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Book Recommendation & Discussion - The Liberal Arts Tradition #1 · The Grammar of Classical Education

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hello,
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  SPEAKER_00: welcome to the Grammar of Classical Education,
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  SPEAKER_00: a podcast that covers the foundations as well as the philosophical and theoretical
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  SPEAKER_00: ideas of classical learning in a user-friendly and,
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  SPEAKER_00: may I even say,
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  SPEAKER_00: interesting way.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Dr. Darlene Gomes from Leading to Wonder and I'm so glad that you could join me today.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: After a week off to catch our breath and answer a few questions,
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  SPEAKER_00: I am so excited to be back this week with the beginning of a new book.
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  SPEAKER_00: We are looking at the liberal arts tradition and introduction to the philosophy of
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  SPEAKER_00: Christian classical education.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Today,
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  SPEAKER_00: all we're going to really be doing is taking a look at the introduction material
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  SPEAKER_00: because I think it really does a great job of laying the foundation,
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  SPEAKER_00: not just for classical education,
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  SPEAKER_00: but for classical education and where the liberal arts tradition is being presented.
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  SPEAKER_00: The introduction is done by David Goodwin who is the president of the Association
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  SPEAKER_00: of Classical Christian Schools.
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  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever had a chance to listen to him at a conference or interact with him
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  SPEAKER_00: via a podcast or anything,
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  SPEAKER_00: you will agree that he is one of the most knowledgeable and passionate men
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  SPEAKER_00: regarding Christian classical education today.
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  SPEAKER_00: So with this introduction,
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  SPEAKER_00: he is going to be laying not just the framework for the book,
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  SPEAKER_00: but really the history of Christian classical education,
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  SPEAKER_00: understanding that modern education was
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  SPEAKER_00: really has moved a distance away from Christ.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as we saw in the past few weeks with the Lost Tools of Learning,
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  SPEAKER_00: really has lost that drive to teach students how to think.
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  SPEAKER_00: And
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  SPEAKER_00: as sayers has said by teaching children to read we have left them at the mercy of
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  SPEAKER_00: the printed word that is without having taught them how to think early classical
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  SPEAKER_00: christian schools
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  SPEAKER_00: understood the importance of paideia, the shaping of the soul.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's similar to the shaping of a worldview, but it actually is so much deeper.
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  SPEAKER_00: For a more detailed description of paideia,
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  SPEAKER_00: you might want to check out the Association of Classical Christian Schools article entitled,
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  SPEAKER_00: What is Paideia?,
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  SPEAKER_00: They try to define the term that actually has no English translation,
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  SPEAKER_00: but they do make a good attempt at it and give really clear reasons why it is
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  SPEAKER_00: important that we address this in our students and in our schools.
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  SPEAKER_00: While the early classical Christian movement understood the importance of paideia
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  SPEAKER_00: and the necessity of reclaiming those lost tools of learning,
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  SPEAKER_00: the Christian classical movement did not just suddenly appear out of nowhere.
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  SPEAKER_00: It actually has had, David Goodwin considers, four generations since the first school started in 1992.
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  SPEAKER_00: So the first generation, as David Goodwin looks at it, is from 1992 to 2000.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the foundation of this really can be summed up to Sayers and the Trivium.
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  SPEAKER_00: We're familiar with the Lost Tools of Learning from the two podcasts we have previously done.
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  SPEAKER_00: And in that, that does mention the Trivium.
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  SPEAKER_00: I recommend if you haven't already listened to the two episodes on the Lost Tools
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  SPEAKER_00: of Learning,
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  SPEAKER_00: you might want to pause and go back and listen to those just to get the foundation
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  SPEAKER_00: for where
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  SPEAKER_00: the classical Christian school movement started,
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  SPEAKER_00: that lost tools and the trivium,
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  SPEAKER_00: realizing that it is not just levels of education as it was originally seen,
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  SPEAKER_00: but it's the levels of education and how they fit within the ages and developmental
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  SPEAKER_00: stages of students.
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  SPEAKER_00: Those two things,
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  SPEAKER_00: Sayers and the Trivium,
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  SPEAKER_00: really built the framework for moving that ancient type of education,
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  SPEAKER_00: the classic education,
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  SPEAKER_00: into a model that was usable in our modern society.
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  SPEAKER_00: In that first generation, over 100 Christian classical schools opened just in that eight year span.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now, in 2000, we actually move into what Mr. Goodwin refers to as the second generation.
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  SPEAKER_00: I want you to understand that it's not like different blocks completely.
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  SPEAKER_00: Think of it as being more stair steps.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's not that they drop what they've done before and start doing something new.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's always adding on and different views of things and different things taking focus.
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  SPEAKER_00: So in the second generation, the concepts of the Lost Tools and the Trivium Continued
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  SPEAKER_00: But they began looking for more of the integration of history and literature and
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  SPEAKER_00: philosophy and theology,
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  SPEAKER_00: all of which was based on what we would call today the Western canon.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now, I did look this up just for clarification's sake.
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  SPEAKER_00: The term Western canon is
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  SPEAKER_00: usually refers to the,
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  SPEAKER_00: and this is a direct quote,
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  SPEAKER_00: "...the body of high culture literature,
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  SPEAKER_00: music,
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  SPEAKER_00: philosophy,
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  SPEAKER_00: and works of art that are highly valued in the West,
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  SPEAKER_00: works that have achieved the status of classics."
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  SPEAKER_00: So by basing history,
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  SPEAKER_00: literature,
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  SPEAKER_00: philosophy,
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  SPEAKER_00: theology in the Western canon,
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  SPEAKER_00: we are saying that we are taking what has been considered as the best,
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  SPEAKER_00: not all necessarily coming from the West,
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  SPEAKER_00: but by the standards of the Western canon,
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  SPEAKER_00: that high culture canon.
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  SPEAKER_00: In this time period, discussion of the great books of the Western world became very important.
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  SPEAKER_00: The philosophy and the views of looking at and teaching philosophy became a focus.
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  SPEAKER_00: Art, literature, and theology actually became important to teach
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  SPEAKER_00: And Latin and Greek started to be emphasized not just as languages to know,
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  SPEAKER_00: but as a way to fully appreciate older text.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now,
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  SPEAKER_00: In the second generation,
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  SPEAKER_00: men like Andrew Kern and Veritas Press and others actually were there at the
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  SPEAKER_00: beginning of that second generation.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as that second generation was starting to come to a close,
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  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
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  SPEAKER_00: Christopher Perrin of Classical Academic Press actually became more prevalent and
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  SPEAKER_00: his ideas
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  SPEAKER_00: propelled Christian classical education into the third and fourth generation.
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  SPEAKER_00: As he started to address the fact that we are not just shaping minds,
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  SPEAKER_00: but we're shaping affections,
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  SPEAKER_00: we're shaping the hearts of the students.
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  SPEAKER_00: And he brought to the surface and to the forefront things like the pursuit of skole,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is that restful learning,
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  SPEAKER_00: that learning at leisure,
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  SPEAKER_00: and the beauty within the school community.
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  SPEAKER_00: All of those things parents started to bring to the forefront as that second
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  SPEAKER_00: generation is coming to a close.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now that was in about 2008.
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  SPEAKER_00: So in that eight year span,
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  SPEAKER_00: by the time we reach the end,
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  SPEAKER_00: there are about 200 Christian classical schools that have been opened in America.
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  SPEAKER_00: The third generation begins in 2008 and really progresses to 2018.
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  SPEAKER_00: This step realizes we need to keep what we're doing,
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  SPEAKER_00: but we need to add to that virtue and the training of the affections of our students.
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  SPEAKER_00: we became more aware of ancient sources.
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  SPEAKER_00: St.
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  SPEAKER_00: Augustine and his views became more prevalent.
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  SPEAKER_00: His definition of virtue has really helped to shape a lot of where we are today in classical education.
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  SPEAKER_00: He defined virtue as rightly ordered affections.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so really in this third generation,
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  SPEAKER_00: there starts to be a deeper understanding and more of a focused desire on the
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  SPEAKER_00: padeia structure of our schools and our students.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we began to focus on educational atmosphere as a whole.
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  SPEAKER_00: That means how the schools look,
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  SPEAKER_00: the orderliness and the beauty is shaping the students as well as the lessons that
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  SPEAKER_00: they're learning.
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  SPEAKER_00: Truth, beauty and goodness really started to be a focus.
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  SPEAKER_00: And there was a shift at this point.
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  SPEAKER_00: from not just having right behavior from students,
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  SPEAKER_00: but of developing right and true virtue,
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  SPEAKER_00: the formation of the students' souls.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that's really where that word
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  SPEAKER_00: Paideia really comes to the forefront.
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  SPEAKER_00: In that third generation,
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  SPEAKER_00: another 100 schools opened during that time,
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  SPEAKER_00: and there are now 300 classical schools in the American Association of Christian Schools.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that leads us to the fourth generation, which is 2018 to the present.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now, again, it's not like different little complete pods.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's those stair steps of building.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the fourth generation really says we need to take what we've been doing, but we
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  SPEAKER_00: We need to figure out what the seven arts and the three spheres of learning, how those fit in.
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  SPEAKER_00: We were really beginning to grapple and struggle and work through the fact that
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  SPEAKER_00: classical Christian education is not just classical learning with Christ thrown in.
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  SPEAKER_00: Or I love how Dr. Goodwin explains it with, quote, classical education with a Christian overlay.
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  SPEAKER_00: That's not what we are.
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  SPEAKER_00: From Augustine in 354 to 430 AD,
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  SPEAKER_00: all the way to the Enlightenment,
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  SPEAKER_00: which we would say is about 1750,
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  SPEAKER_00: the seven liberal arts became the foundation of Christian education way back then.
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  SPEAKER_00: Now,
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  SPEAKER_00: earlier,
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  SPEAKER_00: the Greeks and the Romans,
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  SPEAKER_00: they had the correct concept,
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  SPEAKER_00: but we would say they really lacked a centering element.
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  SPEAKER_00: They lacked a goal for their learning.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Greek word for that is a telos, which translates to a purpose or goal.
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  SPEAKER_00: Their telos was not clearly defined.
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  SPEAKER_00: As David Goodwin describes it, with
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  SPEAKER_00: the glorification of christ in the center the seven arts found unification in the
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  SPEAKER_00: medieval period so our telos our goal is christ and those seven liberal arts funnel
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  SPEAKER_00: through that
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  SPEAKER_00: Now we understand that classical Christian education is an entire philosophy of
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  SPEAKER_00: education that puts Christ as the center focus for all seven of the liberal arts.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is where Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain present to their readers the integration of
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  SPEAKER_00: the trivium,
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  SPEAKER_00: which are mainly focus of the language arts,
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  SPEAKER_00: The quadrivium,
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  SPEAKER_00: which then would be the focus of mathematical arts,
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  SPEAKER_00: both then instill intellectual virtue in the student.
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  SPEAKER_00: So we've got the trivium, the quadrivium together making the seven liberal arts.
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  SPEAKER_00: Those develop intellectual virtue.
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  SPEAKER_00: But training must be combined with training also.
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  SPEAKER_00: of moral virtue.
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  SPEAKER_00: And all seven of the liberal arts and moral virtue training have to be unified as a whole.
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  SPEAKER_00: Summing it up,
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  SPEAKER_00: Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain are basing the entire book on this definition of
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  SPEAKER_00: Christian classical education.
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  SPEAKER_00: Grounded in piety,
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  SPEAKER_00: Christian classical education is the transmission of the culture of the church
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  SPEAKER_00: through a faculty of friends who love the truth by cultivating virtue in the
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  SPEAKER_00: students in body,
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  SPEAKER_00: heart,
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  SPEAKER_00: and mind,
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  SPEAKER_00: and nurturing their love for wisdom and the faithful service of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  SPEAKER_00: That is the definition that we will be unpacking as we look at the liberal arts tradition.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we're going to close today by looking at the foreword by Dr.
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  SPEAKER_00: Peter Kruft,
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  SPEAKER_00: which gives us another view of Christian classical education that I think is really
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  SPEAKER_00: important to consider as we are getting ready to look a little more deeply into
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  SPEAKER_00: this book.
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  SPEAKER_00: By way of reference, the bio of Dr. Kreft on his website gives us an idea of where he's coming from.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is a professor of philosophy at Boston College,
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  SPEAKER_00: and as it says,
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  SPEAKER_00: quote,
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  SPEAKER_00: he loves his five grandchildren,
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  SPEAKER_00: four children,
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  SPEAKER_00: one wife,
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  SPEAKER_00: one cat,
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  SPEAKER_00: and one god.
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  SPEAKER_00: As an author of over 400 books,
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  SPEAKER_00: he's tackled such issues as a handbook of Christian apologetics and fundamentals of
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  SPEAKER_00: the faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: I also love the fact that it says, if you want to contact him, please do so via snail mail.
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  SPEAKER_00: So this is a scholar who has a foundation in scripture and in education.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is what he says,
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  SPEAKER_00: quote,
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  SPEAKER_00: this book is about a complete education in the liberal arts,
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  SPEAKER_00: which are the fundamental subjects that students will need as a foundation to build
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  SPEAKER_00: on them for the rest of their educational life.
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  SPEAKER_00: These are the subjects we need to know for life,
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  SPEAKER_00: for a life that is free and not slavish,
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  SPEAKER_00: thus the term liberal arts.
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  SPEAKER_00: He does recognize the fact that it is based on an old way,
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  SPEAKER_00: but as he says,
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  SPEAKER_00: quote,
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  SPEAKER_00: it's the best of the old and the best of the new.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's really, as he says, a description of an educational program.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's precious because children are precious.
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  SPEAKER_00: So all of those things being said,
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  SPEAKER_00: the liberal arts tradition and classical Christian schools where we are seeking to
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  SPEAKER_00: go back to that tradition before.
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  SPEAKER_00: we close as a note to many of the teachers of young students that are among the
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: listeners lest you think that the book is really only aiming for the big kids the
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: publishers had a very clear message to the teachers of our young and very young
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: scholars they really stated it clearly they said quote
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  SPEAKER_00: Integrated,
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  SPEAKER_00: holistic and humanizing curriculum that's in the book is included in this acronym
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: that we're going to be looking at a lot.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: He gymnapped.
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  SPEAKER_00: PG MAPT,
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  SPEAKER_00: Pioneer Gymnastic Music,
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  SPEAKER_00: Art,
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  SPEAKER_00: Liberal Arts,
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Philosophy,
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  SPEAKER_00: and Theology can be a wonderful resource when helping grammar school teachers that
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: kindergarten to sixth grade level when they ask themselves,
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  SPEAKER_00: How do I teach classically?
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: The ideas presented in this book are actually pointing to the fact that those
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: grammar school teachers are,
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: quote,
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: "...educating them in wonder that teaches passion more than skill and content."
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: and reminding you that in actuality,
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: primary teachers lead the entire endeavor as wonder is the condition for all future study.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you are a grammar school teacher or a home school teacher,
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: or you are a logic level or rhetoric teacher,
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  SPEAKER_00: this book is going to be for you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And over the next several weeks,
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: we're going to dig in,
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: we're going to move pretty quickly through the book,
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: but as you see it,
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you will,
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: as I have,
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: really start to get an
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's how it's supposed to work.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Not just in theory, but in the practical applications for your classroom.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: Next week, we will dive right in as we look at the paradigm upon which Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: base their entire book.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then we're going to look at Ernest into the liberal arts tradition.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm looking forward to having you join us.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you are all in with classical ed,
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: or you're just kind of curious,
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: or even you just want to be a better teacher,
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you'll stick around and join us for this next podcast.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: To get the latest episode,
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: as well as a fun little teacher's newsletter,
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: complete with a couple of classroom freebies,
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: please sign up for the Leading to Wonder newsletter.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: Or you can subscribe to the podcast directly on Apple Podcast or Spotify or wherever you listen.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: To learn more about me and Leading to Wonder, you can visit my website at leadingtowonder.com.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: No spaces.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: And finally,
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: to reach out to me directly with questions or comments or even for information
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: regarding in-house or virtual teacher training workshops,
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: feel free to email me at Darlene at leadingtowonder.com.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: Have an amazing week.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, as E.B.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: White said,
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.