The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
Pedagogy, most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as an academic discipline, is the study of how knowledge and skills are imparted in an educational context, and it considers the interactions that take place during learning. Both the theory and practice of pedagogy vary greatly as they reflect different social, political, and cultural contexts.
Peter John Kreeft is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and The King's College. A convert to Roman Catholicism, he is the author of over eighty books on Christian philosophy, theology and apologetics. He also formulated, together with Ronald K. Tacelli, Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics.
Of Education is a treatise by John Milton published in 1644, first appearing anonymously as a single eight-page quarto sheet. Presented as a letter, written in response to a request from the Puritan educational reformer Samuel Hartlib, it represents Milton's most comprehensive statement on educational reform, and gives voice to his views "concerning the best and noblest way of education". As outlined in the tractate, education carried for Milton a dual objective: one public, to “fit a man to perform justly, skillfully, and magnanimously all the offices, both private and public, of peace and war” (55); and the other private, to “repair the ruins of our first parents by regaining to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love Him, to be like Him, as we may the nearest by possessing our soul of true virtue” (52).
New Saint Andrews College is a private classical Christian college in Moscow, Idaho. It was founded in 1994 by Christ Church, and modeled in part on the curriculum of Harvard College of the seventeenth century. The college offers no undergraduate majors, but follows a single, integrated classical liberal arts curriculum from a Christian worldview in its associate's and bachelor's degree programs. The college also offers master's degrees in theology and letters and classical Christian studies. The New Saint Andrews board, faculty, and staff are confessionally Reformed (Calvinist). Board members are affiliated with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC).
Charlotte Maria Shaw Mason was a British educator and reformer in England at the turn of the twentieth century. She proposed to base the education of children upon a wide and liberal curriculum. She worked for five years under Fanny Trevor at Bishop Otter College.
Douglas James Wilson is a conservative Reformed and evangelical theologian, pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, faculty member at New Saint Andrews College, and author and speaker. Wilson is known for his writing on classical Christian education, Reformed theology, as well as general cultural commentary. His most controversial work is Southern Slavery, As It Was, which he coauthored with Steve Wilkins. He is also featured in the documentary film Collision documenting his debates with anti-theist Christopher Hitchens on their promotional tour for the book Is Christianity Good for the World?.
Classical Christian education is an approach to learning rooted in the long story of Christian engagement with the classical tradition as exemplified first by figures such as the Cappadocian Fathers, Augustine and Jerome as well as the fullness of Christian monastic traditions. Its current revival in American K-12 schools started with three schools founded in 1980 to 1981: Cair Paravel-Latin School, Trinity School at Greenlawn, and Logos School. Various classical Christian schools emphasize and articulate different things in their approaches, but most include biblical teachings and incorporate a teaching model from the classical education renewal known as the Trivium, consisting of three parts: grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
Eastern Christian High School (ECHS) is a private Christian high school located in North Haledon, in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The high school is a part of the Eastern Christian School Association which also has a middle school (ECMS) in Wyckoff, and an elementary school (ECES) and preschool in Midland Park. ECHS is home to students from middle and northern NJ as well as southern NY. ECHS also offers a one to four year middle and high school program for F-1 Visa Students.
Logos School is a private, classical Christian school and is a member of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS). Logos provides a classical Christian education. It is located in Moscow, Idaho. Logos School is one of the first Classical Christian schools in the modern movement. Its teaching approach is discussed in the book Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning.
Delaware Valley Classical School is a private, K-12 classical Christian school located in New Castle, Delaware. For the 2023–24 academic year, enrollment was approximately 190 students, with approximately 30 faculty and staff.
Ad Fontes Academy (AFA) is an independent, private, classical Christian school in Centreville, Virginia. AFA teaches kindergarten through high-school (K–12) classes. AFA is accredited by the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS). AFA is a nonprofit school operating under the nonprofit [501(c)(3)] Ad Fontes Educational Trust. Ad Fontes Academy meets on one campus locations at Centreville Presbyterian Church.
Geneva Academy is a private classical Christian school located in Lincoln, Delaware. The school was founded in 2007 by a group of homeschool parents, taking inspiration from Dorothy Sayers essay "The Lost Tools of Learning," as well as Douglas Wilson's books, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning and The Case for Classical Christian Education. Geneva Academy follows a traditional education pattern called the Trivium. This pattern consists of three successive stages: grammar, logic (dialectic), and rhetoric. Geneva Academy was a member of Association of Classical and Christian Schools but, as of September 2020, is no longer a member.
Rockbridge Academy is a private, nonprofit, Jr K - 12, classical Christian school near Annapolis in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Founded in 1995, the school has approximately 380 pupils on roll.
The classical education movement or renewal advocates for a return to a traditional education based on the liberal arts, the canons of classical literature, the fine arts, and the history of civilization. It focuses on human formation and paideia with an early emphasis on music, gymnastics, recitation, imitation, and grammar. Multiple organizations support classical education in charter schools, in independent faith-based schools, and in home education. This movement has inspired several graduate programs and colleges as well as a new peer-reviewed journal, Principia: A Journal of Classical Education.
Dominion Christian School is a private, classical Christian school. It is an accredited member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools. It is also a member of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS). Dominion Christian has campuses in Oakton, Reston, and Potomac Falls, Virginia.
Sayers Classical Academy is a private, classical Christian school located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It serves students from Pre-K through 12th grade.
Trivium School is an independent Catholic college-preparatory school for boys and girls in grades seven through twelve. It is located in Lancaster, Massachusetts.
Christopher Perrin is a publisher, educator, speaker, and writer. He is the chief executive officer and cofounder of Classical Academic Press and speaks regularly at schools, conferences, and homeschool conventions as well as serving as a consultant for over 55 schools in 26 states. Perrin has written for The Gospel Coalition and National Review and been cited in Christianity Today. He heads the TrueNorth Podcast Network with The Christopher Perrin Show.
Classical Academic Press publishes books and K–12 curriculum with the motto, “Classical Subjects Creatively Taught.” The press started in 2001 as a privately-owned publishing company with multiple partners, including CEO and cofounder Christopher Perrin, to develop and publish classical curricula and media. The press is recognized as a leading provider of independent and public charter schools as well as homeschools influenced by the renewal of classical education and classical Christian education.
