Classical Framework

By “classical,” we refer to the educational pedagogy that has prevailed in Western civilization since “classical” times, that is, since the times of the Greeks and Romans. It was adapted and refined in Medieval Europe and prevailed into the modern era until the relatively recent advent of modern, experimental pedagogies.

Classical methodology refers to a “three-way” approach to education, called by the Latin term, trivium. The “three ways” are grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These are considered to be the primary “tools” of education.

By “grammar,” we refer not only to the structure of language but to the structure of all disciplines, though language is certainly the most fundamental to all knowledge. Grammar refers to the body of facts that are basic to each discipline, for example, the multiplication “facts” of mathematics. Students are expected to learn and even memorize the structural facts of each discipline.

By “logic,” we refer to the clear organization of that body of factual knowledge. For example, having learned observable phenomena of the physical universe, students learn the “scientific method” as the way to logically use observation to point towards the most probable hypothesis.

By “rhetoric,” we stress the development of the student's ability to, 1) see the inter-relatedness of the academic disciplines, and 2) express themselves with eloquence and clarity.

Although a student will simultaneously develop these three “tools,” a correlation is seen in this “trivium” with the student's development, such that grammar becomes the focus of elementary education when children are most adept and intrigued by their ability to memorize. In the “junior high” stage, students tend to become more argumentative and demand more explanations. At this time, we teach formal logic so they know how to argue correctly and avoid fallacies, as well as looking at the internal “logic” of the various disciplines. The secondary years are those in which youth become very conscious of how they look and what expression they use to convey themselves to the world around them. Again the classical methodology seeks to harness this predilection of youth to culminate their pre-collegiate education with their ability to solidify and integrate their “gains” in the grammar and logic phases by placing on these their own stamp of creative and organized expression. To this end, formal rhetoric is taught during these years.

Latin is taught in the third to tenth grades. As a very logical and inflected language, Latin serves as the ideal paradigm for classical methodology. This year, we have adopted a "natural language approach" to Latin using Hans Orberg's Latin course entitled, Lingua Latina per se Illustrata. This course encourages students to learn Latin "in context" rather than referring to English equivalents and explanations. The students are trained to understand and even think in Latin, and hence discover the beauty of the language. The stories are not only engaging, but they also offer opportunities to discuss aspects of Roman culture, daily life, myth and legend, and history--all in Latin!