What is Classical Education?

Classical Education from a Christian Worldview seeks to “repair the ruin of our first parents,” Milton. What this means, in essence, is to bridge the gap, as well as possible, that comes from the Fall; to regain knowledge and intimacy with God. God has revealed much of his character through his General Revelation, which is the observable world around us. We can learn more of who He is, and learn to love Him more by learning all we can through science, math, poetry, language, art, creating, history, reasoning, Theology, etc.

Classical Education puts God at the center of every learning endeavor. All subjects point to Him, and He points to all subjects, thereby integrating all areas of learning. Education is not so much about the subjects as it is about the skills we master in order to be self-learners; the subjects are merely the areas in which we practice those skills. Classical education highlights the skills, or “Tools” as Dorothy Sayers identifies them, and are divided into three areas of age-development and, concurrently, three areas of skills, or arts, known as the Trivium. Those three areas are Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric.  

By mastering these skills, anyone can learn anything and thereby begin to “know God aright and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to be like him, as we may the nearest by possessing our souls of true virtue, ” Milton.

  • As humans, we move developmentally from Grammar to Rhetoric, with natural brain development making each area accessible and pleasurable. In the Grammar stage, we are most inclined to enjoy repetition, observation, naming things, and retelling. This makes memorization easy and fun for this age learner. As a skill, everyone must begin learning a new subject by mastering its grammar, the basic foundational knowledge required to build upon. This means that even the adult learner will begin a new subject with grammar. For example, if one desires to learn an instrument, they must first learn how to read music, what and where notes are located on an instrument, and the parts of the instrument.

  • In the Dialectic stage, middle age learners are most excited about questioning things and wondering about the “why” behind everything. This makes logic, reasoning, debate, writing, and more complex math natural subjects for this age. As a skill, the Dialectic is when learners of all ages move beyond the grammar into understanding how things work together and are able to comprehend more intricate processes. To go back to our example of learning an instrument, the Dialectic skills are when the learner begins to put the notes together to play songs and chords, proficiently reading music in order to play. 

  • The Rhetoric stage is the last stage of learners. This developmental stage begins to apply the knowledge of grammar and the understanding of dialectic, to create the wisdom of Rhetoric. This learner is now able to teach others to learn because they have mastered the content, understanding the “why’s” behind knowledge, and are able to communicate the lessons to others. As a skill, Rhetoric is when the learner is most adept at creative thinking, application of learning to self and situations, and can express, well, what they have learned. When learning an instrument, this is the area when one begins to create harmonies, to compose, and to teach.

  • The teacher works to ensure mastery of each step of learning, and does not advance students to further study until master has been reached.

  • The teacher prefers to teach a few things deeply and well rather than cursorily covering many things that will not be mastered.

  • The teacher  understands that regular repetition and review is necessary to acquire mastery.

  • The teacher  understands that classical education aims first for the formation of a human soul and thus seeks to cultivate each student by bodily pathways and not only by rational means.

  • The lower school teacher regularly employs songs, chants, and jingles to help students master important information.

  • The teacher understands that all learning should be stimulated and motivated by a student’s natural wonder and curiosity about God, the world, and ourselves.

  • The teacher utilizes lesson plans that reflect her effort to develop student virtues such as prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, faith, hope, and love.

  • The teacher understands that contemplation and reflection are necessary for students to deeply understand and love various manifestations of truth, goodness, and beauty.

The Eight Guiding Principles of Classical Education

To learn more about these guiding principles, click HERE