably more accurately be called a Liberal Arts education.

One practical proof of this is that most everyone in the classical community, when asked to describe this education, will first cite Dorothy Sayers essay on the "Trivium" as the defining characteristic of this education. You can't get much more modern and much less classical (in era) than Miss Sayers. I believe this Trivium only scratches the surface of a methodology which is usually supported by the philosophical underpinnings of a rigorous liberal arts education.

So, what is this Trivium that everyone loves to talk about? It is an approach to education that seeks to help children learn according to their natural bent at particular ages.

For example: young children - from about age 2-10 - have the capacity to quickly and easily memorize copious amounts of information. They really love to show off what they've learned! They love to rhyme, sing, and move. They're utterly captivated by good stories. A classical classroom will captilize on these loves, by incorporating them into the learning strategy. History stories are set to rhyme. Scientific definitions are tailored to familiar tunes. Grammar facts are chanted aloud. This is the first "stage" of learning, referred to as the Grammar or Poll Parrot stage.

The next stage is the Logic, or Pert stage. From around age 11 or so (these ages vary slightly among individual children....children enter the next stage when they begin demonstrating characteristics of that stage), children are not nearly as fond of chanting and singing but are unceasingly fond of asking difficult questions that they think you can't answer. They seek diligently for any inconsistencies in your reasoning or ideas, and are more than happy to point them out. They begin to wonder "why" and "how" about the truths and facts they have learned previously. The classical teacher uses these characteristics to his advantage. Students are taught formal logic, and they are encouraged to begin to see the connections between all the facts they have learned. Questions and vigorous dialogue are standard practice..Rather than fear the questioning student or see him simply as rebellious, the teacher welcomes those questions (obviously, Christian students must be taught to ask out of respect and genuine curiosity, not merely a desire to ensnare the teacher!). There's just one little problem: this requires a truly knowledgeable, confident and very patient teacher!

As students enter high school (age 14 or so), they desire to make their opinions known. They have begun to take ownership of certain beliefs, ideas and interests and want to express them...either through speech, the written word, music or even poetry. Therefore this is referred to as the Rhetoric or Poetic stage. Students who have been well-taught, are ready to fine-tune their preferred avenue of expression by means of repetition, exposure to masters, and a well-equipped instructor who can teach them how to bolster their weaknesses and maximize their strengths.

In this stage, students can consider an era of history and draw conclusions about actions and ideas by studying in concert: national events, political beliefs, philosophy, science/technology, literature, art, music, theology, and church history. When taken as a whole, the student is able to recognize the cause and effect between these facets of life, which are not separate subjects, but intertwined expressions and outworkings of beliefs. They begin to understand the consequences of ideas and the way cultures are shaped, which leads them to evaluate their own ideas and culture.

So, there you have round 1! Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric...or Poll, Pert and Poetic. It is generally agreed that MODERN Classical Education utilizes this "Trivium" approach to learning. After 10 years of active involvement in this type of education, I am convinced of its merits, and believe it effectively capitalizes on the natural learning inclinations of each age.

More to come...