“Classical Education from a Firehose”
Dr. Brian Phillips
Director of Consulting – CIRCE Institute
1 hr. 4 min. video from the 2015 Catholic Classical Schools Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t64WwOPIz9s
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State of Education in America is compared to the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes
o When you are in the minority, seeing some of the problems, you may feel isolated
o We need faith to make changes that go against the mainstream
C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity”: Progress means taking steps toward the place you want to
be. If you’ve taken a wrong turn, progress is turning back and walking back to the right road.
o The man that turns back soonest is the most progressive man.
o By returning to classical education we’ve chosen to turn back to make progress
Anthony Esolin, wrote the forward to “Beauty and the Word” by Stratford Caldecott:
o We cannot properly educate without reference to the soul (ie. knowing who we are, that
we are made in the image and likeness of God)
o Being part of an approach or system that doesn’t take that (the above) into
consideration and make that the focal point is no education at all.
David Hicks, “Norms and Nobility”: Education reflects our primary assumptions about the
nature of man. The way we teach, structure our school, select curriculum, etc. reflects our
assumptions.
o No education is innocent of an attitude toward man and his purposes
o There is no neutral stance, since the lack of something (nature of man and God, etc..)
speaks volumes and has consequences
Pedagogy – the way we teach
Curriculum – what we teach
o affects the spiritual formation of students
o nurtures the souls of students ALL THE TIME; our whole approach affects the child
Caldecott examines the trivium in light of the nature of the soul of the student and teacher.
o The trivium does not just tie into child development; it corresponds to the very nature
of who we are; it puts the soul into more of an incarnate form, tying it to the trinity.
The trivium is rooted in the character of God himself. It is a return back to true
Christian education. It is reclaiming our tradition and identity as Catholics.
o Grammar Stage – Remembering
 To be, we must remember our origins and ends (God the Father)
 is the beginning of all communication, from God who loves us before we loved
Him. (We come from the Father.)
 Is a foundational understanding that we are being. (In order to understand
being, we must remember our relationship to the Father.)
o Logic – Thinking
 is discovering the Father, so that we become thinkers.
 awakens thought within ourselves, which is the following of the Light of Truth
(Jesus)
 is walking with the Son, the Logos Incarnate, leading to the knowledge of the
Father, that only the Son possesses, and those with whom he shares it
o Rhetoric – Speaking
 is sharing done through the Spirit, the breath of the Father that carries the Word
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is communication closely related to communion/bringing together the Spirit, the
rhetoric of God
Classical education is primarily about how we become more human and more free. It’s not
about doing or acquiring skills, it’s about who we become.
When we teach our students, we want them to behold the truth, not just memorize facts. This
means equipping them to remember, think and speak, not as skills, but as aspects of their
being. (Helps us understand the trivium in light of the Trinity.)
Students are God’s image bearers. It should affect how they are taught.
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Ravi Jain & Kevin Clark, “The Liberal Arts Tradition”: The trivium is a good start, but we
must go further to understand classical education
o Medieval saying: Grammar speaks, logic teaches words and rhetoric colors words
o The trivium must be coupled with the quadrivium (7 Liberal Arts)
 The 7 liberal arts lays the paths to all further studies and the trivium is only part
of the puzzle.
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CIRCE Institute’s definition of classical education: The cultivation of wisdom and virtue, by
nourishing the soul on truth, goodness and beauty, by means of the 7 liberal arts and the four
sciences (natural, theological, human and philosophical).
Classical education also understands that Christ is the center, the logos (unifying principle)
o Everything else flows out of Christ. He is the source of all truth, knowledge, wisdom,
goodness and beauty.
Classical education is the only form of education that requires teachers to teach in the way that
students learn, because it takes in mind the soul and the nature of the student, the fact that
they are made in the image and likeness of God.
This requires more of teachers than taking a new teaching model and including a religion class
o We can’t expect vastly different results if we’re doing almost everything the same as
the rest of the world.
o Schooling must educate our humanity, not focus on peripheral goals like test scores.
Those things come secondarily. Our primary purpose should be in the forefront.
o It requires us to teach differently (our pedagogy) because we understand the purpose of
education differently (the cultivation of wisdom and virtue).
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How do we teach?: Mimetic and Socratic teaching (2 sides to 1 coin), not 2 different methods
o The way we teach is driven by our purpose, not by a method, you want to embody this
for your students
o Aiming to cultivate wisdom and virtue in self and students, leads to certain ways of
teaching
o Our purpose determines our approach/method
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Mimetic Instruction: God has made us to learn by imitation (embodying truth)
o We try to imitate (embody) what we see and behold
o As teachers, the most important thing to do is to direct students to behold or
contemplate the right things
o Tries to teach students to contemplate truth, goodness and beauty
o For teachers: they must know the truth (the logos) to imitate (embody) it, not just
theologically or philosophically
o Asks: “How will you imitate (embody) whatever truth you’re trying to teach? How will
you make it real?”
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Stages of Mimetic Instruction:
o How do you embody any truth?
o How will/do you draw the students to see what the truth is?
o How do you go beyond memorizing for the test so students can remember, think and
speak it, and also grow in wisdom, understanding and knowledge?
1. Tell students’ stories (Embody the truth)…Remembering
o Makes the subject ALIVE and help them understand the subject is REAL
o Allows one to present types, and helps them to truly understand the greater issues
o Makes the people in history HUMAN, (embody the truth)
o Is even possible in math
o Give concrete examples of what math is and does (use manipulatives when
younger, examples when older)
o Every math problem is a story, an embodiment of the truth
o Science is a great subject to embody (easy to see, perceive and behold)
2. Comparison (Contemplation)….Thinking
o Telling students stories with many different examples of subjects, then
compare/contrast types
o Because we are hardwired to learn by comparing/contrasting – we do it without
realizing it
o Draws out what students are already noticing and contemplating, so they can better
understand and master it
o Students are not just memorizing definitions; they’re contemplating, noting
consistencies/inconsistencies and then can move beyond to remember and express
o Students can see it, think about it, understand it and then speak it
3. Expression...Speaking
o Gives students the chance to give examples themselves
o Expression of the truth shows mastery, (This is where Socratic method comes in)
o Asking questions in response to the student’s expression to guide them to the truth
(expose and correct error without giving the answer), or guiding them to an even
deeper truth
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Mimetic/Didactic Teaching (Mimesis)
o Is rooted in the idea that we learn by imitation, from the specific to the general.
o Through a handful of examples, stories and comparisons, one ultimately teaches
greater concepts, a truth that goes way beyond those examples
o Enable teachers to embody the truth through their students
o Is liberating because one is not teaching to the test (not just covering the material)
 nurtures student’s soul with truth, goodness and beauty
 helps students learn to remember, think, speak and find the truth wherever it is
 helps students not to need you (the teacher) anymore
 is liberal (meaning free or freeing) – helps set students’ souls and minds free so
they can think for themselves
 Students will shock you with what they know if you teach them mimetically.
 brings out creativity and energy, both for students and teachers, and works with
how we were made (how we learn),
o Teaches students, not subjects
If you take God and the soul of man out of the teaching equation, you limit your
ability to succeed
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