Trivium
The trivium is a theory of education. This schema is sometimes referred to as classical education, but it is more accurately a development of the 12th and 13th centuries rather than a direct descendant of the educational systems of antiquity.
In medieval universities, the trivium comprised the three subjects taught first, grammar, logic, and rhetoric. [1] Grammar is the mechanics of a language; logic (or dialectic — logic and dialectic were synonymous at the time) is the "mechanics" of thought and analysis; rhetoric is the use of language to instruct and persuade. (As Latin was both a second language and the international language of scholarship and thought, it had to be learned intentionally and thoroughly.) These were considered preparatory fields for the quadrivium, which was made up of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. In turn, the quadrivium was considered preparatory work for the serious study of philosophy and theology. The trivium was the beginning of the liberal arts. At many medieval universities this would have been the principal undergraduate course.
The word trivium is Latin, meaning "the three ways" or "the three roads", and serves as a root for the concept of triviality. This discipline left in our day words such as 'trivia', 'grammar school' and 'elementary school'.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "A cure for the educational crisis: Learn from the extraordinary educational heritage of the West". RenewAmerica analyst. Retrieved 2006-06-02.