What is
Classical Education?

CE

Personal Backstory:

My introduction to classical education was similar to that, I suspect, of most people who did not receive a classical education themselves. It was marked by confusion and misunderstanding. I had never heard of the Trivium. My understanding was that the hallmark of classical education was memorizing information. Being a modern educator, I was against the idea of “rote memorization” and in favor of “understanding” over knowledge being simply memorized.

This misconception was part of the reason we did not utilize a classical program our first year homeschooling, despite having friends who did. But the main reason we did not use the classical program available to us that year, was because I was preparing my kids to return to public school when the pandemic was over, and so I wanted to reproduce what they would have in school and follow the models and standards with which I was familiar.

However, When we returned to homeschooling after a year in school, I knew that I did not need to just recreate a classroom at home. I began by researching the many education styles that homeschoolers talk about in order to see what would best fit our family. Like most homeschoolers do, I pieced together elements I liked about this style and that style and decided that made us “eclectic homeschoolers.”

We joined some friends in a classical homeschool program that met at our church, mostly out of convenience. I worked as the ministry assistant of our church at the time and decided since we would be doing a lot of our schooling there anyway and we had friends in the program it made the most sense. And, honestly, I knew they did art activities and science experiments in class, so I was happy to have at least those things done by someone else and off of my plate while trying to work and homeschool.

During that year, I grew to love classical education, but I did not really know why. I knew I loved what we were doing, but I found myself unable to really explain exactly what we were doing and why it was different than what modern education has to offer. So, I began the journey to understand classical education. Little did I know the vast world which I was entering.

A Definition

There is no single definition to which all classical educators hold. If you ask 10 educators, you will get 10 distinct definitions. However, I will give you what I have determined is a good working definition of the large umbrella of classical education as well as some elements you will often find in a classical school or program.

Classical Education is a style of education which is focused on cultivating virtue, wisdom and a love for that which is good, true, and beautiful, and equips the learner with the skills needed to learn anything for themselves.

So, the universal elements which make an education classical are

– Cultivating Virtue and Wisdom

– Recognizing the objective nature of goodness, truth, and beauty and developing a love for those things

– Training students to use the skills of learning (known as the Liberal Arts) so they can go on to learn for themselves rather than depend on a teacher

If that sounds more ethereal than practical, it’s because these are ideals that are often carried out in different ways.

Common Elements

There are some elements you will often see in a classical program, but I would not include in the overall definition (though some do).

– Christian Education- Classical schools are often Christian, but some are secular and still emphasize virtue.

– Teaching the Great Books – Not necessarily exclusive to a classical education. My own education, for example, included many of the Great Books but was not classical.

– The Trivium and the Quadrivium-These are the Liberal Arts, but what they are and how they are implemented varies.

– Latin Instruction- Not all classical schools teach Latin

– Logic Instruction- Often found in classical education, but not always

– Memory Work and Recitation- Implementation varies

– Engaging Primary Sources and Whole Books rather than excerpts of books

– Study of Historical Art and Literature

– Emphasis on Public Speaking and Debate

What’s the Difference?

But why is that different from the modern method of schooling? There are a few key differences in the modern method of schooling (which can be found in public, private, or homeschools) and the classical method of learning. These statements are not a critique of educators in these settings, but distinctions between the differences of schooling methods.

1- The Goal: The goal of modern schooling is to prepare students for a career. The goal of a classical education is to form a whole person.

2- The Strategy:Modern education utilizes teachers to transfer information and skills from the teacher to the student. A classical education seeks to train students to use the skills they will need to learn anything for themselves by the time they complete their education.

3- The Structure:Modern education siloes content into subjects. Classical education approaches content as integrated across modern disciplines.

4- The Values:Modern education values standardization amongst students. Classical education values the formation of the individual. Modern education values content being learned, while classical education values the method of learning.

The Models

There are several methods by which educators go about implementing a classical education. I will save the explanation of some of those models and philosophies of education for another post, but at Rooted Together, we have built our program based on the Arts and Sciences Classical Framework. You can find more information about that frameworkhere.

Welcome to the wonderful world of classical education. Check back for more detailed explorations of the many aspects of this “Great Conversation.”