Classical Education: Definitions
Several different schooling approaches, especially in the homeschool community, call themselves “classical,” so the first step in any discussion of the topic must begin by clarifying what you mean in particular when you use the term.
Some private schools, one in the Tri-Cities even, bill themselves as classical because they include study of ancient history and classical literature, perhaps even Latin. However, such schools’ method generally differs very little from a government school. In the homeschool community, probably the most popular “classical” schooling is the Charlotte Mason approach. Charlotte Mason is not classical in the sense that I intend. Again, because she promotes reading the classics, avoiding “twaddle” (her term), and uses some grammar-stage strategies for learning, many consider it “classical” education. However, her method (to me, at least) seems to be an odd mix of both academic and unschooling approaches. Elements of Charlotte Mason work with a classical method, elements of a classical method will work with Charlotte Mason, but her method itself is not classical.
When I say “classical education,” I mean the approach, method, and techniques themselves are classical, not the content solely and not the content necessarily. Computers were not taught in ancient or medieval schools, yet teaching students about computers may be done classically.
The classical approach divides children’s education into three phases: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. This is the trivium, the “three-fold way.” In the Grammar stage (roughly elementary), children easily memorize and find memorizing enjoyable. So, you pack their little brains full of information: Bible verses, catechisms, important historical dates, multiplication tables, etc. You don’t ask that they understand multiplication or the doctrine of predestination or the significance of the Norman Conquest — you just ask that they be able to rattle a bunch of stuff off. That doesn’t mean you won’t explain it to them, especially if they ask, but it means that understanding isn’t your goal. You’re giving them the pieces of data and information so that later they will be able to understand them better and make connections quickly. Memorize geographical points and features, the periodic table, the bones in the body, the sequence of literary periods, the order of American presidents and a brief phrase about each one….anything, really. Any information you stick in their brains now (as long as you continue to review it) will be fodder for gaining perspective, understanding, and the ability to conceive and prove arguments later.
The second stage is Logic (roughly middle school). At this stage kids are ornery. They won’t take your word for anything, they want to know why, they want to pick a fight and prove how smart they are (or how dumb you are). So, teach them how to do it. Teach them logic, teach them how to argue properly, teach them what constitutes a valid or an invalid proof. Teach them why the sky is blue, teach them why the Americans revolted against England, teach them why the quadratic equation works (good luck!).
The final stage is Rhetoric (roughly high school). Really, this stage generally begins about 16, sweet sixteen. Embarrassment comes easily, humiliation is devastating, and the opposite sex is fascinating. Guys might actually begin taking time for hygiene without being instructed by their mother; girls take great pains about their clothes and hair (even more than is natural). You never want to be caught saying the wrong thing. So, teach them how to present themselves well. They now know how to make a valid argument, teach them how to make a persuasive argument. Teach them to be winsome, teach them how to use words well, teach them to speak in front of people, teach them social etiquette and social graces.
Now, each at each stage the appropriate method is emphasized, but not to the exclusion of the others. Elementary children do write and are taught manners; high school students still learn new facts. However, the main goal and emphasis changes as the students mature, as you treat them according to their maturity. Don’t lecture to grammar kids; don’t force 7th grade boys and girls to mix; don’t make a high school student learn by rote. Use the method applicable to their age and stage.
The philosophy of classical education applies to all learning anywhere and at any age. If you want to study anything at all, this is the best approach: first you research and find the facts and relevant information — you can’t understand anything without first knowing the raw information. Then, seek to understand the information, the causes and effects and connections. Then, put it all into your own words — absorb it so fully that you can speak or write easily and intelligently about it. This is how to learn something. Thus, classical education is the most effective means of teaching children how to learn so that they will achieve the modern tag line of “life-long learner.”
Life-long learning is not just about reading — reading is the gathering of facts. That is only the first step. To know something, you must also understand it and synthesize it with your previous knowledge, applying it to and in your life.
That is classical education’s goal.
