The Trivium is a term coined during the Carolingian Renaissance to denote the first three of the liberal arts: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These three arts formed the foundation of a genuine, and often elitist, educational system employed throughout classical antiquity and in medieval universities. Still surviving today in a select group of prominent private institutions and Catholic schools, it trains students to see clearly, work diligently and systematically, think critically, and speak and write persuasively. Grammar represents the acquisition and understanding of relevant information regarding any subject, not merely a language. Logic teaches us to think critically and analytically, subjecting the knowledge we have acquired to the scrutiny of reason. Rhetoric enables us to convey our newly acquired understanding to others in the most effective manner.

Trivium Home School aims to apply the Trivium method of critical thinking to language acquisition. The Trivium method utilizes the accumulation of knowledge and the understanding of the language in which it is conveyed (Grammar), combined with the application of our inherent—though often latent—powers of reason and discernment (Logic), while also providing the tools to communicate this acquired understanding to others (Rhetoric), all with the goal of achieving certainty and clarity of thought.

In this way, the student acquires the “lost tools of learning,” enabling them to use English for more than just selling souvenirs to tourists; instead, it empowers them to become intellectually independent and self-directed learners. Thus, Trivium Home School offers a learning environment vastly different from that provided by the public school system—a system that focuses its efforts on fostering rote memorization, the unquestioning repetition of pre-ordained “facts,” obedience to perceived authority, and conformity to an assigned social role.