A Greater Purpose…
As defined by Dr. Christopher Perrin, Classical and Christian education is a “traditional approach to education that blends Christian theology with the historic curriculum and pedagogy of the seven liberal arts in order to cultivate societal leaders characterized by wisdom, virtue, and eloquence.” Foundational to a Classical, Christian education is the establishment of a Biblical worldview (called Paideia or the cultivation of mind and morals) by the instructor. This worldview instruction is woven throughout the course of a child’s school encounters. Our goal is to disciple our students’ whole person, teaching them to love great books, to enjoy God’s majesty and creation, and to embrace truth, goodness, and beauty. We are proud to be a part of the Classical, Christian education movement, which is asking this generation to rise to a greater purpose.
The Liberal Arts
The Trivium
Grammar: The art of inventing and combining symbols
This art breaks language into its component parts. As a result, it can also be used to understand the earliest stage of education—the stage in which the most basic information is taught.
Logic: The art of thinking
This art combines ideas into well-ordered arguments. It can also be used to understand the middle stage of education, in which basic parts are combined into bigger ideas.
Rhetoric: The art of communicating
This art is the art of communicating well with others. It can also be used to understand the later stages of early education in which what has been learned is both integrated and communicated well.
*It is important to note that while understanding the Trivium as stages in the educational process can be helpful to a point, this view does have its limitations and faults. The ancient understanding of the Trivium did not include this aspect, which originated primarily with “The Lost Tools of Learning” by Dorothy Sayers in the 1940s. We at Providence Academy use this paradigm very lightly, seeking to reclaim the full, ancient conception of the Trivial Arts.
The Quadrivium
Geometry: The study of continuous quantity
Arithmetic: The study of discrete quantity
Astronomy: The study of continuous quantity with motion
Music: study of discrete quantity with motion
These arts together train the reason and allow the student to recognize and love the relationships of order, harmony, and beauty found infused within the cosmos.
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