Classical Education: Defining Terms

Ok - another lesson in Classical Education. After spending 3 days at the Practicum, I am a big fan of this method!

The three stages of the Trivium are Grammar, Logic/Dialectic, and Rhetoric. These can be applied to anything new you learn, but for children, it refers to the stages they go through as they develop.

(much of what is cited below was taken from here.)

The Grammar Stage consists of language skills such as reading and the mechanics of writing. An important goal of grammar is to acquire as many words and manage as many concepts as possible so as to be able to express and understand clearly concepts of varying degrees of complexity. Very young students can learn these by rote especially through the use of chant and song. Their minds are often referred to as "sponges", that easily absorb a large number of facts. Classical education traditionally included study of Latin and Greek, which greatly reinforced understanding of grammar, and the workings of a language, and so that students could read the Classics of Western Civilization in the words of the authors. In the modern renaissance of classical education, this period refers to the upper elementary school years. CC begins at 4 introducing facts to the kids in the Foundations Program. There is little expectation to work on memorization as it were, but to learn and review multiple times so that there is a familiarity with the language and terms. Understanding does come in the process though. The first time I had Nate (just turned 4) ask me if the cloud in the sky was a cumulonimbus cloud, I knew we were on to something. And he isn't even in the program - he has just played during our school time. This stage continues to around the age of 12 - some kids earlier, some later.

In 4th Grade, 3rd for some, CC offers an intensive writing & grammar program through 6th grade. An amazing program called IEW and Essentials of the English Language (a CC written program) are the texts for these programs. I heard testimonials from Mom's (and kids) last year that said their kids had been reluctant writers, even anti-writers, and by the end of the year were writing proficiently.

The Logic or Dialectic Stage begins sometime around after 10, and continues through the around 14. Logic (dialectic) is the art of correct reasoning. In the modern renaissance of classical education, this logic stage (or dialectic stage) refers to when, developmentally, a child is beginning to question ideas and authority, and truly enjoys a debate or an argument. Training in logic, both formal and informal, enables students to critically examine arguments and to analyze their own. The whole goal is to find out why something is true, or why something else is false, in short, reasons for a fact. The CC program for this stage is Challenge A & B. At the end of Challenge B, they put on a Mock Trial with a real judge from the community and it is supposed to be quite the amazing thing. Our local community has only been around for one year, so I have not seen this in action - we will have a Challenge B for the first time next year.

In the Rhetoric Stage, debate and composition (which is the written form of rhetoric) is taught to somewhat older (often high school aged) students, who by this point in their education have the concepts and logic to criticize their own work and persuade others. It is concerned with finding "all the available means of persuasion." The student now learns to persuade others with these facts, and succeed in the persuasion. The student has learned to reason correctly in the Logic stage so that they can now apply those skills to Rhetoric. This is Challenge I, II, III, IV.

I would relish conversations here - so if you want to comment or email - please feel free!