Posts Tagged Logic
‘Shiver Me Timbers!’ Do I Have To Teach Logic?
Posted by Diane in How to Teach Homeschool Skill 2: THINKING on April 2nd, 2008
Formal Logic…most of us never learned the rules in school and shudder at the very thought of teaching it in our home school! But if you are going to raise a classical scholar, you really need to become familiar with the concepts and terms. In fact, you may find after completing a few lessons that you actually enjoy this methodical way of constructing and evaluating arguments. Let me briefly introduce you to the study of logic in laymen’s terms.
History
The western version of classical logic originated in Classical Greece with Aristotle. He called his argument the “syllogism.” Each statement followed a particular order containing a subject and a predicate. There are many vocabulary words, but three important ones to remember when teaching logic in your home school are: argument, reason, and conclusion.
Method
Reasoning shapes our thinking into intelligent patterns. When someone asks us for our reason for believing something, our minds have to go beyond the information given in order to decide, explain, predict, or persuade. Our reasons support our conclusion. So, a simple definition of logic is:
the system for using reasons and conclusions to construct and evaluate arguments
Whenever we give reasons to support our conclusions, we are presenting an argument. Officially, such reasons are called “premises.” Here is the structure of a formal logic argument:
Reason 1 (first statement to justify the conclusion – evidence)
Reason 2 (second statement to justify the conclusion – evidence)
Conclusion (statement that explains, asserts, or predicts based on the evidence or reasons)
Don’t know which logic books to buy for your homeschool? Traditional logic teaches methods for evaluating criteria like validity, truth, and soundness. Anthony Weston provides a brief overview of logic in his Rulebook for Arguments if you want an executive or top-level summary of the subject. In our own home, school we’ve used two logic curricula: Canon Press and Memoria Press. My recommendation would be to purchase Memoria Press’ Traditional Logic, books 1 and 2, for a full year of homeschool high school credit. Most homeschoolers are ready to tackle this methodical workbook sometime between the 7th and 8th year.
Critical thinking will skyrocket once your kids begin to understand traditional logic. In lesson five of the second book of the Memoria Press text, your homeschooler will learn how to apply all the methods for constructing and evaluating arguments to real-life. They can then take any newspaper article, identify the arguments including premises and conclusions, and evaluate with specific tools whether the argument is sound or not. This is a critical thinking skill that is rare in our culture and certainly unusual among teenagers; you owe it to your kids to give them these tools so that they are ready to take what they’ve determined and communicate their position effectively.
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Why the Well-Trained Mind Drove Me Crazy!
Posted by Diane in Various Essays for Homeschool Parents on January 20th, 2008
The Well-Trained Mind
Overly ambitious, TWTM feels a lot like traditional school with harder subjects. Twelve years of math…twelve years of science…twelve years of grammar…argh! Add the “classical” subjects that I never had as a student (logic, latin, and rhetoric), and all of a sudden, “classical” home schooling felt like a huge task. At first, I tried to do everything they recommended, but over the years, I began to eliminate as many of their ideas as I embraced because they didn’t work for our kids, or they were just too tedious. I spent way too much money in the first few years purchasing various curricula that enslaved us (Abeka Grammar, Canon Press Logic II), and I felt such a burden because I was trying to follow TWTM and always fell short! I have talked to so many moms who were excited about classical homeschooling only to give up in frustration. Today, I use The Well-Trained Mind as a resource and not as a blueprint; read more about their educational philosophy.
Perhaps you are one of those parents who was initially excited about the concept of classical education, but somewhere along the way you lost your drive. Maybe you felt discouraged or wondered how you would get it all done! Through no fault of your own you have been operating under a false understanding of a classical Christian education which positioned you and your children for failure. Now please don’t think I am suggesting that the leaders of the renewal movement are intentionally conspiring to deceive; that is NOT what I am saying. I am merely suggesting that the current classical education renewal movement is operating under a faulty premise because the historical trivium was never meant to be taught the way we do it today.
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7 Essential Elements for Christian Home Schooling Success
Posted by Diane in Personalized Homeschool Curriculum on October 29th, 2007
As with any renaissance, the new generation tinkers with the old ideas, and in the case of classical Christian home schooling, the new generation is adjusting for contemporary needs. In fact, the renewal movement is still so young that some of the authors advocating the classical model are issuing revised editions as they tweak the model in response to reader suggestions. In our family’s own extensive tinkering, we have settled on seven fundamental characteristics of classical Christian homeschooling. We believe each element is consistent with the historical model. Here is our list of essentials:
- Scripture is at the center of all learning and illuminates meaning.
- Both Dad and Mom are active participants.
- The integrated study of classical literature and western world history leads to understanding of culture and values.
- Critical thinking skills are built through Socratic Dialogue and subjects like latin, logic, debate, math, and science.
- Written and oral rhetoric teaches effective organizational and communication skills.
- Rigorous content and flexible schedules prepare for undergraduate studies.
- Leadership skills are developed by regular practice through service to community and family.
I’ll examine each of the essential elements like the centrality of Scripture in future posts. When you combine all the elements over time, you’ll soon discover that you are living in a time of extreme importance…you might even catch your breath sometimes when it dawns on you that you are raising your own classical Christian scholars who are being equipped spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally to lead their generation all because your family decided to join the renewal movement and embrace a classical Christian home education!
