The Trivium is the basis of the classical education curriculum. As its name suggests, the curriculum is separated into three phases. The grammar stage is the first, and it corresponds with grades one through six.
Children at this stage in life haven't fully matured in terms of brain development and cognitive thinking abilities, so the focus is on teaching them concrete facts. The important thing is just making sure they learn facts.
Although some kids this young like to know the whys and hows of everything, their minds are really just equipped to absorb the whats. You can of course explains whys and hows to your child, but the focus is elsewhere in the grammar stage.
The whats create the foundation for the whys and hows later one. These are the tools your children will need to answer philosophical questions and develop higher thinking. For the most part, children in the first stage can't grasp or process reason.
This is largely due to their own lack of experience and background knowledge: They don't yet have the tools to process reason.
And therein lies the beauty of the grammar stage in classical education curriculum. Because the grammar stage is built up solely of facts, it builds the foundation upon which all other forms of learning will take place in the next two stages.
For the following two phases to be successful, they need this foundation in place.
The next phase in classical education curriculum is the dialect stage. Children can start this phase usually between grade 5 and grade 7.
A child's mind at this stage develops noticeably, exhibiting cognitive skills that allow him or her to mature to analytical learning.
The teaching methods don't abruptly change as the child progresses from one stage to the next. The methods used in classical education curriculum are cumulative. In the next stages, analytical learning is simply added to concrete learning.
The first stage is where the child learns facts and concrete information. It is in the dialect stage that he or she is also introduced to whys and hows. The dialect stage emphasizes the importance of understanding "why things are the way they are."
The dialect phase sets the stage for the child to apply the facts he or she has already learned, testing to see whether they are actually true. Encouraging this exploration and self-examination is an important step in developing the child's thinking skills.
In this stage of classical education curriculum, children are introduced to the importance and the need to ask questions, analyze, judge, and examine in a respectful way. There is no need to be disrespectful when asking questions.
By not getting defensive when children ask questions, parents and teachers can encourage a positive atmosphere. Setting a good example helps children learn that you can be respectful and disagree.
Classical education curriculum's final phase is the rhetoric stage, which typically begins in the 9th grade and ends in the 12th.
The subjects most often covered include math, writing, science, oratory, philosophy, language, history, literature, and music. This is the stage where all the phases are woven together and put into practice.
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