| Classical Education |
Article Index for Classical |
Website Links For Classical |
Information AboutClassical Education |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CLASSICAL EDUCATION | |
| ancient rome | |
| classical studies | |
| education by subject | |
|
THE OVERALL ORGANIZATION Classical education developed many of the terms now used to describe modern Education . Western classical education has three phases, each with a different purpose. The phases are roughly coordinated with human development, and would ideally be exactly coordinated with each individual student's development. "Primary education" teaches students how to learn. "Secondary education" then teaches a conceptual framework that can hold all human knowledge (history), and then fills in basic facts and practices of the major fields of knowledge, and develops the skills (perhaps in a simplified form) of every major human activity. "Tertiary education" then prepares a person to pursue an educated profession, such as law, theology, war, medicine or science. Primary Education Primary education was often called the '' Trivium '', which covered grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Logic and rhetoric was often taught in part by the Socratic Method , in which the teacher raises questions and the class discusses them. By controlling the pace, the teacher can keep the class very lively, yet disciplined. Grammar Grammar consists of Language skills such as reading and the mechanics of writing. An important goal of grammar is to acquire as many words and concepts as possible. Very young students can learn these by rote. Classical education traditionally included study of Latin and Greek , so that students could read the Classics of Western Civilization in the words of the authors. Logic Logic ( Dialectic ) is the art of correct Reasoning . The traditional text for teaching logic was Aristotle 's Logic . Rhetoric Rhetoric debate and composition (which is just written rhetoric) are taught to somewhat older students, who then have the concepts and logic to criticize their own work and persuade others. According to Aristotle "Rhetoric is the counterpart of dialectic." It is concerned with finding "all the available means of persuasion." Hopefully a student has already learned to reason correctly by studying logic. Students would read and emulate classical poets such as Ovid . Secondary Education Secondary education, classically the '' Quadrivium '' or "four ways," classically taught Astronomy , Arithmetic , Music and Geometry , usually from Aristotle and Euclid . Sometimes Architecture was taught, often from the works of Vitruvius . History was always taught to provide a context, and show political and military development. The classic texts were from ancient authors such as Cicero and Tacitus . Biographies were often assigned as well; the classic example being Plutarch 's "Lives." Biographies help show how persons behave in their context, and the wide ranges of professions and options that exist. As more modern texts became available, these were often added to the curriculum. In the Middle Ages , these were the best available texts. In modern terms, these fields might be called History , natural Science , Accounting and Business , Fine Art s (at least two, one to amuse companions, and another to decorate one's domicile), Military Strategy and Tactics , Engineering , Agronomy , and Architecture . These are taught in a matrix of history, reviewing the natural development of each field for each phase of the trivium. That is, in a perfect classical education, the historical study is reviewed three times: first to learn the grammar (the concepts, terms and skills in the order developed), next time the logic (how these elements could be assembled), and finally the rhetoric, how to produce good, humanly useful and beautiful objects that satisfy the grammar and logic of the field. History is the unifying conceptual framework, because history is the study of everything that has occurred before the present. A skillful teacher also uses the historical context to show how each stage of development naturally poses questions and then how advances answer them, helping to understand human motives and activity in each field. The question-answer approach is called the "dialectic method," and permits history to be taught Socratically as well. Classical educators consider the Socratic method to be the best technique for teaching critical thinking. In-class discussion and critiques are essential in order for students to recognize and internalize critical thinking techniques. This method is widely used to teach both Philosophy and Law . It is currently rare in other contexts. Basically, the teacher referees the students' discussions, asks leading questions, and may refer to facts, but never gives a conclusion until at least one student reaches that conclusion. The learning is most effective when the students compete strongly, even viciously in the argument, but always according to well-accepted rules of correct reasoning. That is, Fallacies should not be allowed by the teacher. By completing a project in each major field of human effort, the student can develop a personal preference for further education and professional training. Tertiary Education Tertiary education was usually an Apprenticeship to a person with the desired profession. Most often, the understudy was called a "secretary" and had the duty of carrying on all the normal business of the "master." Philosophy and Theology were both widely taught as tertiary subjects in Universities however. The early biographies of nobles show probably the ultimate form of classical education: A tutor. One early, much-emulated classic example was that Alexander The Great was tutored by Aristotle . MODERN INTERPRETATIONS OF CLASSICAL EDUCATION "The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home," by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer (W.W. Norton, 1999), is a modern reference on classical education. It provides a history of classical education, an overview of the methodology and philosophy of classical education, and annotated lists of books, divided by grade and topic, that list the best books for classical education in each category. Marva Collins has successfully taught a rapid-fire classical education to inner-city deprived children, many of them labeled as "retarded." |
|
|