What is Classical Education?
“But if you ask what is the good of education in general the answer is easy: that education makes good men and that good men act nobly.” -PlatoClassical Education: The Oldest Ideas for the Youngest Minds “It ought to be the oldest things that are taught to the youngest children, the assured and experienced truths that are put first to the baby.” G.K Chesterton
In Book 1 of Laws, Plato described the purpose of education this way: “...if you ask what is the good of education in general, the answer is easy: that education makes good men, and that good men act nobly.” The sage continued by pointing out how students prepared to live virtuous lives pursue the ideal perfection of citizenship. In this powerful dialogue, Plato summed up what can be described as ”educating for liberty”, or preparing young men and women to live in a free society. The founding fathers of our nation, including George Washington in both his second inaugural and farewell addresses, clearly tied a well-educated and virtuous population to the success of the republic. It was the classical model of education the founders had in mind when they considered a means for keeping our constitutional republic and maintaining the union. It is in the end a method of education that prepares students for more than simply college or work by utilizing lost tools of learning to cultivate wise and virtuous men and women.
What exactly is Classical Education? In a nutshell, it is the same course of study that helped propel Western Civilization to the top of the world when it comes to civic institutions, personal liberty, philanthropy, economic enterprise, technological innovation, and relative safety and security. Rooted in an approach that goes back to ancient Greece and Rome and developed over a long period of time in the West, it is a curriculum that provides students with the tools of learning necessary to be well-rounded human beings who know who they are and understand the world around them. These tools help students acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to live virtuous and happy lives. The classical curriculum accomplishes this by teaching students at the points of their physiological strengths and by respecting a proper hierarchy of knowledge. It places its historical, literary, and artistic focus on what is referred to as “The Classical.” It offers a purposeful study of mathematics and sciences and maintains a focus on teaching students Latin and Greek (or Greek root words).
The Hierarchy of Knowledge Over the last few generations, education in America has moved away from its classical roots towards a more utilitarian and less academic model. Knowledge has been disparaged in favor of process, structure, and self-discipline has been replaced with an emphasis on “social development,” and so-called critical thinking and 21st-century skills have been elevated in order to prepare children for the global workforce. The results speak for themselves. A majority of high school students across the nation cannot understand much of what they read, and our youth lack a common body of knowledge, and an ethos, commensurate with responsible citizenship. While there are some good things happening in both public and private schools around the country, and there certainly are some effective educators working in these schools, the overarching educational model and philosophy are severely flawed
One of the grave errors of modern schooling pertains to an approach, or lack of an approach, to the hierarchy of knowledge. In other words, many American educators have not been operating under the assumption that “all learning is built upon previous learning” and “thinking required knowledge.” As a result, their students lack the academic knowledge necessary to think critically. Research from the last 30 years in the cognitive sciences has shown the types of skills teachers want for students, such as analyzing, interpreting, and the rest, require extensive background knowledge, something any ancient Greek grammarian would have known. This knowledge building must begin in earnest when children are young by ordering learning according to the actual development of children, classical schools provide great benefits to their students. Following the educational philosophy described in 1947 by Dorothy Sayers in her essay “The Lost Tools of Learning”, a classical curriculum utilizes a method of learning known metaphorically as the trivium, or the “three ways” of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. This hierarchical approach to education takes advantage of students’ developmental strengths. In the grammar mode, children learn the foundational knowledge they need in all content and skill areas (English grammar, Math grammar, History grammar, Science grammar, Art grammar, etc.) before they begin to interact with concepts at more complex levels. It is important to note how this emphasis on the grammar of each discipline of learning is not restricted to elementary students. Young children spend more of their time in this knowledge-building endeavor but whenever students learn something new they must understand its grammar. In the case of younger learners, they learn a great deal of content, sometimes through songs and jingles, in areas that include rules of English grammar, math and science facts, key men and women and their contributions, history timelines, musical compositions, etc. this is part of the foundation building that will prepare them for more advanced learning, but what’s more, is this is what elementary level children are built for. They have a high capacity to memorize information and develop skills quickly (adults have a harder time learning new domain knowledge). This is what is meant by taking advantage of students’ physiological strengths. Children are not only interested in learning but they are like little sponges soaking up knowledge. Parents of children who are classically educated know their children are well prepared from the start.
At a classical school dialectic, or logic, is what young learners are introduced to, and middle-grade students begin to experience it in a more formal way. Here they continue to build their knowledge base but are also taught formal rules of logic, and the art of proper reasoning and inquiry (an inheritance we have going back to ancient Greece and Rome). Instruction in this area is often neglected. Instead, the focus is placed on what is commonly referred to as “critical thinking”, which is only a morsel of a true dialectical experience. In a classical environment, students are ready for proper logic instruction for two reasons. The first reason is physiological: their minds have developed and are ready for more advanced thought; students in this age group ask and want answers to all kinds of complex questions. Second, the ground has been prepared for them in their early grammar years. The second point is crucial. In a classical school students gain the necessary academic knowledge, the foundation, in the elementary and into the middle grades and are ready to operate at more complex levels. In other words, in order to really think logically, to explore information in meaningful ways, children need to “know” things - thinking effectively requires factual knowledge. This is where all the important knowledge children gain in the elementary grades comes in handy. Today, many schools fall short in this endeavor. They do not place a proper emphasis on foundational knowledge in all content areas to enable students to be successful in the upper grades. The result is a knowledge deficit that hinders students’ ability to think at complex levels, and turns out to be the main reason many students struggle with reading comprehension - see the paper entitled The Missing Link in Reading Comprehension and Academic Achievement. In a classical environment, in virtually every subject, the content will be taught dialectically. Beyond studying logic formally, students argue, discuss, and debate history, literature, math, and science where teachers encourage dialogue and use a Socratic method of instruction.
Classical education emphasizes eloquent communication of ideas based on evidence, sound judgment, and proper form. This relates to another important element of the trivium metaphor known as rhetoric. Rhetoric begins to take shape in the early grades as students learn the grammar of writing and speaking. Students are introduced to a variety of forms of both narrative and expository texts (e.g. fables, narratives, proverbs, encomiums, etc.) and are then taught how to emulate good writing in various categories, and in multiple content areas such as history, literature, and science. As they progress, students begin to write and speak about topics on higher levels and finally reach a state of advanced composition and oratory. Rhetoric, then, is the art of training students to take a position on a topic, and through oral or written form present a strong case convincing their readers or listeners of the truth of their argument. For example, If a student in history class was asked to determine whether President Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan was warranted, he could write an advanced essay, or deliver a speech on the question through the use of factual examples, proper reasoning, and an effective and eloquent oral or written form. There are certain skills and methods, in addition to a strong knowledge base, and sound judgment, required to effectively complete this type of activity. Sadly, most high school students are NOT capable in their core areas of study. It is a travesty that many students do not know the fundamentals about our nation’s history and founding principles, but cannot, even in cases when they do have the knowledge, to articulate and defend those principles.
The trivium provided an important model for how children learn, specific to a proper hierarchy of knowledge, but it does not provide the full measure of classical learning. The Founders of this nation, who wrote at length on education, emphasized instruction focused on training the mind in a broad range of disciplines such as language and literature, mathematics, science, history, government, music, and art, to promote the learning and character necessary for self-governing citizens in a republic. The trivium provided for the acquisition of this essential knowledge.
A Prelude to The Classics One of the hallmarks of a classical education is the focus on the history, literature, and fine arts studied. The emphasis is decidedly Western, since after all, we live in the West and our culture’s roots and predominant influences are Western. This doesn’t mean Far Eastern or other civilizations aren't studied but the core is Western. What exactly is the Western inheritance alluded to here? Essentially, it is the patrimony associated with five historical cities - Jerusalem (faith and morality), Athens (arts and intellectual endeavors), Rome (jurisprudence and republicanism), London (rule of law and free enterprise), and Philadelphia (the tree of liberty). Students in classical schools learn about the patrimony from these historical civilizations and understand how and why we are who we are as a people, and where we may be heading.
In the area of literature the word ‘classical' does not refer only to works from ancient or medieval times, as things classical are not necessarily time-bound. Students may read stories by C.S. Lewis who wrote in the 20th century, novels by Louisa May Alcott in the 19th century, or fables by Aesop in the 6th century B.C. but works by all three are considered children’s classics. All are nobly Written, but the designation of classical in this sense has more to do with the nature of the product rather than mere age. In literature, for instance, there is a certain essential quality - the literature deals forcefully with lessons pertaining to human nature and the themes transcend time. Books of the Bible works from ancient Greek and Roman authors. Shakespeare and many other writers throughout history illustrate the virtue and voice evident in human nature and teach important life lessons to help mold character and inform decision-making. Great books richly express goodness, truth, and beauty, three pillars of classical education. Unfortunately, many educators have lost awareness of the importance of great literature and overemphasize literary devices, multicultural themes, and in some cases, nihilistic works, making the study of literature rather sterile and ultimately un-edifying. Nevertheless, reading classics is essential to a truly good education, as is discovering the beauty inherent in great art and music, and studying history and the science of government via primary sources such as The Federalist Papers. History is one of our greatest teachers and provided, along with great literature, a necessary map of human character. History, properly conceived, and good literature,l both help us to promote good character and citizenship, and help to preserve and transmit civilization.
Connecting the Dots Learning at a classical school includes reading original historical documents and classic texts, and students experience the beauty and form of the fine arts. It is also marked by instruction that is well-rounded and complementary. One of the sad realities about education in modern times is the manner in which many students learn content in isolation - science is devoid of history, history is taught without literature, music, and art, and math is just about numbers. Students should be able to connect the dots and understand the interrelation among various areas of knowledge. In this model of learning, history serves as a type of organizing outline. For instance, students studying astronomy should go beyond merely knowing what is in the heavens, and also understand how ideas can have latent and far-reaching consequences here on earth. History books describe the Copernican Revolution of the 16th century, but Copernicus considered himself no revolutionary. He was instead a restorer of 2,000-year-old ancient wisdom - that is, the wisdom of ancient Greeks such as Aristarchus and Pythagoras. In this important scientific account, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer who lived during the Renaissance, read ancient Greek texts, possibly only because of the rebirth of the Classical GReek language during the Renaissance, and initiated a scientific, mathematical, and philosophical paradigm. When a revolution in ideas or practice is accomplished today, when a new standard is brought to light it is called a Copernican Shift or Metaphor. Students should be able to see this type of relationship between science and history and see the links among other areas of knowledge. A classical education provides opportunities for students to connect the dots.
Geometry Will Draw the Soul Towards Truth Strong mathematics instruction is also at the heart of classical education but not for the reasons some educators use to describe the importance of math to students. A typical modern response to the question about the purpose of learning math goes something like this: ‘Math is important because we use it every day - when we go grocery shopping, when we measure ingredients for recipes when we work on finances, when we build bridges, when we write computer codes…” All these examples of the usefulness of mathematics are real. Math, like science, is quite practical. There is, however, more to math than everyday utility. The main reason to learn math, from a classical perspective, was described in Plato’s Republic over 2,000 years ago, it draws the soul towards the truth. To this end, students learning mathematics at a classical school, especially in upper grades, are asked to arrive at answers to problems using a step-by-step logical approach. Geometry, for instance, is a course that is “proof-based”. Geometry problems should not be solved by students who simply apply memorized algorithms or formulae, not that eventually memorizing them is wrong, but through logical steps that enable students to think through and prove answers to their teachers and arrive at truths. In this regard, mathematics complements the other areas of learning in a classical curriculum where the goal is to promote the true, the good, and the beautiful.
Latin and Greek All Around Us For centuries anyone who had an education in the West truly associated with excellence was schooled in Latin and Greek to some degree. Why this is not the case today is an occasion for another venue, but thankfully classical schools are bringing the study of these languages back. More than 75% of the words in the English language are derived from Greek and Latin and many of the ideas that propelled Western Civilization during the last few hundred years were originally written in Greek and Latin (consider the use of Greek in the Bible). Most of the people we refer to today as “The Founders'' of this country read ancient texts, including the Bible, in their original languages as they were being schooled, and as they were consulting one another about what type of government best suited this land and people (i.e. Greek and Roman historical, philosophical, and legal texts). The bottom line is this - if you have a foundation in Greek and Latin you will have a better command of the English language and have an avenue of knowledge open to you many do not. Additionally, since Spanish and all other romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian) are delivered from Latin, the person who learns Latin will have an easier time learning other languages such as Spanish. The College Board, the organization known for the SAT college entrance exam and Advanced Placement tests, was used to keep data on how students who studied Latin performed on the SAT verbal portion of their exam versus students who studied other languages. The College Board found Latin students performed significantly higher on the SAT. This makes sense…
A Classical Education for Today’s Students Classical education is one of the great legacies of Western Civilization, however, for the better part of the last century and into the 21st century, students in this country have been denied their educational inheritance. Why this is the case is the result of decades of misguided education reforms rooted in romantic ideals. Education has taken an academic detour. Fortunately, there is a better road ahead. As C. S. Lewis once wrote, “If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road…” Paradoxically, while classical schools provide the most time-tested methods of educating students, they are today, the most cutting-edge schools in America. With a focus on a hierarchical approach to learning, a knowledge-rich and integrated curriculum consisting of the classical liberal arts, and a focus on promoting strong character and learning necessary for self-governing citizens in a republic, classical schools provide a reference educating alternative. Classical education is growing in the United States, and institutions of higher learning including Hillsdale College, preserve and promote the very best of classical liberal arts education. There is hope our nation will again see a time when its children experience the benefits of a classical education rather than the remnant most students receive today. Classical schools, such as Founders Classical Academy, will prepare students for college and the workforce but will go well beyond those ends. They aim to recover lost tools of learning in order to cultivate wise and virtuous men and women.