Distinctive Qualities of Classical Christian Education
The Trivium
The first distinctive feature of Classical Christian Education is the Trivium, which was a method of the medieval liberal arts tradition. It offers what are called, "the tools of learning." Trivium is a Latin word meaning, "the place where three roads meet." These three roads are: Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric. These are not just subjects - they are methods. In 1947, Dorothy Sayers suggested lining the stages of the Trivium with each of the major stages of a child's development. This became the model for Classical Christian Education. (You can read her lecture "The Lost Tools of Learning" below!)
In the Grammar stage (elementary), students have a large capacity for absorbing information through memorization, song, and movement. In the Logic stage (Middle School), students typically want to argue and to know why and how things work. In the Rhetoric stage (High School), students work to find their voice.
Classical Christian Education notices the way that God has made children, and teaches them accordingly.