He was doing great and here’s why.Ĭlassical Conversations is designed to teach according to the particular level of brain development at each age. I emailed her and asked her how her dyslexic son managed such a rigorous academic load, full of foreign language, grammar and memory work. Then a friend of mine, whose son is dyslexic, started a CC group in our town. Knowing the inherent working memory weaknesses that kids with dyslexia have, no sane parent of dyslexic child would dare to consider such a rigorous program, right? When most people think of CC they think of children of superior IQ chanting long lists of Latin verbs and reciting elaborate passages from memory. If you aren’t familiar with Classical Conversations (CC) it is a homeschooling approach based on the 3 phases of the classical education model Grammar, Dialectic and Rhetorical. One thing I never considered for more than 5 minutes, however, was Classical Conversations. Trying, tweaking and switching out homeschool curricula is just part of the homeschool experience whether your kids have dyslexia, as 7 of my 8 kids do, or not. At least it feels that way and a quick look at my bookshelves pretty much confirms it. These skills are practiced in every subject (math, science, history, geography, Latin, fine arts, and more), which prepares students to become leaders in any field they pursue.After homeschooling kids with dyslexia for 20 years, I’ve tried just about every homeschool curriculum out there. Lewis, and Thomas Jefferson.Ĭlassical education is sometimes called “leadership education” because it builds skills needed for leadership: logic, debate, public speaking, clear reasoning, researching, writing, and communicating. This is the classical model of education that was used by the great thinkers and leaders of the past, including Aristotle, Plato, C.S. Classical Conversations includes both Latin and classical literature, but when we say “classical,” we are referring to the three stages of learning listed above, which guide our programs, tutors, parents, and students. We call this the rhetoric stage and our Challenge I through Challenge IV programs are designed to help students learn and exercise these skills across many subjects.Ĭlassical schools vary in their definition of “classical.” Some educators believe that classical education simply means adding Latin to a modern education others define it as the study of classical works of literature. Older teens usually enjoy this process because they long to express themselves and be creative problem solvers. In reading, this would be the time to focus on the themes and context of what you have read and to apply the lessons learned. ![]() The third stage in learning a subject is to use what you’ve learned to solve a problem, write an original paper or speech, or lead a discussion. The Rhetoric Stage: Communicating the truth of the subjects learned in the dialectic stage through writing, speech, or conversation We capitalize on this through our Essentials, Challenge A and Challenge B programs. Children generally enjoy this process most between the ages of ten and thirteen. ![]() We call this stage the dialectic stage because much of the work done in this process is accomplished through dialogue. For example, when learning to read, students will learn how to put letters together to form words and how to construct a sentence. The second step in learning a subject is to sort, compare, and understand the words and the rules that apply to them. The Dialectic Stage: Asking questions, sorting, comparing, and practicing the knowledge learned in the grammar stage In this program, students receive the building blocks for later learning in science, math, geography, Latin, English grammar, history, fine arts, and public speaking. ![]() We capitalize on their enjoyment by teaching young students the grammar of many subjects using songs and chants and practicing with friends.įoundations is the Classical Conversations grammar-stage program. Young children enjoy this phase: they love repeating songs, chanting rhymes, and pronouncing big words. Classical educators call this the grammar stage. For example, when you learn to read, you learn the names of the letters and the sounds they make. The first step in learning any subject is to learn the vocabulary. The Grammar Stage: Learning the words and terms associated with a subject The classical model divides learning into three phases:
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