Great books, language, history and logic are at the heart of classical education, a traditional and language-centered philosophy stressing a liberal arts education.
Classical Curriculum and a Liberal Arts Education
With United States homeschoolers numbering nearly two million, many parents are looking for practical educational methods for their individual children. While some homeschool families choose eclectic or thematic curriculum and still others abandon classroom methods in favor of unschooling, many parents seek the traditional elements of classical curriculum which focus on the relationships between liberal arts:
- Latin and Language: grammatical foundations and etymology, great literature
- Logic: foundations of inductive and deductive reasoning, the scientific method and argumentation
- Rhetoric: communicating ideas and arguments for the purpose of persuasion
- Arithmetic: number theory and calculating
- Geometry: measurement, relationships between items in space, mathematical proofs, visual arts
- Astronomy: celestial bodies, the earth's relationship to the universe, navigation, calendars
- Music and the Arts: unifying elements, esthetics, architecture, musical composition and appreciation, visual art
Although many private schools -- and especially parochial schools -- still utilize a classical foundation, the philosophy was largely discarded in favor of more progressive pedagogy during the course of the 20th century. With increased drop out rates and a general feeling that public education is failing many children, perhaps it is time to determine whether the classical curriculum might still serve public schools today.
The Trivium
A classical education is divided into three learning phases called the "Trivium." These learning phases are based on typical student development:
- Grammar: factual information and narration (elementary years)
- Dialectic: logic and argumentation (middle school years)
- Rhetoric: debate and communication (high school and higher education)
Graduates of a classical education are thinkers who are able to use facts, laws, theories and language, to participate in vocational studies, higher education, and, most importantly, the democratic process.
