Available Curriculum Packages
Cognitive Development, the Trivium, and the Natural Order
Observation first, Thought second, and both before Expression
In teaching the art of Reading as well as that of Composition, the principle of order should, in a great measure, determine the value of the methods to be employed. In the acquisition of knowledge, the child instinctively follows the order of nature. That order is first, observation; second, thought; and third, expression. It becomes the duty of the teacher, consequently, to lead the child to observe accurately, to think clearly, and to express his thoughts correctly. And text-books are useful only in so far as they supply the teacher with the material and the system best calculated to accomplish such results.
from the Preface to De la Salle Third Reader
In teaching the art of Reading as well as that of Composition, the principle of order should, in a great measure, determine the value of the methods to be employed. In the acquisition of knowledge, the child instinctively follows the order of nature. That order is first, observation; second, thought; and third, expression. It becomes the duty of the teacher, consequently, to lead the child to observe accurately, to think clearly, and to express his thoughts correctly. And text-books are useful only in so far as they supply the teacher with the material and the system best calculated to accomplish such results.
from the Preface to De la Salle Third Reader