A Renewed Perspective of Education

 

           A Review of Dorothy Sayers' Essay, "The Lost Tools of Learning"

            For generations the education system has been floundering. Having followed the methods of John Dewey and the mechanical philosophy of Frederick Taylor, public schools are a bureaucratic mass measured by test performance and the ability to inculcate the latest social ideas. Countless parents know there are problems but do not know how to address them. Many educators know that the system is failing to provide students with what they need but have grown apathetic after years of striving within the system. Where is the hope for educating our children when such conditions exist and the system itself seems to be on an endless downward spiral?

            Dorothy Sayers’ essay, “The Lost Tools of Learning,” is timelier today than it was when it was written in 1947. The problems she identified then seem only to have multiplied in the more than sixty years hence. Students have greater access to knowledge today than they did in medieval times yet foolishness abounds. There is a world of information available through technology, but no wisdom as to how and when it should be used. And as Mrs. Sayers so aptly expressed in her essay, “Is it not the great defect of our education to-day… that although we often succeed in teaching our pupils "subjects," we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think?” 

            Sayers seeks to address the dilemma of teaching students how to think by calling for a return to the Trivium (grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric stages of learning). These three stages of education were the hallmark of medieval learning and provided students with the tools to learn anything. Beginning in the grammar phase students focus on basic memorization of facts.  Next they progress to the dialectic stage where they learn how to debate those facts.  Finally, the process culminates in the rhetoric stage when students learn to craft a persuasive argument. Utilizing this approach enables students to learn any subject rather than only regurgitating what the teacher said. Mrs. Sayers gives examples of how it can be used when teaching history, math, and science, among other subjects.

               Integral to Sayers' teaching on instituting these methods is the absolute necessity of holding to God's Word as the foundation for all knowledge.  This is what sets her apart from the many who call for a return to ancient methods while insisting that human reason alone is the standard for measuring truth. Mrs. Sayers begs to differ. She pinpoints theology as the “Mistress-science,” a view that was believed by all of Christendom until the Enlightenment. She acknowledges that some would choose to disregard teaching theology, but warns that, “Those who disagree about this will remain content to leave their pupils' education still full of loose ends.” That is the beauty of classical Christian education. It teaches that life is a cohesive fabric interwoven together with Christ as the center, as well as the thread that holds creation together. When divine revelation is denied as the basis for all truth, all that remains is the quicksand of human philosophy. In the words of King Solomon, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” 

             "The Lost Tools of Learning" provides a refreshing and invigorating perspective for those who have become disenchanted with modern education. For those who know the failures of our current system, the Trivium is an excellent alternative to conventional education methods and provides the key that can free future generations from the entrapment of "democratic" education. Thanks to Sayers' work (among others), the last three decades have seen a revival of classical Christian education, and parents and teachers alike have renewed hope and a vision for educating their children in the wisdom of God.