Classical Education--using Socratic Dialog and the trivium of subjects

St. Ambrose Academy offers a liberal arts education that stresses the formation of the “free” thinker; that is, one who is not bound by the ephemeral fashions of thinking of the time. A study of the liberal arts aims at training the mind to grasp truth, rather than simply imparting knowledge or working for economic gain.

St. Anselm

Classical education in the tradition of the Catholic Church can be traced back as an organized method to St. Anselm’s instructions for his monasteries in the 12th century. Anselm’s goal was to ensure that students learned the tools of analytical thinking as well as the subjects themselves.

The Liberal Arts

Anselm included the terms we use today, the Trivium and the Quadrivium stages of learning, that comprise the seven liberal arts. The Trivium, which includes the Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetorical stages of development, was eventually established in non-monastic schools as well.

The Grammar stage, the age-appropriate level of the elementary student, is where we get our term, “Grammar School.” In the Grammar stage, students learn and memorize language, grammar, arithmetic, and religion. The Dialectic, or Logic, stage is the age-appropriate level of the young pre-pubescent and pubescent “junior high” student. This is the age where children naturally develop the skills of contradiction and argument. Speech and debate become more important than in the Grammar stage.

The last stage of the Trivium is the Rhetorical stage, wherein the formal, expository forms of writing are mastered, and the young adult learns to express thoughts for the purpose of defending the Faith. In this stage, the vocation of the young person is emerging, and the beginnings of the serious philosophical and theological studies of the last major stage, the Quadrivium, are undertaken.

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas built on Anselm’s creative thoughts. In the context of the Catholic Faith, the thinking of St. Thomas Aquinas becomes the primary philosophical stance behind all the discussions. The great saint himself used Aristotle to further the studies in the traditional areas of Logic and Disputation, going beyond the Classical philosopher in investigating the truths that Catholics hold dear.

Classical Education in the Classroom

One of the most striking differences in a Socratic Method classroom is the absence of desks. Students sit around a table with the teacher. The Socratic Method involves discussion, with the students engaging each other in “argumentation;” that is, proving their points in class. The teacher guides the conversation, questioning the students and challenging critical thinking “on the spot.” Homework in this setting becomes a crucial preparation for class discussion as well as a means of reinforcing lessons and skills. The student plans before the material is introduced, rather than reading after it is introduced. There is a great emphasis on character and research skills as well.