Classical Approach

Classical (or Liberal Arts) Education

Classical Education is a revival of the learning that was born in ancient Greece and Rome. By the 16th century it was the norm throughout the Western world.

Classical learning follows a pattern called the Trivium which consists of three stages - grammar, logic, and rhetoric – which corresponds to the child’s developmental stages of learning.

During the first years of learning, the student learns the particulars of each subject through memorizing facts and acquiring basic skills. Children learn the rules of language (phonics, spelling and grammar), mathematics facts, vocabulary of foreign language, history stories, science descriptions and more. These stories, rules, and information serve as the building blocks for the study of each subject.

The “logic stage” is when more abstract thought develops and during this time students will organize, evaluate cause and effect and explore the relationships between different fields of study.

The “rhetoric stage” is the final phase of classical education and this is when students learn how to express what they have learned in an effective and coherent fashion.

Classical Education encompasses a rigorous curriculum covering the core subjects of math, literature, natural science, history (and often include a classical language) with the aim of developing critical reasoning skills in students.

Books

“The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home” by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer.

“Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style” by Harvey & Laurie Bluedorn”

“Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning: An Approach to Distinctively Christian Education” by Douglas Wilson.

"Climbing Parnassus" by T.L. Simmons

Articles

An essay written in 1947 by Dorothy Sayers called "The Lost Tools of Learning" is credited with the revival of the new classical education movement.

What is Classical Education by Susan Wise Bauer

Websites

www.Welltrainedmind.com

www.triviumpursuit.com

www.classical-homeschooling.org/

International Curriculum Suppliers

http://www.veritaspress.com

www.tapestryofgrace.com

www.memoriapress.com

www.greatbooksacademy.org