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

Education policy and practice is a battleground between sworn enemies. Traditionalists argue for the importance of a privileged type of ‘hard’ knowledge and deride ‘soft’ skills. Progressives deride learning about great works of the past; preferring ‘21stC skills’ like critical thinking, and teamwork.

Whilst looking for a school for his daughter, the author became frustrated by schools’ inability to value knowledge, as well as creativity, foster discipline alongside free-thinking, and value citizenship alongside independent learning. Drawing from his work as a creative teacher Robinson finds inspiration in the Arts and the need to nurture learners with the ability to deal with the uncertainties of our age.

From Ancient Greece to the present day, this book explores whether a contemporary trivium (Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric) can unite progressive and traditionalist institutions, teachers, politicians and parents in the common pursuit of providing a great education for our children in 21st Century.