PROGRESSIVE RETROGRESSION: THE CLASSICAL TRIVIUM AS A MODEL FOR K-12 INSTRUCTION

Abstract: The ancient trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric was resurrected as an educational tool in small-town America in the 1980s. Today, a movement of so-called “classical’ educators considers the use of the trivium to be a cornerstone of their curriculum and pedagogy. Despite its 40-year history and ancient pedigree, this educational paradigm has largely escaped the notice of education researchers; therefore little is known about it, or the potential for trivium-based learning to positively impact elementary, secondary, or higher education. This study seeks to shed light on classical, trivium-based curriculum and instruction, including how practitioners themselves define it, and what it looks like in a K-12 classroom. An embedded, single-site case study design was utilized, with data collected via faculty interviews, classroom observations, and curriculum documents including class assignments, assessments, and samples of student work. Findings provide new insights into how classical educators relate child development to the trivium disciplines, and yield revelations about the true nature of the classical learning paradigm. It is likely that the classical education movement will continue to grow and spread its influence, as it has at an accelerated rate since the Covid-19 pandemic. This study has successfully expanded the limited body of knowledge and published literature about this enigmatic movement and its core tenet, the trivium, providing new information that may prove useful to researchers, educators, and families considering enrollment in a classical school.