Classical education, like classical music, does not necessarily refer to a distinct period of time.  Granted, much attention is paid to the classic writings, art and architecture of ancient Greece as well as their resurgences in Rome during the first century BC and again in Europe during the Renaissance.  However, perhaps Classical refers more to timeless quality.   Like Mozart’s works, the quality of many of the works of ancient Greece are worthy of being recognized for their greatness and lasting impact upon western civilization and the Trivium for its value in educating the best thinkers throughout history.  Medieval aristocracy, our nation’s own Founding Fathers and American school children up until the early 1900s were educated classically.

During the 20th century a “Progressive” educational philosophy rose to the forefront behind educational theorist John Dewy.  Dewy had been influenced by Rousseau and even more so by Immanuel Kant.  Kant’s view that truth is determined not by reason, but instead by personal emotion predominated Dewy’s educational philosophy, which rejected the teaching of facts for instead allowing students an unstructured education lead more by personal desire.  As a result, students were not being taught necessary facts and information that are a part of solid education such as math facts, good reading skills, English Grammar, structured History, Geography, Logic, and Latin. Furthermore, the great books of western history begun to be seen as elitist and unimportant and where no longer read.  In 1947 Dorothy Sayers noticed that modern schools were failing to teach students how to learn, and she advocated a return to "The Lost Tools of Learning," which involved using what she called the Trivium.

The Trivium is comprised of three learning steps in a student’s life.  The first stage Sayers calls the “Poll Parrot” stage.  It is in this phase that the student memorizes quickly and easily, and rather enjoys doing it.  He will naturally develop little rhymes and recite just about anything given to him.  During this time the student begins learning many of the basic facts that he will use later.  He learns English grammar by diagramming sentences, the principles of mathematics, spelling, history, science, music, geography and theology.  In the grammar period the student also begins the formal study of Latin.

The second phase of learning Sayers called the “Pert” stage. It is during this time that the student becomes more argumentative and seeks to outsmart his elders.  As Sayers says, “Its nuisance value is very high;” however, this nuisance is used and capitalized upon.  For it is during this period that the student is trained in formal logic and taught how to reason correctly; if he wants to argue, he must at least do so the right way.  During the logic stage the teaching and learning process turns to a more didactic method, with the teacher leading the students in beginning to think out answers on their own.  Students will go back over the same subjects studied during the grammar stage.  Only this time they do so more in depth. The books become lengthier and more intensive and the foundations they received at the grammar stage are now greatly built upon.

Last is the “Poetic” stage.  This is the period of self-centeredness, when the student desires to express himself, and as Sayers says, he “rather specializes in being misunderstood.”  The rhetoric aspect is introduced at this time. The student is taught to express himself coherently and discourse eloquently upon subject matter.  The student at this point will begin reading more of the original works of western civilization’s foundations, such as Plato, Augustine, Chaucer, Anselm, Hobbes, Locke, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Darwin, C.S. Lewis and many others, while continuing to learn math (including Calculus), science (including Chemistry and Physics), history, public speaking and debate, foreign languages. During this time training in formal Christian apologetics is introduced as well.   A unique attribute of classical education at this point is that learning blends, so that a student can see how the disciplines they are studying are related.  This is different from current educational methods, where course work is so separated that students have no idea of the ways various subjects intertwine.

Many Classical schools require for completion of their program that students write a thesis and then defend this before a panel of examiners. The Classical method is rigorous and trying, but it is good.  For when he is finished, the Classical student should know how to approach a subject, master the subject and discourse upon the subject.  As Sayers pointed out many years ago, it is through a return to the time-proven, but lost, tools that students learn how to truly learn.