The Trivium

The Trivium is a three-stage educational method which conducts a student through his course of learning in a way which correlates systematically with his natural developmental stages.

The first stage of this three-part methodology is the grammar stage, during which time young students are most able to memorize the many facts and particulars of each subject area. The grammar stage corresponds approximately with the elementary school years. Students learn and memorize the grammar of math (addition and subtraction facts, multiplication tables, the ordering of time and money), geography (mountains, rivers, state capitals), science (formulas, definitions), history (wars, kings, dates), and so on.

Students then proceed (at around the time of the middle school years) to take the facts and knowledge they've accumulated and study their relationships during what is known as the dialectic (or logic) stage. Students analyze how the many pieces of what they've learned affect one another and learn to reason using the laws of formal logic and correct argumentation.

In the third stage of the Trivium, students focus on learning to express themselves with excellence. The material which they've accumulated in the grammar stage, and learned to analyze and understand in the dialectic stage, is now polished and presented in the rhetoric stage. The later high school years, which correspond with the rhetoric stage, are a time of learning to communicate and present knowledge in a manner which is worthy of the excellent education our students have received.

These three stages, grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric, compose the Trivium and are the methodological backbone of a River Academy education.

For a more in-depth examination of the the Trivium, read Dorothy Sayers' article, The Lost Tools of Learning.

The Trivium In Action

The Grammar stage (K-6th)

At the Grammar stage of learning at TRA, students develop a fundamental mastery of all basic subjects. Specifically the grammar (the basics) of reading, writing, grammar (for both English and Latin), and math.

With proficiency in these subjects, students can later take on new and more complex topics because they have this solid foundation. Students do a lot of memorizing, reciting, singing, and exploring at this stage–with repetition to reinforce those ideas. And they receive and exciting overview of the entire Bible, all of World History, and an introduction to great works of literature.

Dialectic (7th-9th)

Next, our students embark on the Dialectic, or Logic, journey of our curriculum. This is the “why” behind a thought or an argument (have you noticed that teens like to argue?). At this stage, students begin to develop their critical thinking skills to parse truth from opinion.

This dialectic phase is grounded by a formal class in logic, and all the other subjects reinforce it through discussions, debates, research projects, presentations, and readings–all aimed at helping students develop independent and critical thinking skills.

Rhetoric (10th-12th)

In the final stage of the Trivium, students increasingly become independent thinkers and communicators. The study and practice of rhetoric is the art of communication through the use of persuasive speaking and writing. Even in math and science they exercise their communication skills. They do far more public speaking that culminates in the Senior Thesis Defense.

For their Senior Thesis Project, students choose a topic and spend the better part of the year researching and writing this final paper; then they present and defend their thesis to an audience of their peers, teachers, and the public. Our goal is to produce students who can articulate themselves with grace, truth, and poise.