The Classical Difference
The Classical Christian model of education seeks to stand on the shoulders of giants who have trod this well-worn path for centuries before us. This educational model was the norm for Christians in the West until the mid-way through the 19th century. Some of it’s distinctives include: an appreciation for the tradition of the Western Civilization, teaching Latin, mimetic and Socratic teaching, being in conversation with the “great books”, and a use of the seven liberal arts (the Trivium and Quadrivium).
It was an essay written in 1947 by Dorothy Sayers entitled, The Lost Tools of Learning that linked the stages of the Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) to the stages of child development, then picked up a few decades later by Douglas Wilson in his book Rediscovering the Lost Tools of Learning that really sparked the modern Classical Christian Education movement.
Stages of the Trivium
The Grammar Stage (Read Well) (K-Gr. 4)
- Cultivating the skill of interpreting symbols (letters)
- Memorization of facts is fun and exciting for young children
- Teachers use singing, chanting, and repetition of facts
- Early training in language, behaviour, character, and basic skills
- Equipping students with the foundational building blocks of education
The Logic Stage (Think Well) (Gr. 5-8)
- Cultivating the skill of understanding why/how come?
- At this age, students are naturally pushing back against ideas presented
- Students are challenged to think more abstractly, form sound arguments, debate, analyze, persuade and discuss
- Lessons are interactive, dynamic, and ask students to apply what was learned in the Grammar stage
The Rhetoric Stage (Speak Well) (Gr. 9-12)
- Cultivating the skill of applying knowledge (i.e. wisdom)
- At this stage students are concerned with appearances and how they are perceived by others
- Students take their foundational skills (Grammar), coupled with their ability to think and reason (Logic) and begin to solve difficult problems in the community around them.
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Helpful Resources
Below you’ll find some very helpful videos from www.classicalu.com (you’ll find many other helpful resources there as well) intended for parents who are unfamiliar with Classical Christian Education.
