Rationales for the New Trivium and Their Underlying Principles

The purpose of this chapter is to lay out why the authors think trimming, tracking, and testing are key skills for the educated person. They propose that they make up a new trivium for education in the 21st century. Next, they contrast trimming, tracking, and testing with the old trivium. From there, they introduce the ways student commitment, self-explanation, and transferable skills come together through trimming, tracking, and testing. They close the chapter by extolling the virtues of practice when it comes to trimming, tracking, and testing. They believe as students do more of what they suggest, students will find more meaning in their education.