Education Styles: Classical
"Classical education cultivates wisdom and virtue by nourishing the soul on truth, goodness, and beauty."
Leigh A. Bortins
The Classical Model originates from the Renaissance advocating for an education grounded in language, literature, and a goal for students to learn to think for themselves through the Trivium Model. The Trivium Model has 3 stages:
The Grammar Stage | Children learn the foundations of knowledge in concrete terms; with a focus on memorization and repetition. (TK-4th Grade)
The Logic Stage | Children move from concrete thinking to analytical reasoning. There is an emphasis on asking questions, comparing and contrasting, and connecting knowledge to knowledge to arrive at a conclusion. (5th-8th Grade)
The Rhetoric Stage | Children combine their foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills to analyze and articulate their opinion through speech and writing. (9th-12th Grade)
Classical Education trains the mind to analyze and draw individual conclusions. There is a foundational aspect from the Latin and Greek languages and a focus on reading GREAT books. There is obviously a lot of emphasis on language arts, writing, and history, however, science and math are not to be ignored in the classical model. Math and Science are meant to promote the understanding of order and harmony and follow a similar pattern as the stages of the Trivium Model. Generally, requires more direct instruction and interaction compared to other styles.
Known for being religious, but it can also be implemented secularly.
Books
The Well-Trained Mind by: Susan Wise Bauer
Classical Christian Education Made Approachable by: Classical Conversations
Classical Education: The Movement Sweeping America by: Gene Edward Veith, Jr.
Podcasts
The Young Heretics Podcast | Episode 59: What is Classical Education?
Classical Stuff You Should Know Podcast | 12: What IS Classical?
Articles/Websites
Classical Conversations.com- a christian homeschool program created by parents for parents that focus on Christian, Classical, and Community.
Memoria Press- a family-run publishing company the produces Classical and Christian Classical curriculum materials. Memoria Press also has secular versions of their curriculum.
Purpose of Mathematics in Classical Education- An essay about how mathematics is addressed in classical education.