Deenway Montessori School
& Unicity College
Nurturing Mind, Body and Spirit
Deenway Montessori School
& Unicity College
Nurturing Mind, Body and Spirit
The Senior School Curriculum & the Liberal Arts
In the Senior School our teaching of disciplines is guided by the Liberal Arts tradition which outlines grammar, logic and rhetoric (the trivium) as three stages of foundational training upon which other disciplines should rest. This means that in our curriculum we give particular attention to the teaching of grammar and rhetoric in Language and to the study of critical thinking and reasoning in Logic.
Across the curriculum this also means that when studying any discipline, pupils are guided to:
- build a ‘grammar’ of subjects under study. This means equipping students with a strong knowledge-base of texts or ideas of importance to the subject. This may also include committing some selections to memory where appropriate and learning chronologies, names and dates and being well-versed in key terminology.
- adopt critical reasoning in the subjects under study. This means fostering an inquiry-driven approach to learning training students to approach subjects with an eye to bring out key ideas, analyse and critically evaluate the presentation of these ideas through discussion and dialogue with their peers and teachers.
- develop skills in rhetoric. This means giving students ample opportunity to articulate their knowledge and reasoning as it develops informally. It also means cultivating students’ abilities in conveying their responses and their thinking around themes in a formal way through writing and speech. It includes familiarising students’ in the art of narration, reading texts aloud for effect and in recitation and delivery of extracts from memory.
Learn More From Our Blog Articles
Read these articles form our blog to learn more about the Liberal ArtsExplore the Liberal Arts Further
Watch these videos to learn more about the Liberal Arts
note: some of these links may be from external sources. Where this is the case the views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the school's stance. The links are provided to give you a broad idea of the Liberal Arts-particularly Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric and their connection with the Islamic tradition and the West. The school does not endorse external sites and is not affiliated to these organisations or individuals unless expressly stated.The Power of the Trivium
The founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley California discusses the power of Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric
Grammar
What is Grammar in the context of the trivium and the liberal arts. Hamza Yusuf lecture at Zaytuna College, UC Berkeley.
Rhetoric
Zaytuna College founder, Hamza Yusuf, defines Rhetoric and its importance in civil society.
Logic
What is logic and why is it important to democracy and the rule of law.
Why Study Grammar?
Excerpts from a lecture at Zaytuna College on the benefits of the study of Grammar.
The Power of Rhetoric
Excerpts from a lecture at Zaytuna College on the benefits of the study of Rhetoric.
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