A classical model of education focuses on providing children with the life long educational tools to learn and think for themselves. The classical tradition is grounded in the time-tested methodology of learning called the Trivium, which recognizes that critical learning skills must precede critical thinking skills. The Trivium methodology is organized into three stages, corresponding to the general stages of a child’s cognitive development as follows:

Grammar
The first phase of the Trivium is Grammar (K-4), which emphasizes the facts and rules of each subject that later learning is built upon. This stage focuses on the accumulation of knowledge and the rules related to each particular subject. This mirrors the stage of development where children love to mimic, recite, chant and memorize. The objective of this phase is to provide each child with a strong foundation of subject matter KNOWLEDGE.

Logic
The second phase is Logic (Grades 5-8), which focuses on the students’ ability to analyze and interact with the knowledge acquired in the Grammar stage. The Logic stage is the phase where understanding is grasped. This corresponds with the child’s curiosity and desire to ask questions. The objective of the Logic phase is UNDERSTANDING.

Rhetoric
The final phase, Rhetoric (Grades 9-12), trains the student how to express and discuss the subject. Rhetoric is the communication stage, where students defend and refute opinions based on their understanding and knowledge of subject matter. This fits nicely with the students’ affinity for contradiction and argumentation. The objective of the Rhetoric phase is COMMUNICATION.