the classical trivium
Classical education is based on the Trivium of grammar, logic (or dialectic) and rhetoric. The Trivium is a rich term, referring to the stages of development a child progresses through and also to the way in which any subject can be approached.
When you think of the Trivium imagine a majestic tree. The roots of the tree are its foundation; the trunk of the tree its support; and the canopy of the tree its beauty. A tree= corresponds to the Trivium. The grammar stage is like the roots, the logic stage akin to the trunk, and the rhetoric stage parallel to the canopy.
Grammar
The roots hold the tree in place and give it nourishment. Likewise, the grammar stage, grades 1-6, is foundational. In this stage students learn the foundational rules of each subject. Through various teaching methodologies that cater to different learning styles students discover the fundamental facts of science, history, reading and so on. They develop the roots necessary to grow into a healthy tree. During this stage students love to soak up knowledge and the grammar stage plays to that strength by giving students what they love.
Logic
The next stage of the Trivium is logic, grades 7-9. This stage is like the trunk of a tree. The trunk of a tree joins together the roots (grammar) with the branches (rhetoric), making it one thing. The trunk needs to be solid and strong. The logic stage makes students solid and strong by examining the ordered relationship of particulars within each subject. Students are able then to take the facts and ask why the facts are what they are. Students remember from the grammar stage that Columbus crossed the ocean blue in 1492 and begin to ask the critical question of why he did that. In the grammar stage pupils learn what a subject is and in the logic stage they learn why the subject is that way.
As children develop into adolescence their mental capacities increase even more, especially their willingness and ability to argue. The Trivium recognizes this fact and channels it an appropriate direction. Students learn the art of critical discernment and logical argumentation so that they can be as solid intellectually as an oak trunk.
To help students develop discernment skills we teach them Latin and a formal course in Logic. You may wonder why we teach Latin. It is a dead language after all. Though no longer spoken it is a language that speaks loudly from the grave. It does this in several ways. Latin is an inflected language which means that the function of the word in a sentence is determined by its case ending. “Amo” is “I love” and “Amas” is “You love.” To understand a sentence a student has to dissect each word carefully. This process trains the minds of students to pay attention to detail even as it teaches them to think abstractly. Latin also speaks loudly from the grave because many modern languages are based upon it. About 50% of English vocabulary comes from Latin and most of these words are important in professional fields such as law and medicine. Studying Latin has another practical benefit: Students who take Latin score higher on standardized tests.
Rhetoric
The glory of a tree is in its branches and leaves. We find them to be beautiful and pleasing. Similarly, in the rhetoric stage, grades 10-12, students learn to express themselves clearly and articulately. Students, like branches, are beginning to reach out into the world. They are concerned about how they appear to others. Using this natural tendency teachers seek to develop presentation skills. In the rhetoric stage students examine some of the foundational texts of the world, gaining opportunity to synthesize their previous knowledge with new learning.
Bringing Forth Fruit
Many trees bear fruit as well. Students reared in the classical model should begin to produce fruit as the cumulative effect of their training ripens to maturity. They now have the skills of lifelong learning, possessing the tools to examine a myriad of subjects because every subject has its own grammar (facts), logic (the way those facts relate to one another), and rhetoric (the best way to present the grammar and logic of a subject). Throughout the whole process Covenant Classical Christian School hopes that each student will be “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3, ESV).
For more on the Trivium see Dorothy Sayers's essay "The Lost Tools of Learning" (PDF File).