Trivium 21c: Preparing young people for the future with lessons from the past

This is a charming book which is fun to read; it is contemplative and self-reflective and at the same time it is well-researched, informative and genuinely scholarly. What the book does very well is to unpick the tensions between educationalist progressives and traditionalists and it attempts to identify differences but also importantly to seek common ground. Indeed it is a historical tour de force examining the origins and development of the liberal arts from the early Greeks through Shakespearean times to the present day. What makes the book so readable is that it is a journey of self-reflection on what it means to be educated from the point of view of the author as a schoolboy, a teacher and then a parent seeking an appropriate school for his daughter. The early part of the book looks at his own schooling and frustrations that the author experiences. Learning appears to be chaotic and many pupils are apparently left to fail by not being equipped with the skills necessary to succeed at school. The book then traces his later employment and his experiences as a schoolteacher and how he changed the way he taught to make learning more meaningful and authentic for his pupils. His journey is one of becoming a teacher who adopts innovative approaches to teaching; teaching for meaning, values and deep learning. The argument of the book is for a Trivium of grammar, dialectic and rhetoric. The three elements of the trivium would be developed simultaneously, and once mastered it was expected that a student would have acquired the knowledge, the reasoning skills and the ability to communicate well that would stand them in good stead for a good life. What Robinson is asking for is the building blocks for thriving at school, the underpinning principles of learning that many teachers assume that pupils already possess but which many do not. I am not convinced that this book will unite traditionalists and progressives in a mutual quest of school improvement, but for the open minded reader there is much to learn. I agree with Robinson that students acquiring a sound blend of knowledge, questioning expertise, and communication skills (i.e. the trivium) is the basis of a great education. –Dr. Jacek Brant, Head of Curriculum, Pedagogy & Assessment (CPA), Senior Lecturer in Business Education, Institute of Education, University of London

Part reflective autobiography, part educational manifesto, The Trivium in the 21st Century is both a richly erudite and engagingly relevant exploration of the purposes and philosophies underlying the enterprise of education. From Ancient Greece through to contemporary controversy, Robinson draws resonantly on his experience as a student and a teacher to demonstrate that the trivium , the triple way , of grammar, dialectic and rhetoric, still lies at the heart of a good education , albeit in new forms. With refreshing realism, he recognises that teachers in their work in the classroom often transcend many of the political storms about education. Citing almost every contemporary protagonist from our own era, he advances an approach which he describes as progressive traditionalism . The Trivium in the 21st Century is essential reading for all educators and observers of the seemingly endless public debate about education who wish to go beyond simplistic polarities and find a way to integrate and relate in a historical context seemingly contradictory approaches. –Ian Bauckham Head Teacher and President, Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) 2013-14