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

Martin Robinson sets out on a quest to discover the kind of education he wishesfor his daughter and we all learn a great deal in the process. I love his writing: wise, well informed, provocative, thinking-out-loud. Robinson engages his reader from first to last. A terrific feat.Melissa Benn, writer and author of School Wars: The Battle for Britain's Education Part reflective autobiography, part educational manifesto, Trivium 21c is both arichly 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'. Trivium 21c 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 In schools today, a focus on contemporary relevance too often trumps educationaldepth. Martin Robinson makes a compelling case that turning instead to the tradition of the liberal arts can open the minds of a new generation.Marc Sidwell, co-author of The School of Freedom, Managing Editor City A.M. 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 s

Education policy and practice is a battleground. Traditionalists argue for the teaching of a privileged type of hard knowledge and deride soft skills. Progressives deride learning about great works of the past preferring `21c skills' (21st Century Skills) such as creativity and critical thinking. 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.