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The modern Classical Movement has been highly influenced by Dorothy Sayers, who, in her essay "The Lost Tools of Learning", investigated medieval education and then explained that it was divided into two parts: the Trivium and the Quadrivium.
The Trivium is composed of three distinct learning ages, suited to a child's mental development:
- Grammar Stage (ages 9-11) is the perfect age for teaching rote memorisation of facts (multiplication tables, grammar lessons, dates, historic events etc), and anything which lends itself to repetition and assimilation by the mind. The learning of an ancient language, such as Latin or Greek, is suggested. The child will not necessarily understand all that he/she is memorising, but this is a foundation that will be built on.
- Dialectic (Logic) Stage (ages 12-14) sees the child being able to understand what he/she has already memorised, and begin to reason and question what had been taught in the previous stage. The facts are now becoming fused together to create a bigger picture for the child, and the answers to the questions cement that foundation of knowledge through logical reasoning. Formal Logic can be beneficial during this time, so the child learns the rules of sound thinking, rather than just asking endless 'why, what and how' questions.
- Rhetoric Stage (ages 14-16) finds the child moving from asking endless questions to formalising what they have learned being better able to present them in a persuasive argument. This is the time to develop their skills in organising information into a well-reasoned format which is both pleasing and logical.
After moving through these three stages of learning, the student is now able to move on to the Quadrivium, which involves choosing a particular area of study to specialise in. They have been given the tools of learning that are necessary for any area of study, and are now able to use their thinking skills and mental discipline to tackle difficult areas of study.
Useful Links
- Dorothy Sayers' Essay
- The Well-Trained Mind - Popular Classical Method written by and for homeschoolers. The forums at this site are highly recommended.
- Trivium Pursuit - Resources and articles pertaining to Christian Classical home-ed
- Adnil Press - An Australian supplier of Classical resources.
- Chariot Press - Another Australian supplier of Classical resources
- CHOOZ - Classical Australian home-ed yahoo group (started in Perth)
Further Reading
- The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise-Bauer
- Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn
- The Latin-Centered Curriculum by Andrew Campbell
- Design your own Classical Curriuculum by Laura Berquist
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