| | |  | Curricula | Home » » Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style | | | | | | | Description: | | How can you give your children the tools they need to teach themselves? Long ago students were first taught how to learn. Today, students are taught an encyclopedia of subjects trivia but they are not taught the basic skills of learning: to discover, to reason, and to apply. They are not taught the trivium. Can you homeschool in a classical style without compromising your Christian principles? Classical Education must be sifted through the critical screen of the Scriptures to be transformed into a Biblical model. Can you homeschool in a classical style without buckling under the burden? There is only so much time in the day. For every subject, and for every age, we have a workable plan which leaves you free to breathe. You can continue to use other approaches to homeschooling within the framework of classical education. Is homeschooling about renewing family vision? The family is at the heart of God s plan for restoring Christian culture. Homeschooling is not alternative education. Homeschooling was here first. We want to restore Biblical order to education. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Harvey Bluedorn | | Paperback:
| 637 pages | | Publisher:
| Trivium Pursuit | | Publication Date:
| 2001-05 | | ISBN:
| 0974361631 | | Package Length:
| 8.7 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 35 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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75 of 79 found the following review helpful:
 Classical Home Education - A Refreshing PerspectiveOct 21, 2005
By Spin360
This book is good. A previous reviewer condemned it, although their children are still very young. The Bluedorns experience and wisdom were placed into this book after they had grown children. This, in itself, is the main reason this book is set apart from other how-to-homeschool books on the market.
Divided into two sections and two appendixes, this 637 page book contains a wealth of information. Part One gives topics such as why a Classical education should be considered, reasons a family should homeschool, ways of teaching/learning, a clear definition of the Trivium, reasons behind learning languages, the different stages of the Trivium, applying the Trivium to different homeschool philosophies, and views on literaure and history.
Part Two (my favorite), systamatically applies the Trivium philosophy with chidlren's brain devlopement in chapters such as 'Ten Things to Do Before Age Ten', 'Ten Things to Do with Children Ages Ten Through Twelve', and on through the developmental years until 'Conclusion: Life's Goals Begin at Home'.
Wow! Then to conclude this feast of information, there is two appendixes. The first appendix contains articles from various notable authors and also summaries regarding education. These tidbits are so rich that they alone are worth the price of the book.
Lastly, Appexndix 2 is a modest resource list in which there is a "Fair Warning" reminding the reader to use their own brain. Again, the Bluedorns have set themselves apart from other how-to-homeschool books because this list gives the authority of choosing the educational materials to the reader.
This is one of the best homeschooling books I have ever read. I constantly refer to it. This is a far different perspective than 99% of the others. This book gives dimension in a way that shows depth and the other side of the educational spectrum. I highly suggest reading it and slowly digesting it. Their children are grown, they have blessed me with their experience - so that I might learn from them.
53 of 56 found the following review helpful:
Praiseworthy BookFeb 12, 2006
By jillpettis
"Praiseworthythings"
Having come to Christianity late in life I have always been put off by what I like to call "Christianese" that being any number of stock phrases that Christians use to communicate complex ideas to each other. These are phrases such as "fed" or "washed in the blood." I'm so pleased to find Christian authors who have intelligent minds and use them without relying on a lot of Christian lingo to get their point across. The Bluedorns believe that educating our children is a mandate of God. They spend an entire chapter of this expounding, arguing and providing proof for this argument. That chapter alone is worth the price of the book. I found it so thought provoking that I often read portions aloud to my husband and we had many interesting discussions based on this. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. What the Bluedorns continue with in the book is a systematic approach for teaching our children in a manner that glorifies and honors God. They show us how to teach our children to not only love God with their whole heart and soul but also with their whole MIND. This is the great strength of this book.
If you are interested in Classical Education I strongly urge you to get this book. I, and many others I know, consider this a handbook or a manual if you will for how to classically educate your child. Once it has been read and understood then you can put it on the shelf close at hand to turn to again and again for answers to questions you encounter along the way. The how and the why of their plan is clearly laid out in a format that is easy to understand.
There are also chapters devoted to helping parents to use the Trivium with other methods such as Charlotte Mason as well as a discussion of some methods that do not fit well with the Trivium such as Unschooling. These chapters contain discussions and explanations of each method. This would be very valuable for those approaching educating their child for the first time as they investigate what method they will use.
Part two of the book is titled "The Practical Trivium" and contains valuable, hands on information for how to teach your child. All areas of study and ages are covered. Finally lists of specific resources and where you can obtain them are given. This is the part that I turn to again and again. The information here is extensive and exhaustive. The explanations and reasons are clear and easy to understand.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who home educates their child. The information is intelligent and thought provoking. You will come away well educated on the subject of homeschooling in addition to having valuable tools for carrying out homeschooling.
39 of 41 found the following review helpful:
 "Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style"Oct 10, 2005
By Rachel Starr Thomson
Trivium is, according to Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn, the way in which God created us to learn. Claiming that "If we ever learned anything, then we learned it by the Trivium method--whether we knew it or not," the Bluedorns lay down detailed theories and plans for deliberately teaching by the Trivium, the ancient method by which mankind learns how to learn.
Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn began their own journey through classical education when they first started homeschooling in 1980. Their emphasis on classical learning styles and subjects has given them a unique voice in today's homeschooling culture. "Teaching the Trivium" is the result of their many years of exploring and experimenting; learning and teaching. Originally published as a series of eight booklets, the information in "Teaching the Trivium" has been expanded and combined to produce an overview of classical education for homeschoolers.
Though it is emphasised that Trivium is not a list of subjects but a way of learning, the book does give a great deal of time to classical subjects such as formal logic, ancient languages, and literature. Various educational practices are resurrected from the past and reintroduced to homeschooling families: copywork and narration, oratory and debate. The book features plenty of practical helps and curriculum recommendations, making every subject accessible. Trivium is also applied to the stages of child development, giving suggestions on when to teach what for the best possible results. Because of the great volume of information in this book, I recommend that parents make good use of the detailed Table of Contents.
"Teaching the Trivium," however, is anything but a dry and objective look at a system of learning. It is heavily infused with the Bluedorns' worldview, which makes it a valuable resource for anyone wondering how homeschooling fits into Scriptural commands, how to tackle subjects from a strongly Christian perspective, or how classical education, generally thought of as pagan in origin, can be reconciled with the gospel (quite easily, the book claims--Trivium was God's idea, not man's, and we were created to learn by it). Whether or not readers agree with every point in the book, they will find themselves challenged and their understanding of education enriched.
(...)
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
CHRISTIAN classical homeschooling without the prep school pressureJan 13, 2009
By Sara M. Cappello
You will most likely not like this book if A)You do not believe that Jesus Christ is God, B)You consider yourself a theologically liberal Christian or C) You think that your homeschool should feel like a prep school at home. Fair warning?
Previous reviewers have already explained the Bluedorns' approach, so I will not go into the hows and whys of that here. All I will say is, I have 5 children and my older two (who are now "school" age) are blossoming within the Bluedorns' approach, and they are very different from each other in the ways and speed with which they learn. And amazingly, even with 5 children, this approach DOES leave us with a breathable, workable day.
I spent the first six years of my oldest's life reading anything and everything about homeschooling and child brain development, since we knew we wanted to homeschool. My husband and I finally settled on the Bluedorns' approach since it made the most sense in terms of child development and for our purposes: aiming to make our children independent scholars with a zest for learning. The other critical factor for us is that the Bluedorns' approach (they give you principles to work with, not rules about what you can and cannot do) begins with the bible as the foundation of all things, it's not tacked on as "Religious Studies".
If you are curious about this book, but are hesitant to spend the money on it, I would highly recommend you first listen to their free audio seminars on their website. This will give you a very good idea of what you will find in the book (although in the book they go into greater detail of each stage of learning and subject matter). Type "trivium pursuit" into your search engine and you will find their website.
And no, I do not know the Bluedorns, nor is this a solicited commercial for their business. My motivation for reviewing and promoting it is that I know personally so many Christians who want to homeschool classically and with a Christian foundation and are stuggling under the prep-school style weight of another popular book, and I have a feeling there are more of you out there.;-)
28 of 31 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Resource!Mar 07, 2007
By Dena L. Wood
As a former Valedictorian with a relatively positive public school experience people are often surprised to learn of my choice to homeschool, especially since my faith was not a factor when I made that decision. My reasons hinged on the fact that, though I got excellent grades, I knew and understood very little that I could apply practically. I was skilled at memorization and test-taking, making me a "success". Harvey & Laurie Bluedorn's Teaching the Trivium focuses on this very concern.
"How can you give your children the tools they need to teach themselves? Long ago students were first taught how to learn. Today, students are taught an encyclopedia of subjects - trivia - but they are not taught the basic skills of learning: to discover, to reason, and to apply. They are not taught the Trivium." ~Bluedorn
Teaching the Trivium is 640 pages explaining the "whys" as well as the "hows" of educating your child Classically without compromising your Christian principles. You'll find schedules, courses of study, principles for teaching literature and much more. If you desire to raise Godly children who are able to teach themselves anything: to discover, to reason , to apply - then this book is a must-read. Whether you're sold on Classical Education or not you'll find much to consider and apply.
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