Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style [Paperback]

Harvey Bluedorn (Author), Laurie Bluedorn (Author), Johannah Bluedorn (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style is by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn, the world's reigning experts on this subject. As long ago as 1989, the Bluedorns were writing on classical education for homeschoolers -- long before any other book on the topic emerged -- as well as promoting it through their speaking at hundreds of conventions. They certainly know how to teach you how to do classical homeschooling from a Christian perspective. Their 640-page book holds you by the hand and takes you right through all the how-tos..... --Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling

Classical education, with its emphasis on teaching languages, logic, rhetoric, literature, and history, is gaining notoriety among Christians these days. Private schools dedicated to this method of learning are popping up all over the country, and homeschoolers have long embraced the concepts. But there is classical education and then there is Christian classical education. The Bluedorns are all about the latter -- reclaiming for Christianity the ideas often credited to classical Greek scholars. They explain the Trivium -- the idea that there are three distinct learning stages in a child's life -- and tell you how to teach to maximum effect in each of those stages. --Christianity Today Magazine

The Bluedorns are true pioneers in classical Christian education. For years, they ve been sharing what they ve learned through their research as well as through their experience teaching their own children, and through interaction with thousands of other parents across the country.... --Cathy Duffy Reviews

About the Author

Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn started homeschooling their children in the late 70's and have given workshops on homeschooling and classical education for support groups and at conventions across the country. Their publishing company Trivium Pursuit produces books and curricula to help parents use classical education in their homeschool.

Product Details

• Paperback: 637 pages
• Publisher: Trivium Pursuit (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974361631
• ISBN-13: 978-0974361635
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classical Home Education - A Refreshing Perspective, October 21, 2005

By 

Spin360 (Colorado) - See all my reviews

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 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Praiseworthy Book, February 11, 2006

By 

jillpettis "Praiseworthythings" (Kansas) - See all my reviews

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 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style", October 10, 2005

By 

Rachel Starr Thomson (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

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.

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