Education should enable a person to become increasingly wise, with the agency to act independently. We believe the Ladybridge Trivium provides this for our learners. This section of our website explains what we mean by the Ladybridge Trivium.
In essence the Trivium is simple: learn something new, form your own ideas and then communicate your learning. However, there is a bit more to it than that…
For many years there has been intense debate about the purpose of education and whether the goals of education are best achieved through traditional teacher-led methods or more progressive learner-led approaches. In our view, the best education stems from movement across this continuum, where young people become increasingly more independent after building up their foundational knowledge of a topic. We believe that the Trivium model is a wonderful way to move across this continuum and achieve both excellent examination outcomes and the wider qualities that enable people to thrive and be happy.
The roots of the Trivium are in the classical education of ancient Greece. The Trivium was brought into a modern context in 2013 by Martin Robinson’s excellent book, ‘Trivium 21c’. Our Ladybridge interpretation of the Trivium is outlined below:
Knowledge (AKA Grammar):
Learning involves connecting new information with what is stored in our long-term memory. Therefore, limited prior learning can limit our future learning. Development of a rich knowledge base essentially makes us more intelligent by creating more branches for new learning and ideas to connect with. Without much foundational knowledge of a topic it is difficult for learners to form their own ideas and to work independently. Teachers have a vital part to play in leading the learning process to ensure that conceptual understanding progressively builds over time. The curriculum must be coherently constructed and sequenced across subject disciplines to achieve this. Curriculum experiences must seek to create abstract knowledge from learners’ concrete experience of the world. The development of a broad vocabulary is also a key part of this pillar.
Elements of Teaching & Learning related to Knowledge:
- Clarity through explanations, stories & modelling
- Responsive teaching strategies impact planning
- Repetition & spaced retrieval practice
Exploration (AKA Dialetic):
Simply knowing things is insufficient. We want our learners to use their foundational knowledge to form their own ideas about the world. Encouraging our learners to think, debate and consider alternative views is a vital part of the education we provide. To aid this, we provide real world learning experience where young people learn outside the classroom. Engagement in challenges that mirror complex problems they may face in the workplace aligns with this pillar of the Trivium.
Elements of Teaching & Learning related to Exploration:
- Real world experience, challenges and experimentation
- Debate, critical thinking & deep questioning
- Project-Based Learning, problem solving & reflection
Communication (AKA Rhetoric):
Many people find public speaking frightening. We want our learners to leave Ladybridge confident when speaking to a variety of audiences. In order to explain something to an audience, you have to understand it. Therefore, explaining ideas publicly also strengthens our knowledge. This pillar is not, however, limited to public speaking. Any performance involves communication, whether it be a football match, essay, speech or exhibition of work. These performances help to develop a range of qualities that prepare our learners well for their future lives. Ensuring all our learners can communicate in a clear, articulate and convincing manner, in a variety of ways, is vital.
Elements of Teaching & Learning related to Communication:
- Public performance & extended writing
- Presentations, exhibitions and vivas
- Exemplify Ladybridge WISDOM qualities and beliefs
Paddy Russell
Headteacher