For some, classical education means adding Latin and the study of classical literature to a school’s curricula. Though Dominion Ridge incorporates these into the education of its students, it also includes three stages of learning: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.

These combined form the same classical model of education used by great thinkers like Aristotle, Plato, C.S. Lewis, and Thomas Jefferson. But, Dominion Ridge combines it with the modern science of neuroeducation to not only teach our students how to learn, but also how to think.

It goes beyond the what to mediate students to ask questions both of themselves and of the content — through these skills, it is our goal that our students grow a passion for learning that follows them a lifetime.

Two Stages

The first stage, grammar, begins with students learning the vocabulary associated with every subject. For example, names and sounds of letters, math terminology, and words for days of the week, and more provide the foundation upon which the child builds future knowledge.

The second stage, dialectic, utilizes the knowledge learned in the grammar stage to ask questions, sort, compare, and practice.

This usually takes place most often between the ages of ten and thirteen. The rhetoric stage utilizes writing, speech, and conversation to build upon prior knowledge and expand to problem solving and elaborative communication.

The Socratic Approach

The Socratic approach allows for the mediated learning experience to take place throughout all Dominion Ridge classrooms. Students are encouraged to ask why and how and to create a dialogue for enhanced learning. This collaborative approach teaches students skills needed for their future endeavors: logic, reasoning, debate, public speaking, research, writing, and teamwork.

It is the end goal that your child becomes a critical thinker and gains skills for being a lifelong learner.