Sections

Syndicate

Classical Education Curriculum Made Easy

| Print |

E-mail

Written by Kayley Kenzie

Friday, 14 March 2008

by KayleyKenzie

What is the Trivium? This is the classical education curriculum, which is divided up into three distinct phases. The first phase, also known as the grammar stage, is the equivalent of grades 1 through 6.

Children at this stage in life haven't fully matured in terms of brain development and cognitive thinking abilities, so the focus is on teaching them concrete facts. The important thing is just making sure they learn facts.

Although children often like to know "why" and "how," their young minds can really only process "what." You can address your children's "why" and "how" questions, but keep in mind that they are not the focus of the first stage.

The whats are important for creating a foundation for the higher-leveled thinking and philosophical questions of the hows and whys later. Children in the grammar stage simply don't have the ability to process reason.

They haven't yet learned the skills for reasoning. They don't have the contextual knowledge to help them process these concepts.

This is what makes the first stage in the classical education curriculum so convenient. Although the grammar stage is grounded only in the facts, it creates a foundation for all other forms of learning to take place in the following stages.

All the work in the other two phases requires this firm foundation.

The second phase in the classical education curriculum is called the dialectic stage. A child usually enters this phase anywhere between 5th and 7th grades.

At this stage in a child's development, there is a noticeable change in mind development and cognitive abilities, which means the child is maturing from the concrete to the analytical.

The teaching methods don't abruptly change as the child progresses from one stage to the next. The methods used in classical education curriculum are cumulative. In the next stages, analytical learning is simply added to concrete learning.

Concrete information learned in the grammar stage focuses on the facts, whereas the facts learned in the dialectic stage focus on the whys and hows. In the dialectic stage, the "why things are the way they are" become important.

It is in the second stage that the child is able to test the facts already learned to see if they really are true. The ability to determine the truth on their own is a critical step in developing reasoning skills.

In this stage of classical education curriculum, children are introduced to the importance and the need to ask questions, analyze, judge, and examine in a respectful way. There is no need to be disrespectful when asking questions.

By not getting defensive when children ask questions, parents and teachers can encourage a positive atmosphere. Setting a good example helps children learn that you can be respectful and disagree.

Classical education curriculum's final phase is the rhetoric stage, which typically begins in the 9th grade and ends in the 12th.

The subjects most often covered include math, writing, science, oratory, philosophy, language, history, literature, and music. This is the stage where all the phases are woven together and put into practice.

About the Author:

Unlock the secrets of a Classical Education Curriculum and join the Raise a Leader Revolution. You can finally afford to take control of your child's future and launch your child into greatness. Join us in saving our nation one true leader at a time.