A classical education strives for human excellence. It is conventional in its goals, the resources it draws on, and the techniques it applies. To direct students’ thoughts and affections toward the true and the good, classical education providers work to promote virtue-based habits of thought and behaviour.
What is Classical Education?
Today, classical education serves as a road map for students to learn, experience, and progress. It begins with an examination and celebration of the human condition, followed by a look back at people’s and cultures’ histories. By posing questions along the way, it eventually acts as a platform for honing critical thinking abilities.
Classical education leads to a better understanding of one’s moral obligation to others, as well as the ability to effect change and opportunities in the world, even in the face of opposition and challenges.
Classical education uses a three-step method to educate the mind:
- The grammar stage: It concentrates on learning facts and providing the groundwork for advanced study
- The logic stage: It focuses on teaching to figure out the interconnections between information and thinks through arguments;
- The rhetoric stage:It tends to focus on the sensible and persuasive application of data and arguments via speech and writing.
This historical pattern is known as the trivium, and it was regarded as the necessary basis for success in all following study programs.
Why Do We Need Classical Education?
A classical education fosters a child’s full human potential. It aims to foster and push children’s intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and creative growth. It is not just about what students know and how well they perform on tests; it is also about literature and technology. Classical education is connected to the kind of individuals they are now and who they will become as adults.
Over time, one can see the true advantages of classical education, such as a child’s success in facing adulthood with assurance and a promising future. Here are the five key reasons why we need classical education in addition to that ultimate objective.
1. Complete and Well-Rounded Education for Students
The Renaissance is renowned for the renaissance of arts and literature. During this time, men and women engaged the left and right brain, science, math, history, and writing, as well as the representation of what it meant to experience and appreciate the fullness of being human.
A person having various skills or specialities is known as a “Renaissance man.” This is an individual who embraces everything. Students can attain this position with the aid of a classical education. While teaching a wide range of disciplines, classical education always emphasizes developing a thorough understanding of both people and the natural world.
2. Promotes Analytical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
Knowledge is power. This is a familiar statement to almost everyone. The true test of one’s power, however, is in how one employs their knowledge in problem-solving and planning. Learning should involve more than just completing worksheets or test questions. The goal of classical education is to help students utilize their knowledge, reasoning, and strategic planning to solve issues on their own.
3. Develops Appreciation for Arts
Classical education’s curriculum places a high priority on the arts. Music, painting, theater, public speaking, and dancing are among the subjects covered in this educational system.! Students learn to communicate with others and express themselves through the arts.
In addition, because of this, students become confident when speaking in front of people and socializing with their classmates. They often credit this confidence to the classical education approach and exposure to the arts.
4. Ensures Foundation of Usable Information
Students that follow the classical education system have a strong knowledge base. They can use the lessons they have learned in several different ways. Due to the system’s strong emphasis on logic, rhetoric, and language, it is not uncommon for children to grow up to be creative individuals like musicians, writers, or artists.
Some students might have trouble remembering facts, however, children with dyslexia or other cognitive challenges can practice memorization of the basics. When they do, the data turns into a resource that may be applied to various aspects of life.
5. It is a Broad-Based System
When the educational system overspecializes, it produces people who are exclusively knowledgeable and wise in one discipline. These grads would be mostly unaware of their changing demands if asked what they could accomplish in other areas of their lives.
That is why, whenever industries fail or unemployment occurs, there is a strong emphasis on retraining. According to the classical education approach, by providing a well-rounded curriculum from the beginning, people can shift between possibilities more easily because their knowledge is less fragmented.
It is the distinction between learning skills and mastering principles.
In a Nutshell
The advantages and impacts of classical education are long-lasting, making it more crucial than ever to choose this method of teaching. When compared to modern education, classical education not only imparts essential knowledge but also gives students the tools they need to succeed in any field they choose to study in higher institutions in the future.
