The classical model of education has been refined and tested for over 2,500 years and was still the dominant approach in the United States as recently as the early 20th century. Building on the cultural heritage of the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, the classical education model trained nearly every great leader, scientist, and scholar of Western civilization.
Following Dorothy Sayers essay “The Lost Tools of Learning,” the modern resurgence of the classical method recognizes three learning stages. These stages generally correspond to the natural development of the student’s mind as the student grows in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom:
With a classical education, student acquire “the tools of learning,” which enable them to continue as lifelong students wherever God calls them to serve, whatever He calls them to do.
We encourage parents to come and visit us and spend some time in our classrooms to observe what our curriculum is about. Here is a glimpse of some activities you will find in the classroom:
Some things your child will read…
Some things your child will do…
Recitation:
In K-5th grade, the primary learning focus is the mastery of reading, writing, ciphering (doing math), and acquiring facts. Grammar school students love to memorize using songs, chants, rhythm, and rhyme. We use these techniques to teach students all sorts of factual material including oceans and continents, major pharaohs of Egypt, taxonomy classification (biology), Greek and Roman history, the Battle of Marathon, multiplication tables, the Periodic Table of the Elements, countries of the world, selected Shakespeare, the parts of speech, prime numbers to 100, numerous Bible passages, and a Renaissance and Reformation timeline, and much more!
Some things your child will read…
Some things your child will do…
Socratic teaching:
Socratic teaching is a form of guided question and answer. It is highly effective in teaching children to think. The teacher typically asks a broad “opinion” question that seems to have no clear answer. Then, as the students attempt to answer, the teacher guides them through the use of logic toward a conclusion. While this may seem straightforward, Socratic teaching is an art. It requires time to master and use effectively, which is why most schools do not practice it. St. Stephen’s Academy uses this method of instruction because we are more focused on training students to think than filling their heads with more and more information.
Some things your child will read…
Some things your child will do…
Senior Thesis:
In our high school, students are focused on learning, integrating, and communicating truth as they become wise and virtuous people. The capstone of the high school is the senior thesis. This project involves selecting an important topic, researching primary and secondary sources relating to a question, and writing and orally defend this thesis in front of faculty. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the logic and rhetoric skills acquired in middle school. The senior thesis also gives students the formative experience of completing a substantial writing project that will serve them well in college and beyond.
For more information about our curriculum, please review our Lower School Curriculum Overview and Upper School Curriculum Overview.