Morning Glory Academy

What is a Classical education?  What are the Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric stages?  What does ‘University Model’ mean?   Here’s how we define some of the key terms you will encounter in our descriptions of MGA. 

University model:  Similarly to college and university classes, in a university-model school the student does NOT attend classes all day, each week day.  Instead, students study at home to prepare for class time, and come to class prepared for review, discussion, labs, and teacher instruction.  It is a true collaborative effort between the student’s self-study and preparation and the class time that offers peer interaction and learning environment, guided by an adult teacher.

Classical education:    Classical education means different things to different families, educators, and schools.  At MGA, we believe a classical education defines both the content and pedagogy of an education.   Our content is guided by the principles of a’ liberal arts’ education.  Liberal refers to a broad-based education across all the core subjects, the ‘arts.’   A classical educator:
trains children in math concepts;  
introduces them to all the science disciplines;
teaches all of world history chronologically, since that is the order in which this ‘story’ did unfold;
reviews the geography of the whole world, not just one country;
explains the phonics and spelling rules that govern much of our language;  and
introduces students to good literature.  
The classical method (pedagogy) of teaching is to tailor the content to the age of the children, and to have reasonable expectations based on their maturity.   Content is guided by this sequence:  knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.  These three phases of content parallel the developmental stages of grammar, logic and rhetoric (outlined below).

Knowledge - facts and information;  the building blocks that form the basis for future learning. 

Understanding – seeing the connections between times, events, and people one has studied, and beginning to evaluate relative importance and form opinions based on a wider framework of knowledge.

Wisdom – comparing the information received and the viewpoints encountered with God-given truth, and responding to circumstances righteously.

For a Christian, a classical education is a search for truth, and a commitment to personal virtue.

 Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric:  these are terms used by Classical educators to refer to developmental phases of a child’s life, described in detail below.  Our Grammar School (GS) serves students in the Grammar stage and early Logic stage.  Our Upper School (US) serves students in Logic and Rhetoric stages.

Grammar Stage is the phase of development in a child’s life that begins at birth and ends about 12 years of age. Grammar stage students are building a foundation for future learning by gathering basic information about the world around them. The learning focus at this stage is on building their knowledge base while developing basic skills, including reading for information. They need lots of hands-on, activity-based learning. They are sponges, absorbing information, and mentally cataloging it for future use. Their analytical skills are very basic, and generally they will parrot back to you the information they’ve received, with little analysis added. But that’s okay, because this stage is all about taking in facts and building a frame of reference for the world around them. Such learning lays a foundation for future learning and decision-making.

Logic Stage begins at approximately 11-12 years of age. Children in the logic stage of learning are moving from acquiring basic knowledge about the world around them to beginning to see themselves as part of the greater whole; beginning to make and test the connections between the parts of the whole, including themselves; and forming their own individual and sometimes distinct view of the whole. They ask questions and question the answers. They are beginning to articulate their view and need the interaction of a group of fellow learners to test and expand their ideas. Additionally, they need to develop their ability to express themselves coherently, verbally and in writing.

Rhetoric Stage students are generally 14-18 years old, and are learning to not only analyze written material and arguments, comparing it to their standard of truth, but to defend their position orally and in writing. They are acquiring enough knowledge of the history of the world to wisely measure current events and place them in the context of our human history. They will read enough literature to begin to recognize themes of good and evil, to identify wisdom vs. folly, and to consider the consequences of ideas. These students are preparing to encounter the wider world as adults, by learning to read critically, analyze thoughtfully, and articulate their beliefs clearly.  At MGA, Rhetoric students will read adult-level fiction and biographies for their Humanities studies, and use high school/college level texts for history, math and science.