What is a classical education?
A classical education is essential an exploration of the human, an examination of how in the past we have answered the great questions that concern all of us, and how we might answer them in the future when we consider the advances and setbacks, triumphs and failures of all that has gone before us. It aligns with the natural growth and development of the child.
A classical education is not just about the individual subjects pupils study, it is more about how they are taught. Classical education promotes wonder in learning and discovery, self-discipline, rational thinking, solid traditions, dynamic content, and intimate contact with the great arch of human experience. It values the pursuit of knowledge as a goal in itself - something self-satisfying - rather than simply as the means to another end. While a vocation and getting employment is vital, they are not actually, nor should they be, the end-goal of a good education. Focussing on the pragmatic reduces education to a series of hoops to be jumped through in order to obtain rewards. This approach ends in the pupil asking, "How many marks is this worth?", "Am I going to get into a better university course from this?" or, "Will this be on the test?" rather than, "How will this help me grow to be a wiser, better, happier, skilled, and knowledgeable individual?" See more on this topic here.
We will look to the educational virtues of Aristotle, use the Socratic method, and especially the pedagogical approaches of the great English educator, Charlotte Mason (A.D. 1842 — 1923), who believed that "Children are born persons, who have a natural love of knowledge and their education should be largely a 'self-education'." Her dictum was that, "Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life."
You can find out more about classical (or liberal arts) education at sites like the Educational Renaissance website or at the CiRCE institute. In Australia, we have just witnessed the first-ever Classical Education Conference run by the new Australian Classical Education Society. There is a growing awareness and hunger for this type of education in our nation.
A classical education is not just about the individual subjects pupils study, it is more about how they are taught. Classical education promotes wonder in learning and discovery, self-discipline, rational thinking, solid traditions, dynamic content, and intimate contact with the great arch of human experience. It values the pursuit of knowledge as a goal in itself - something self-satisfying - rather than simply as the means to another end. While a vocation and getting employment is vital, they are not actually, nor should they be, the end-goal of a good education. Focussing on the pragmatic reduces education to a series of hoops to be jumped through in order to obtain rewards. This approach ends in the pupil asking, "How many marks is this worth?", "Am I going to get into a better university course from this?" or, "Will this be on the test?" rather than, "How will this help me grow to be a wiser, better, happier, skilled, and knowledgeable individual?" See more on this topic here.
We will look to the educational virtues of Aristotle, use the Socratic method, and especially the pedagogical approaches of the great English educator, Charlotte Mason (A.D. 1842 — 1923), who believed that "Children are born persons, who have a natural love of knowledge and their education should be largely a 'self-education'." Her dictum was that, "Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life."
You can find out more about classical (or liberal arts) education at sites like the Educational Renaissance website or at the CiRCE institute. In Australia, we have just witnessed the first-ever Classical Education Conference run by the new Australian Classical Education Society. There is a growing awareness and hunger for this type of education in our nation.
The Seven Liberal Arts
The Trivium (The Three)
Grammar — the mechanics of language
Logic — the mechanics of thinking
Rhetoric — the application of language and thinking
The Quadrivium (The Four)
Arithmetic — Pure number
Geometry — Stationary number
Astronomy — Moving number
Music — Applied number
Grammar — the mechanics of language
Logic — the mechanics of thinking
Rhetoric — the application of language and thinking
The Quadrivium (The Four)
Arithmetic — Pure number
Geometry — Stationary number
Astronomy — Moving number
Music — Applied number
Aristotle’s Five Intellectual Virtues
Techne — Artistry or craftsmanship
Episteme — (Scientific) Knowledge
Phronesis — Prudence or practical wisdom
Nous — Intuition or comprehension
Sophia — (Philosophic) Wisdom
- Common and domestic arts
- Professions and trades
- Athletics and sports
- Fine and performing arts
- The liberal arts of language and number
Episteme — (Scientific) Knowledge
- Natural
- Human
- Metaphysical
Phronesis — Prudence or practical wisdom
- Personal
- Household
- Managerial and Political
- Understanding and Judgment
Nous — Intuition or comprehension
- Of Universals
- Of Particulars
Sophia — (Philosophic) Wisdom
- Mastery of induction and deduction
- Knowledge and intuition combined
How is a classical education different from a contemporary one?
Modern education has frequently focussed only on the outcomes of the "academic" (episteme) sphere. Modern educators and curriculum developers instead use a different list, called "Bloom's Taxonomy", which privileges the cognitive skills above the affective and psychomotor skills; the head is focused on, as it is in classical education, but in contemporary education this to the neglect of the heart and the body. We believe that education should involve the whole person and all of their different abilities.
A classical educational approach emphasises that instead of only looking at the here and now, the immediate, the pragmatic, all learning should move us towards a deeper understanding of the three so-called Transcendentals: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Classical education asks pupils to consider the broader deeper picture and to ask questions that range beyond the immediate. This opens up broader horizons, more profound creativity, and the ability to critique what is status quo and standard, seeing both the usefulness and also the possibilities for improvement in all things.
Ironically, a pragmatic education, based solely on mark-hunting, esteem-hunting, or career-hunting, means that the individual finds themselves learning things that are only here and now, and which, therefore, will soon become obsolete. In a fast-changing world, such an approach means that pupils not only are unable to sustain long-term memorisation of information, because they "data-dump" what is not seemingly "useful" in their education, but, later in life, they may find themselves adrift as to the purpose behind what they are trying to strive towards, because they have not been formed to think of the deeper and broader picture and how they fit into it.
A classical educational approach emphasises that instead of only looking at the here and now, the immediate, the pragmatic, all learning should move us towards a deeper understanding of the three so-called Transcendentals: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Classical education asks pupils to consider the broader deeper picture and to ask questions that range beyond the immediate. This opens up broader horizons, more profound creativity, and the ability to critique what is status quo and standard, seeing both the usefulness and also the possibilities for improvement in all things.
Ironically, a pragmatic education, based solely on mark-hunting, esteem-hunting, or career-hunting, means that the individual finds themselves learning things that are only here and now, and which, therefore, will soon become obsolete. In a fast-changing world, such an approach means that pupils not only are unable to sustain long-term memorisation of information, because they "data-dump" what is not seemingly "useful" in their education, but, later in life, they may find themselves adrift as to the purpose behind what they are trying to strive towards, because they have not been formed to think of the deeper and broader picture and how they fit into it.
Why study Latin and Ancient Greek?
Essentially, because they offer us keys to deeper knowledge both of English as a language, but also of the accumulated wisdom of the classical ages and much of the history in between. Scholars continued to write in Latin long after the Roman Empire fell, and Greek was used in the Eastern Empire up until the 15th Century. Most technical terminology in the sciences, medicine and even in the Arts derives from Latin or Greek.
Latin and Greek are the foundation languages of Western Civilisation. Some critics say that Latin and Greek are "dead languages", we prefer to think of them as "Immortal"! They can help us in so many ways.
Scholars throughout Western history have studied Latin and Greek, because, apart from being interesting in and of themselves, they are keys to understanding further knowledge. Learning the vocabulary and grammar of Latin and Greek gives the young mind the ability to break down words into their constituent parts, unlocking the inner meanings and making the understanding of complex words readily open to them. For those who are more inclined to the Sciences and to Mathematics, studying Latin and Ancient Greek facilitates a much more immediate familiarity with the technical and scientific vocabulary, which is largely based on these two tongues. Another aspect of learning classical languages, apart from their academic rigour, is that pupils are introduced to the great works of antiquity in their original languages. They become able to capture the nuances of the texts, to experience the original context more clearly and to appreciate how to craft their language more lucidly and beautifully with the models of Greek and Latin Prose and Poetic composition.
For Catholics, the most obvious benefit of studying Ancient Greek is a familiarity with the original language in which the New Testament was written. Latin, on the other hand is still the official language of the Church - all Church documents must officially be published in Latin and the Latin text is always considered the authoritative one. For Western Catholics, Latin is still the official liturgical language. For Orthodox Christians and Byzantine Catholics, a familiarity with Ancient Greek makes the Byzantine liturgies in particular, more accessible, but even in the Western Church, we still use Greek in the Liturgy when we sing, "Kyrie, eleison".
Latin and Greek are the foundation languages of Western Civilisation. Some critics say that Latin and Greek are "dead languages", we prefer to think of them as "Immortal"! They can help us in so many ways.
Scholars throughout Western history have studied Latin and Greek, because, apart from being interesting in and of themselves, they are keys to understanding further knowledge. Learning the vocabulary and grammar of Latin and Greek gives the young mind the ability to break down words into their constituent parts, unlocking the inner meanings and making the understanding of complex words readily open to them. For those who are more inclined to the Sciences and to Mathematics, studying Latin and Ancient Greek facilitates a much more immediate familiarity with the technical and scientific vocabulary, which is largely based on these two tongues. Another aspect of learning classical languages, apart from their academic rigour, is that pupils are introduced to the great works of antiquity in their original languages. They become able to capture the nuances of the texts, to experience the original context more clearly and to appreciate how to craft their language more lucidly and beautifully with the models of Greek and Latin Prose and Poetic composition.
For Catholics, the most obvious benefit of studying Ancient Greek is a familiarity with the original language in which the New Testament was written. Latin, on the other hand is still the official language of the Church - all Church documents must officially be published in Latin and the Latin text is always considered the authoritative one. For Western Catholics, Latin is still the official liturgical language. For Orthodox Christians and Byzantine Catholics, a familiarity with Ancient Greek makes the Byzantine liturgies in particular, more accessible, but even in the Western Church, we still use Greek in the Liturgy when we sing, "Kyrie, eleison".