Trivium Mastery

  A Good Overview of Classical Education

IRead. DoYou? of Washington, 10/24/2011

“Trivium Mastery” by Diane B. Lockman sets out to make Classical Education understandable to all, especially those of us who have no idea what Classical Education really is all about. Divided into three main sections, Part One of “Trivium Mastery” explains the history of Classical Education and details the main components, Part Two gives real-life case studies helpful to applying this study approach within your own homeschool and Part Three contains appendices and assessment tools for gauging how a child is progressing in their education.

On the whole, this book is very helpful as a concise explanation of what the Classical Education style is and what it can do for your children. Lockman does thoroughly detail the history of this education style and outlines the main precepts of a Classical Education. At times, though, the book itself is awkward. For example, Lockman refers to people without explaining who or why she is mentioning them. Within one page Lockman might be explaining Classical Education as if she is speaking to a novice homeschooler, then within the next paragraph she seems to be directing argumentative phrases at those she calls “neoclassical” educators. Most perplexingly, the book does not contain an index nor does it contain explanations or answers for each of the specific assessment tools listed in Part Three.

After reading Lockman’s book I can finally understand the benefits of this teaching approach. Since my children are approaching teen years, I do anticipate Diane B. Lockman’s upcoming book “Socratic Paideia: Dialogue Drives Instruction” devoted to the post-trivium years. While my family will never be a true Classical Education homeschool, I am certain we will be classically tweaking our current homeschooling style in the coming years. Despite its editorial failings, “Trivium Mastery” does succeed in making Classical Education accessible to all and for that I give this book 4 of 5 stars.