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This article is about the theory of education. For the metalcore band, see Trivium (band). For other uses, see Trivium (disambiguation).
The trivium is a theory of education. This schema is sometimes referred to as classical education, but it is more accurately a development of the 12th and 13th centuries rather than a direct descendant of the educational systems of antiquity.
In medieval universities, the trivium comprised the three subjects taught first, grammar, logic, and rhetoric. [1] Grammar is the mechanics of a language; logic (or dialectic — logic and dialectic were synonymous at the time) is the "mechanics" of thought and analysis; rhetoric is the use of language to instruct and persuade. (As Latin was both a second language and the international language of scholarship and thought, it had to be learned intentionally and thoroughly.) These were considered preparatory fields for the quadrivium, which was made up of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. In turn, the quadrivium was considered preparatory work for the serious study of philosophy and theology. The trivium was the beginning of the liberal arts. At many medieval universities this would have been the principal undergraduate course.
The word trivium is Latin, meaning "the three ways" or "the three roads", and serves as a root for the concept of triviality. This discipline left in our day words such as 'trivia', 'grammar school' and 'elementary school'.[1]
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Contents
- 1 The trivium method of education
- 2 See also
- 3 References
- 4 External links
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The trivium method of education
The trivium method of education has had a resurgence, particularly in homeschooling. In an essay called The Lost Tools of Learning, Dorothy Sayers told an audience at Oxford University that education had given up on the trivium and was now running on what she called the "educational capital."[1] Some modern universities, such as the College of William and Mary still base their methodology on the trivium and quadrivium.[2]
In the educational pattern of the trivium, the first years of schooling are called the grammar stage . Just as grammar provides a foundation for language, the focus of this stage of the trivium is on building a foundation for all other learning to build upon. At this stage, education consists primarily of rote memorization and the learning of facts such as rules of phonics and spelling, rules of grammar, vocabulary, and mathematical facts such as the times tables.
The second phase of the trivium is the logic stage in which more attention is paid to cause and effect, to the relationships among different fields of knowledge and to the way facts fit together into a logical framework. During this stage, the student learns algebra and logic, and begins to apply logic to all academic subjects. Writing, for example, logically includes such topics as paragraph construction and how to support a thesis. Reading begins to focus more on criticism and analysis, and less on pure absorption of information. History begins to include a focus on why events occurred, as opposed to just who, when and where. The scientific method is typically introduced at this stage.
The final phase of the trivium-based educational method is the rhetoric stage. Here the focus is on forming conclusions and communicating in clear, original, forceful and elegant language.
See also
- Quadrivium
- Trivia
- Degrees of Oxford University
References
- ^ a b A cure for the educational crisis: Learn from the extraordinary educational heritage of the West. RenewAmerica analyst. Retrieved on 2006-06-02.
External links
- Classical Christian Homeschooling - Trivium
- - What is Classical Education? by Susan Wise Bauer
Categories: History of education | Educational philosophy | Homeschooling
