ACADEMICS
> About Classical Education
New Chapel Homeschool Cooperative finds academic fidelity in a rich
tradition of education which has blessed God’s people for thousands of years: Classical Education.
Download Claritas "Sequence & Scope" information.
Classical Christian education affirms that Christians must
fulfill the command given by God in Ephesians 6:4, “Bring them [children]
up in the discipline and instruction [Paideia] of the Lord.” The “paideia
of the Lord” is instruction in all of life with the Lord as the center
and giver of all knowledge. Therefore, at New Chapel Homeschool Cooperative, all subjects
are taught as part of an integrated whole with Scripture at the center.
Learning, indeed, is not compartmentalized; rather all
subjects should be integrated as to give a deeper and broader
understanding. Students learn how literature and history and science and
theology are related and are shown how all knowledge ultimately points back to
God, the Creator of all things. The selection of subjects of a classical
school will also be focused so they can be taught with depth and integration.
Classical teachers model a Biblical Christian life. They
encourage each student to begin and develop a relationship with God through
Jesus by the Spirit. They have a love for learning and a passion to teach
students as they say, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”
Classical Christian education encourages all students to
develop a lifelong love for learning and attain their academic potential. They
are challenged with the great books of western civilization, theology,
philosophy, and history. They learn to analyze books through the lens of
the biblical worldview. Books are curated in such a way to cultivate the
mind and train them in virtue.
Classical Christian education utilizes the “trivium” ( a
word to encompass the progression through grammar, logic and rhetoric). Utilizing
this process of integration in all subjects enables students to leverage
God-given strengths (displayed in children throughout the different stages of
their life) can be capitalized upon. This not only helps in the gaining of
knowledge but also teaches students the process of learning for
the future, as subjects are taught from the foundation up.
> The purpose for Classical Christian Education:
The purpose of Classical Christian Education is to cultivate
wisdom and virtue in students. It will grant them knowledge and inspire them to
love the Lord through what they read and how they are taught, helping students
become disciplined, responsible and virtuous adults. Classical Christian
education will be a superior foundation in the student’s preparation for
college or a career, although its focus is to produce a student who exemplifies
a life of wisdom and virtue.
> The “Trivium” explained:
In classical Christian education, students move through the
stages of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This
progression is known as the “trivium.” It utilizes the child’s
development as it systematically helps the child not only to learn but it gives
the student the tools to learn in the future. The trivium works by
building on a foundation. Everything to be mastered has the rules or
foundational information (grammar), how to utilize the rules properly (logic)
and how to be eloquent in the use of that information (rhetoric). In
moving through the trivium, students are given the tools to learn for
themselves while mastering the skills necessary to be a thoughtful,
contributing members of society.
How does classical trivium relate to a students grade
in school?
Grades K-4 deal with: "Who/ What/ Where/ When" - Grades
5-8 deal with: "Why" - Grades 9-12 deal with: "How"
In classical education, the elements (grammar, logic,
rhetoric) of the trivium are designed to match certain stages of child
development.
>> Grades K-4: "Who/ What/ Where/ When"
In the grammar stage,
children love to chant, memorize and recite. Education in the grammar
stage is fact based. This stage is not simply linguistic, but rather the
basis of all subjects. The goal is to equip students with the foundational
building blocks of education. For example, the grammar of math
would be arithmetic and the times tables.
>> Grades 5-8: "Why"
In the logic stage, children
become curious and interested in argumentation, wanting to know, “how come”?
Therefore, the academy teaches discernment and distinctions. Students begin to
apply logic as they evaluate argumentation and learn to view information
critically. For an example, Wilson writes, “To see that a horse is
not a duck belongs to the grammar stage. To see that a horse is a suitable
animal to use in battle, and that a duck is not, belongs to the dialectic
(logic) stage.”
>> Grades 9-12: "How"
In the rhetoric stage,
children are concerned with appearances and how they seen by others around
them. They are taught how to present themselves – why something matters
and how to best apply the two previous stages of learning.
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About Learning Latin:
One subject which is more peculiar to classical education is the study of
Latin. As Wilson states, “Latin promotes mental discipline; it
encourages literary appreciation; it leads to a mastery of English; it provides
a solid foundation for preparation for Christian ministry.” Latin is
a precise language which takes discipline to learn. Wilson continues, “Long
experience has shown us that the discipline required for learning another
language, particularly Latin, is a discipline peculiarly suited for application
elsewhere.” Learning
Latin helps students to better understand English grammar. Latin has the
added bonus that it is the basis of many of the early great works of theology,
classic literature, as well as science
and medicine.
We develop the “Whole
Child.”
God’s plan for developing children is shown through our “Whole Child”
Philosophy in education. God is
interested in development of our Spirit, Soul, and Body –
The Whole Person/ Whole Child. This
Philosophy is realized with our Spiritual, Intellectual/ Developmental,
Physical Developmental, Social, and Purpose-Driven Goals.
A. Spiritual Goals:
New Chapel Homeschool Cooperative invests in students to become spiritually alive.
Students who Know God.
Students who Find Freedom in God’s Ways.
Students who are Discovering their
God-Given Purpose.
Students who Prepare to - and indeed do
- Make a Difference.
B. Intellectual/
Developmental Goals:
New Chapel Homeschool Cooperative invests in students intellectual development.
Students who express themselves in many
ways.
Students who are independent.
Students who have a love for reading,
writing, and books.
C. Physical
Developmental Goals:
New Chapel Homeschool Cooperative invests in students to be healthy and
growing as God designed them.
Students who are healthy and physically
coordinated.
Students who are curious and who want to
learn.
D. Social Goals:
New Chapel Homeschool Cooperative
invests in students to be socially adept.
Students will grow in emotional
intelligence.
Students will grow to understand their civic responsibility.
Students will gain an understanding of
their community.
E. Purpose-Driven
Goals:
New Chapel Homeschool Cooperative invests in students to believe that they can make a
difference in their world with the definite purpose God gave them.
Students who have a positive self-concept.
Students will begin to identify their
giftings.
- PLEASE NOTE -
Your family does not need to be a part of New Chapel in order to join the New Chapel Homeschool Cooperative. We welcome other like-minded families to our community.
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