With countless educational choices available today, one emerging movement is drawing renewed attention: a return to classical education. Amid our technology-driven world, classical education offers a distinct approach that emphasizes tradition, setting itself apart from modern methods. While both classical and modern education seek to cultivate well-rounded, thoughtful individuals, each takes a unique path in preparing students for the future.
Below, we explore the key differences between classical and modern education, what each model prioritizes, and the demonstrated benefits of the classical model.
What is classical education exactly? This movement is often called “liberal education,” meaning education for freedom. Dr. Jeffrey S. Lehman defines it as “the pursuit of wisdom through a cultivation of intellectual virtue and an encouragement of moral virtue by means of a rich and ordered course of study, grounded in the liberal arts, ascending through humane letters, mathematics, natural science, and philosophy, and culminating in the study of theology, yielding informed self-rule and a well-ordered understanding of human nature, the cosmos, and God.”
In short, classical education is a holistic approach to learning that seeks the flourishing of its students in mind, body, and soul.
In medieval Europe, classical education focused on the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric and the quadrivium of arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy. The emphasis was on developing students’ intellectual and moral character, not just giving them lessons steeped in memorization. Some key principles of classical education still shape today’s iterations of it.
Modern education models emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They evolved in response to industrialization and the need to prepare students for increasingly specialized careers. Educational philosophers like John Dewey argued for more practical, hands-on learning that aligned with science and democratic ideals. While this may sound innocent enough, it eventually gave rise to the educational system that we have today, one that is narrowly focused on practical and social skills and that aims to prepare students to become workers and not fully realized human persons.
Classical education focuses on cultivating virtue and wisdom, not merely on “workforce readiness.” It is an education for freedom and that aims to cultivate what is highest and most noble in the human person. Developed in ancient Greece and Rome, this model emphasizes the liberal arts, Socratic dialogue, beauty, and the cultivation of intellectual and moral virtues.
Modern education evolved throughout the 20th century and tends to focus more on preparing students for careers, emphasizing math, science, and technology.
Classical education aims to cultivate wisdom and virtue above all else. It sees the purpose of schooling as shaping students’ character and helping them lead wise, virtuous lives. Within classical education curricula, students read the Great Works across different disciplines to gain knowledge. They contemplate the human condition and develop logical and rhetorical skills throughout Socratic discussion.
Much of classical education centers on holistic student learning so they can form and defend their own opinions while learning how to distinguish what is possible from what is plausible and what is probable from what is necessary. Classical education aims to produce leading citizens who contribute thoughtfully to society.
Modern education, however, emphasizes a narrowly career-focused curriculum. Students study specific skills and only the knowledge needed for particular industries. This model emphasizes math, science, technology, and developing critical thinking skills. Such an education may prepare students for cubicle life, but does it prepare them for a life well-lived?
While it may seem that modern education better prepares students for the working world, in fact, classical students outrank modern students in traditional assessments, and their holistic approach to their learning allows them to bring a more robust perspective to their work, no matter the field.
Classical education typically has a broader curricular focus, aiming to expose students to a liberal arts curriculum that covers topics in the humanities, history, natural sciences, art, and more. A cornerstone of classical education is that the curriculum often requires Latin and Greek to sharpen logic and study original texts in their original languages. This knowledge of languages helps students understand the greater context of the English language.
On the other hand, modern education's curricula take a narrower and more vocational approach aimed at practical skill-building or careers, specifically in STEM fields. This creates a curriculum focusing more on math, technology, finance, computer science, and specialized electives tailored to students’ prospective career paths and interests in higher education. As a result, the arts and humanities tend to get less emphasis in favor of knowledge modern education deems more “practical.”
By studying great works and ideas, analyzing truths, debating, and pursuing beauty across disciplines, classical education seeks to produce students who lead wise, contemplative lives guided by virtue. Students gain and foster their moral character, intellectual rigor, and sound judgment to inform their contributions to society.
Although the industrialized world has seemingly moved toward valuing professional skills, classical education remains relevant for cultivating wisdom and virtue because the pursuit of excellence is a firm foundation for developing any skill.
Even in our complex, high-tech world, maintaining humanity's moral and intellectual foundation matters.
Classical education remains the best approach to developing thoughtful, ethical citizens who contribute meaningfully to the world.
Both students and educators can benefit from classical education, as it equips both parties to think holistically about their studies and think outside the box that modern education sometimes creates in curricula. There is a growing demand for classical education programs in the United States, and there is a need for educators who can use this model.
The Master of Arts in Classical Education from the University of Dallas offers a unique classical education program to educators who want to advance in the field. Taught by our renowned faculty and designed for working professionals, students can complete the degree at their own pace, making it the perfect way to advance their education and professional skills without pausing their careers.
To learn more about this program and all that UDallas offers, download our guide: An Educator’s Guide to Joining the Classical Education Movement.
You can also request more information or start your application.