Classical Education

How is classical education different from any other kind of education? The difference is not necessarily in the subjects taught or the curricula used--although these may be different--but it is primarily the method by which knowledge is acquired and used that constitutes distinctively classical education. The classical method of education is based on the ancient and medieval model of education called the Trivium (Latin for three roads). The origin of the concept of the Trivium comes from the ancient practice of Greek and Roman teachers who would set up shop at intersections to teach their pupils. The Trivium is composed of three stages: (1) Grammar, (2) Dialectic and (3) Rhetoric; each of these stages builds upon the previous stage to provide the student with the requisite tools of learning.

In a very real sense, the Trivium is an apprenticeship in learning. It is the process of teachers passing on to students the love of learning as well as the methods of how learning should be done. This process, of course, includes the teaching of subjects, but the subject matter is of secondary importance to the actual method and attitude of the teachers. This teaching method must be that of looking "upon all these activities less as 'subjects' in themselves than as a gathering together of material for use in the next part of the Trivium."

This is not to say that the subject material and curricula used in classical education are not carefully chosen and highly rigorous, but the more important goal in terms of the education imparted is that the students gain the skills of learning for themselves. One of the major downfalls of conventional education is that it successfully teaches students "subjects," but often fails lamentably in teaching them how to think. The primary goal of classical education is to teach students how to think. For if we neglect to teach students how to think we leave them to go into the world unequipped. We do no service to students if we teach them how to read, but do not teach them to think about what they are reading.

The Trivium

The Grammar Stage
The Trivium begins with the Grammar Stage, which commences in kindergarten and continues through fifth or sixth grade. This stage of the Trivium can be conveniently compared to learning a language. When one learns a language, one must learn about the morphology or the building blocks of language such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.; one must learn the semantics of a language or the rules for interpreting the meaning of well-formed sentences from the meaning of the words themselves and the meaning derived from the syntax.

Every subject one studies may be said to have a Grammar; history, math, science, literature, geography, Bible, logic and rhetoric all have basic facts, figures, formulas, or axioms that must be memorized to be able to advance or function in any of these subjects. They also have a kind of syntax that must be mastered. The students of any subject must be able to combine these basic facts so that they will create well-formed "sentences" to express truths about the course of study in which they are engaged. Finally, one must also learn the semantics of a subject in order to be able to interpret the meaning of these "sentences" that are being expressed. The Grammar Stage is one of learning facts within a context of meaning. For example, if one were to learn the dates of the Presidents of the United States, one would not merely learn dates and names but also accompany these facts with pictures of the costumes and architecture of the day so that the mere mention of the date calls up a strong visual picture of the whole period. This would be learning the full grammar of the dates of the presidents.

The methods most often used in this stage of learning are chants, rhymes, songs, and recitations that make these facts easier to memorize and remember. Another goal of the Grammar Stage, as well as all of the stages of classical education, is to integrate rather than separate the subjects that are being taught so that the student learns to "cross-reference" material that they have learned in different subjects and to see information from different academic perspectives.

The Dialectic Stage
This stage begins in junior high when the capacity for abstract thought begins to manifest itself along with a natural propensity to argue and continues through the middle of high school. In this stage, emphasis is placed on being able to use the facts that have been learned in the Grammar Stage to create accurate sentences, to define terms and eliminate ambiguity, to construct sound arguments, and to detect fallacies. Students in this stage learn to compare and contrast facts, to make distinctions, and to recognize and evaluate arguments.

Young people in this stage are going to argue anyway, so this method of education seeks to funnel this energy in a positive direction to help them argue correctly. Formal Logic is a required course in this phase of the educational process. Solid argumentation is highlighted and praised so that students learn to praise what is good while also being able to recognize faulty reasoning when it is encountered.

The Rhetoric Stage
At this point, students are ready to begin putting together a world view. As Dorothy Sayers summarizes, "things once learned by rote will now be seen in new contexts; the things once coldly analyzed can now be brought together to form a new synthesis; here and there a sudden insight will bring about that most exciting of all discoveries: the realization that a truism is true."2 Students in this stage are required to take positions on issues and argue for their position using cogent, articulate, and persuasive argumentation. The Grammar and Dialectic Stages have prepared the student to be able to argue in a way that is both valid and sound. The broadened perspective that comes with age will allow the student to pull things together more cohesively and comprehensively. The capstone of the Trivium is a well organized, well argued thesis paper that culminates in an oral defense before a faculty panel.

An example that may help you to understand the differences between the three stages is what appropriate test questions would be for the three levels of the Trivium. Let's say the whole school is studying the Civil War. A test in the Grammar stage would require students to be able to produce names of important figures, battles and events in the Civil War era. A Dialectic Stage assignment would require a student to be able to compare and contrast the military tactics of General Grant with those of General Lee or the advantages and disadvantages that each army had in fighting the war. A Rhetoric Stage assignment might have a student take a position on whether states’ rights or ownership of slaves was a more significant cause of the war or the effect that the Emancipation Proclamation had on actually putting an end to slavery.