Educational Philosophy
Wilson himself had drawn inspiration from an earlier article published by Dorothy Sayers entitled "The Lost Tools of Learning" (1948). Sayers was a colleague of C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. In this article she derided modern education methods and called for a return to the ancient classical trivium.
The trivium, which formed the heart of the Medieval curriculum, consisted of three phases of learning: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. These she said were the 'lost tools of learning,' which are essential to the mastery of any subject. The tools of the trivium equip the student for a lifetime of self-education. They include critical thinking and communication skills.
According to Sayers, the "grammar" of any subject consists of the basic facts, definitions and principles—the building blocks on which the subject is constructed. Utilizing techniques of dialectic, the learner integrates the facts into a mature understanding of the subject. These techniques include the tools of formal logic. Finally, during the rhetoric phase, the learner applies his understanding of the material in real world application. This often takes the form of written or verbal communication.
Sayers also applied the trivium idea to the three stages of child development. These she labeled "poll-parrot," "pert," and "poetic." In the "poll-parrot" stage—early childhood through about 6th grade—the child is able to absorb and parrot-back prodigious amounts of factual material. A good time for memorizing the details of Latin.
In the "pert" stage—the middle years—children typically began to challenge, talk-back, question authority. Sayers encouraged the teaching of formal logic at this point to channel natural inquisitiveness. As the adolescent matures to young-adulthood a strong desire for self-expression takes over as the child enters the poetic stage. This is the best time to polish the writing skills and the speaking skills, including declamation and debate.
Some have made the case that the trivium is a biblical methodology, pointing to passages such as Proverbs chapter two for proof. This passage speaks of "knowledge", "understanding", and "wisdom". These are held to correspond to the grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric phases of the trivium.
Read more about this topic: Association Of Classical And Christian Schools
Famous quotes containing the words educational and/or philosophy:
“The educational system in large countries will always be utterly mediocre, for the same reason that the cooking in large kitchens is mediocre at best.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Ordinary people seem not to realize that those who really apply themselves in the right way to philosophy are directly and of their own accord preparing themselves for dying and death.”
—Socrates (469–399 B.C.)