{"id":3717,"date":"2023-04-22T06:31:03","date_gmt":"2023-04-22T11:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/?p=3717"},"modified":"2023-04-29T19:10:41","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T00:10:41","slug":"the-classical-notion-of-self-education-for-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2023\/04\/22\/the-classical-notion-of-self-education-for-today\/","title":{"rendered":"The Classical Notion of Self-Education for Today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In her lecture<\/a> at Oxford in 1947, Dorothy Sayers remarked, “Is it not the great defect of our education today, a defect traceable through all the disquieting symptoms of trouble that I have mentioned, that although we often succeed in teaching our pupils ‘subjects,’ we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think? They learn everything, except the art of learning.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we observe the seedlings of the classical Christian renewal movement: the distinction between training students how to think versus what to think. Sayers\u2019 diagnosis is that schools in her day had prioritized learning subjects over skills. Her solution: train students to be independent learners through a return to the classical liberal arts<\/a>, especially the language arts of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, I want to suggest that Sayers’ prescription for liberal arts education, and more broadly, the classical notion of self-education, is precisely what society is in need of today. Many modern schools have shifted their focus to spoon-feeding students information, teaching to the test, and creating “safe spaces” for students to be protected from opposing ideas. A return to the liberal arts–training students to get into the driver’s seat of their learning–will prepare them to meet today’s challenges with resilience and approach questions with both confidence and charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persons as Self-Educating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Charlotte Mason, a British educator living at the turn of the 20th century, became a major proponent of this notion of self-education. As Karen Glass has helpfully unpacked in her book In Vital Harmony<\/a><\/em>, Mason’s philosophy can be summarized in two key ideas: 1) Children are born persons and 2) Education is the science of relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Mason says children are born persons, she means that they are born with the capacities to grow in knowledge, skill, strength, and character from the very beginning. We should not wait until a person reaches adulthood to begin taking her thoughts seriously. Rather, from a young age, we can begin to help children build a flourishing life. They are not robots to be programmed, sponges to be soaked, blank slates to be written on, or cattle to be herded through the education industry. Children are capable and, therefore, responsible. Our job as parents and teachers is to help children steward their moral choices, helping them gain mastery over their wills, form productive habits, and pursue knowledge from a place of intrinsic motivation, not behaviorist manipulation. As Mason put it, \u201ca child is not built up from without, but from within” (Towards a Philosophy of Education<\/em>, 25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second idea integral to Charlotte Mason\u2019s philosophy is that education is the science of relations. Learning is about seeing how all the different bodies of knowledge in God\u2019s creation connect and then going on to form a personal relationship with this knowledge. For Mason, there is no such thing as emotionless, rote learning or information processing. If a child is really learning, then he is connecting with knowledge at the heart level. In addition, these relations are to be discovered, not created, by the child. We are born into a world designed by God with order and connection. Lifelong learning is about discovering more and more about how these relationships work and forming a synthetic integrated conception of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For these philosophical reasons, Charlotte Mason was insistent that children must do the work of education for themselves. We cannot force-feed knowledge for true learning to occur. She writes, \u201cOne thing at any rate we know with certainty, that no teaching, no information becomes knowledge to any of us until the individual mind has acted upon it, translated it, transformed, absorbed it, to reappear, like our bodily food, in forms of vitality. Therefore, teaching, talk and tale, however lucid or fascinating, effect nothing until self-activity be set up; that is, self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child’s nature\u201d (Towards a Philosophy of Education<\/em>, 240). This emphasis on the active role students play in their education is key to preparing students to become strong, independent learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools, not Jigs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So we want to set up children to be able to educate themselves, but how do we do this? Returning to Dorothy Sayers, the British medieval scholar uses the analogy of tools to help us understand what the classical liberal arts are all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, the liberal arts empower students to take on any intellectual challenge they face. She writes, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

For the tools of learning are the same, in any and every subject; and the person who knows how to use them will, at any age, get the mastery of a new subject in half the time and with a quarter of the effort expended by the person who has not the tools at his command.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This tools metaphor can helpful to hone in on, specifically Sayers’ distinction between a tool and a jig. A tool, such as a hammer, can be used for a variety of projects while a jig has one specific task. For example, I once purchased a very particular cabinet jig to drill new holes in my kitchen cabinets in a uniform manner. Given its specialized use, I have not had need of it sense. Meanwhile, tools like my hammer and drill, with their wide utility across a variety of projects, I use frequently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sayers underscores the point: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

We have lost the tools of learning\u2014the axe and the wedge, the hammer and the saw, the chisel and the plane\u2014that were so adaptable to all tasks. Instead of them, we have merely a set of complicated jigs, each of which will do but one task and no more, and in using which eye and hand receive no training, so that no man ever sees the work as a whole or looks to the end of the work.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To equip students for self-education is to give them tools, not jigs, the liberal arts, not disparate bodies of knowledge, “…for the sole true end of education is simply this: to teach men how to learn for themselves; and whatever instruction fails to do this is effort spent in vain.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-Education in a Coddling Culture <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With this idea of self-education in mind, I want to close with a brief connection to an epidemic in American culture today: the rise of fragile students who are easily perturbed, anxious, and intimidated. Jonathan Haidt, a sociologist at New York University whom I have written on before here<\/a>, has identified specific falsehoods we have taught children that have contributed to the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In order to raise up resilient students, we can employ the notion of self-education in the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Permit students to experience real moments of struggle. Don\u2019t solve the problem right away, but rather give space for students to wrestle through the challenge. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Train students to think<\/a> logically, using evidence and reasons to support their beliefs. To be sure, emotions are a gift from God to be celebrated and enjoyed. But when one’s feelings become the driver in argumentation and analysis, students struggle to approach challenges with fortitude.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Lead by example in seeking to understand the viewpoints of those with whom you disagree. Someone who holds an opposing view should not to be cast as the sworn enemy. Just because you hold a different view from someone else does not mean they are the sworn enemy. We need to be okay living in the tension of disagreement.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If teachers can implement these three ideas in their classrooms, they will help prepare their students for long-term success. In contrast, when students are shielded from struggle, trained to trust their feelings, and embrace the “us vs. them” mentality on complex issues, they will find it hard to adapt and persevere. Haidt writes, \u201cWhen children are raised in a culture of safetyism, which teaches them to stay \u2018emotionally safe\u2019 while protecting them from every imaginable danger, it may set up a feedback loop: kids become more fragile and less resilient, which signals to adults that they need more protection, which then makes them even more fragile and less resilient\u201d (The Coddling of the American Mind<\/em>, 30).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    May we as educators raise up a generation of resilient students who seek the truth with independence and resolve, preparing them to be lifelong learners who can tackle life’s problems and educate themselves with joyful fortitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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I am talking about the essay \u201cThe Lost Tools of Learning\u201d by Dorothy Sayers. Her approach reminds me of Galadriel\u2019s speech in the prologue to The Lord of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Modern Research"","block_context":{"text":"Modern Research","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/modern-research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-5.png?fit=997%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-5.png?fit=997%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-5.png?fit=997%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-5.png?fit=997%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2018\/09\/28\/review-of-the-liberal-arts-tradition-by-kevin-clark-and-ravi-jain\/","url_meta":{"origin":3717,"position":1},"title":"Review of The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain","author":"Jason Barney","date":"September 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Kevin Clark and Ravi Scott Jain. The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education. Classical Academic Press, 2013. In The Liberal Arts Tradition Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain endeavor to set the record straight about what made up the course of study in the classical tradition of education.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Cathedral of the Liberal Arts Tradition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Canva-White-Concrete-Cathedral.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1539,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2020\/09\/12\/building-ratio-training-students-to-think-and-learn-for-themselves\/","url_meta":{"origin":3717,"position":2},"title":"Building Ratio: Training Students to Think and Learn for Themselves","author":"Kolby Atchison","date":"September 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In 1947, medievalist Dorothy Sayers took the podium at Oxford University and delivered a lecture that would launch a referendum on modern methods of education. It took time, to be sure, but from our current vantage point in 2020, there is no doubt that her words left a sizeable imprint\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Classical Tradition"","block_context":{"text":"Classical Tradition","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/classical-tradition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/paper-coffee.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/paper-coffee.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/paper-coffee.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/paper-coffee.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/paper-coffee.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2018\/07\/20\/the-classical-distinction-between-an-art-and-a-science\/","url_meta":{"origin":3717,"position":3},"title":"The Classical Distinction Between the Liberal Arts and Sciences","author":"Jason Barney","date":"July 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the encouraging recent developments in education is the recovery of the classical educational tradition of the liberal arts and sciences amongst Christian classical schools. Of course, we\u2019re already laboring upstream, since to most people the term \u2018liberal arts\u2019 simply refers to general studies or the humanities. However, even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Classical Tradition"","block_context":{"text":"Classical Tradition","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/classical-tradition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Liberal Arts of the Classical Tradition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Liberal-Arts.jpg?fit=1025%2C756&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Liberal-Arts.jpg?fit=1025%2C756&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Liberal-Arts.jpg?fit=1025%2C756&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Liberal-Arts.jpg?fit=1025%2C756&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":276,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2019\/02\/24\/review-of-recovering-the-lost-tools-of-learning-by-douglas-wilson\/","url_meta":{"origin":3717,"position":4},"title":"Review of Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Douglas Wilson","author":"Patrick Egan","date":"February 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Most people in the classical Christian school movement look upon Dorothy Sayer\u2019s 1947 essay \u201cThe Lost Tools of Learning\u201d as something of a founding document. However, the movement as it currently exists in North America stems from the implementation of that essay in the late 1980s, and is best represented\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Canva-Landscape-Photography-of-Columns.jpg?fit=1200%2C933&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Canva-Landscape-Photography-of-Columns.jpg?fit=1200%2C933&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Canva-Landscape-Photography-of-Columns.jpg?fit=1200%2C933&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Canva-Landscape-Photography-of-Columns.jpg?fit=1200%2C933&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Canva-Landscape-Photography-of-Columns.jpg?fit=1200%2C933&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2018\/09\/13\/review-of-wisdom-and-eloquence-by-robert-littlejohn-and-charles-t-evans\/","url_meta":{"origin":3717,"position":5},"title":"Review of Wisdom and Eloquence by Robert Littlejohn and Charles T. Evans","author":"Patrick Egan","date":"September 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Robert Littlejohn and Charles T. Evans. Wisdom and Eloquence: A Christian Paradign for Classical Learning. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006. In Wisdom and Eloquence Robert Littlejohn and Charles Evans connect the classical tradition of education to a Christian outlook on the goals of education. 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