Classical Homeschooling:
What's It All About?
Classical homeschooling is a popular topic these days in many home schooling circles. What does it mean, though? Must my children learn Latin? Only read the Greeks and logic?
Before answering these questions, I think it is important to look at some of the fundamental goals and beliefs of any method of home schooling, Classical included. Then you can decide for yourself if learning Latin (or logic or whatever) actually will help your child meet those same goals, or if you have other means of meeting those goals. So let's look at some basics about Classical homeschooling.
One fundamental concept of Classical homeschooling, or a Classical education in general, is that children learn and process differently depending on the developmental stage they are in their lives. The following is a brief overview of these three (sometimes four, depending on if you divide the younger Grammar stage in two) stages of what is known as the “Trivium.”
Not all Classical homeschool curriculum resources break their learning down into such distinct categories. However, these are the principles behind a Classical homeschooling curriculum. You will also find suggestions for at least a few resources that we've found helpful at these stages.
Grammar Stage (roughly corresponding to elementary school)
The focus of the Grammar Stage (or the Knowledge Stage) of the Trivium is to gather basic facts, understand fundamental skills, and learn the general concepts. This is the time when they need to focus on the basics (the 3 R's) in order to have a firm foundation for all other learning. These skills and facts will become the building blocks of later learning. This is the stage of development where a child is great at memorizing concrete facts and thoughts. Ever notice all the crazy facts your younger kids remember? Ever notice how they take everything so literally?! These are the marks of a child who is developmentally in the Grammar Stage of Classical homeschooling.
With this in mind, the kind of learning you'll find recommended for this age in Classical homeschooling programs will most likely be (or should be) ample time learning the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic, and perhaps Latin. Along with this would be learning which would play to their strengths at this age of being able to memorize easily.
Suggestions:
- In our family, we have learned a lot from Tapestry of Grace. You can see how they include all ages from the very youngest to the high schoolers (and mom and dad!) through
- We have also all really enjoyed using Audio Memory CDs to help memorize facts at this age,
and even older. Our family has especially enjoyed the Geography Songs and the , and they are so well done that, if you really want to know the truth, sometimes
I've been known to put one of them on even when my kids weren't around! I love them, and I get a kick out of hearing the kids singing the countries of Eastern Europe as they do the dishes!
Additional resources we've loved for this stage of learning have been the following workbooks. They are fun for the kids to do, and good reinforcements for some key spelling
and de-coding concepts:
For learning Scripture, I absolutely love the Sing the Word audio CDs. Actually, these are just plain some of my all-time favorite CDs, period! When we were moving overseas for a year and could only take a few CDs, these were the ones we took. The songs are musically rich and diverse. I've listed the CDs in the order Sonlight recommends them, but the order doesn't really matter. The songs on the CDs for the older grades are a bit more complex but the songs are very singable and we all enjoy them. Because the songs are delightful musically, I find I can listen over and over again. You can listen to some sample songs below:
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Dialectic Stage (beginning in upper elementary or junior high school)
Usually children who have moved into the Dialectic Stage of the Trivium (also known as the Understanding Level or Logic Stage) are developmentally ready to use their ability to read, write and do mathematics. They are ready to make sense of the basic facts they have learned and make connections between the facts. At this stage, students are able to understand more about the “whys” behind what they have learned earlier. Ever notice your older child being argumentative and asking why a lot? This is normal for a child's development and typical Dialectic-stage behavior! In this phase, a child has moved beyond thinking concretely, and thinks more analytically.
Classical homeschooling curriculum options at this stage of the Trivium will naturally focus on giving your child chances to ask questions, understand why, and analyze situations and problems. They may also introduce logic during this time to help students understand how to think and reason.
Suggestions:
I think the Classical homeschooling program for both junior high and high school of Tapestry of Grace is excellent. Although our kids aren't that old yet, it is well laid-out and I have always found great support on the forums for any questions I had. You can see for yourself what it is all about at
. You may also want to browse around the
Veritas Press Classical Home School Curriculum website to see their approach to Classical learning.
For math, Saxon math aligns well with this philosophy of training the mind to think, though I think you can use other curriculum choices and still take a Classical homeschooling approach.
It would take too long to go into detail on each subject here, so I will post other pages relating to individual subjects as I'm able to do so.
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Rhetoric Stage (usually high school years)
In this last stage of Classical homeschooling's Trivium (which some call the Wisdom Level), students are able to think more abstractly and to think more about how others perceive them and their ideas. They become more concerned with presenting their ideas in a way that is well received. (Ever notice your high schooler wanting to make a good impression?! Wanting to present his or her case to change your mind? That's Rhetoric Stage thinking.) As young people mature, it is natural for them to become more outwardly focused, and this is evident in the Rhetoric Stage.
Classical home school curriculum for this age will concentrate on helping students use the facts and the understanding they have gained earlier to communicate what they have learned effectively. You will find that Classical home school curriculum for this age will focus on written and oral expression, sometimes including debate.
Suggestions:
As I mentioned above, I personally have really liked Tapestry of Grace.
Although we don't have high schoolers yet, what they would cover in Tapestry of Grace at this level is quite impressive. I wish I had had an education like that!
If you don't care for TOG's approach, many people like
Veritas Press Classical Home School Curriculum
or adapt
Sonlight Home School Curriculum
materials to use in a Classical homeschooling approach.
As I mentioned earlier, I will be posting information on other materials for other subjects as I am able to do so (still homeschooling those little ones here!).
Mastering each of the levels of the Trivium is very important in raising children who are able to think clearly and express themselves well. According to the Classical view, without a proper foundation in the basic skills and knowledge of the Grammar Stage, your child will struggle with future learning. Without learning how to analyze and think critically and logically during the Dialectic Stage, your child will have trouble truly internalizing the material. Lastly, without learning how to express himself or herself accurately and apply that learning to such areas as his or her worldview, your child may have difficulties with developing the skill of good judgment and the ability to influence society, rather than solely be influenced by it.
To get back to the questions posed at the top of this page, I think whether or not your child studies Latin or logic will really depend more on what your goals are and what other avenues you have that serve the same purpose. Perhaps a purist in the world of Classical homeschooling wouldn't dream of not including studying Euclid, but, then again, you do know your child and your family's environment best. You may want to read more on some of the finer points of Classical homeschooling (which tends to include Latin and logic) and Neo-Classical (I think that's where the literature is Classics-based you may not sudy Latin). I freely admit I don't know all the ins and outs of the Classical method. One of the reasons I like Tapestry of Grace is it gives us enough flexibility to tailor the approach to our family's needs.
I hope this summary of some of the basic tenets of Classical homeschooling has been helpful. As you learn about these foundational beliefs, you can see if you feel they match up to your own, or how you might want to modify them to fit your own views on Classical homeschooling for your family.
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