The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education (Third Edition) Hardcover – June 1, 2021

I was introduced to the Christian classical model of education fairly recently and have since been looking for more information about this fascinating movement. This book expands on earlier writings (Rediscovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Dough Wilson and several others). What I liked was its overall clarity and thorough examination of the curriculum (content) of the classical model.The authors discuss the reasons to include Piety, Gymnastics and Music, in addition to the seven liberal arts, as well as Philosophy and Theology to unify all the rest (PGMAPT in abbreviated form).This a great book to check out if you are looking to build on a base of previous readings on the subject. It was quite academic (at least it seemed to be, according to this laymen!) and the footnotes were extensive if you want to pursue any of the topics discussed further.

This book does a wonderful job of acknowledging the great advances that have been made in classical Christian education by the likes of Dorothy Sayers and Doug Wilson, while also doing a great job of casting a vision for the next steps to be taken. The rediscovery of the Trivium has been wonderful, so now it is time to take the next step of rediscovering the Quadrivium. This book helps us move forward without losing sight of the gains that have been made in the past.

This short work, along with Stratford Caldecott's  Beauty in the Word: Rethinking the Foundations of Education , offers great hope for modern educators. I am excited by this fresh vision for an old and tried model of education.Caldecott exchanges the trivium word 'grammar' with 'remembering'. Clark and Jain use 'music' instead of the word grammar. Both exchanges go a long way towards bringing healing to the classical model which has been ravished by an over-emphasis on 'grammar' as poll parrot trickery.The Liberal Arts Tradition also includes a lively discussion on the place of the sciences in a humanities curriculum. This discussion made me want to read Euclid and study physics, a first for me.If you are a Christian Classical educator you cannot go wrong buying this book. It is a valuable addition to the great conversation.

This will be one of my go-to books for explaining classical education. The authors interest with a number of contemporary sources, as well as the ancient wisdom on education (of course). They helpfully explain and illustrate the different aspects of the liberal arts curriculum through the PGMAPT mnemonic device -- piety, gymnastic, music, arts, philosophy, and theology.

Too much of what is said about classical education is vague and historically dubious -- as if waxing sentimental about the transcendentals and wonder, or just saying the word 'Trivium' frequently, will make you a better educator. This book is a great remedy for all of that.Clark and Jain have studied the concrete Western educational tradition carefully, and give an excellent view of the whole, along with a fantastic bibliography for those who want to read more deeply for themselves.They might be in a little over their heads on some of the more subtle philosophical questions that the book introduces, and the occasional use of Calvinist jargon may be off-putting to some readers. But these are minor reservations -- if you are involved in classical education in any way, or just interested in learning more about it, you should read this clear and well-researched summary.

This is a very helpful and inspiring book on giving our kids a classic Christian education! It’s definitely one to have on hand to refer to often as you retrain your brain on how to educate... particularly the majority who did not have classical education.

This is a lovely, thoughtful, and accessible book for anyone wanting to learn more about classical education. The chart in the back mapping out the journey if a classically educated student is worth the price of the book alone, and helps parents and educators have vision for the long haul. The book is well-written and inspiring, and I look forward to exploring all the footnoted resources for further study.Lesli RichardsAuthor of The Homegrown Preschooler

We needed this book and now it's here. Clark and Jain explain the inner logic of classical education in a manner fully consistent with the heritage of classical education with no ideological twists and turns and a level of scholarly inquiry that will enrich the classical renewal for a long time. Once you've read a book or two to introduce you to classical education and have started to ask the deeper questions about its history and nature, get this book and use it as a permanent reference.