Approaches To Homeschooling: Charlotte Mason Method
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 9:09AM MAD21 By Sandra
If your first impression of the Charlotte Mason method was that it’s the “tea cups and cozies” approach to homeschooling, you wouldn’t be alone. But if you’ve yet to delve beneath the Victorian illustrations and tea time references associated with this style, you may have constructed your opinion on mere twaddle, rather than on the substantive pillars of the time-tested philosophy.
Charlotte Mason was the British educator, from the Victorian period, who believed children should be motivated by admiration, love and faith instead of prizes, peer competition and grades. She believed education should be ”an atmosphere, a discipline, a life,” in which children are taught with whole or “living” books, and original sources.
Living Books
Living books refers to quality books about one subject that has been written by an authority who was obviously passionate about it. Textbooks are to be avoided, as they are only pieces or highlights of information, rather than the entirety of what an author intended to say on a subject. Using living books permits children to be immersed in the thoughts and concerns of the author within a solid framework of the topic.
Narration
Mason believed the best way to test a child’s comprehension of a subject, through living books, was by narration. That means the child would tell, in his own words, what he learned from his reading or what he thought was interesting. The child synthesizes the information conveyed by the author, and then verbalizes his own thoughts about it aloud, in everyday language. This is often prompted by asking questions like:
“Tell me what you know about...”
“Explain how..."
“Draw a picture of ...
or “Describe our...(trip to the museum, for example)"
No homework & Short Lessons
For the elementary years, Mason believed in free afternoons for children. Lessons should be finished by 1:00. She believed that children should spend lots of time outdoors, running and playing. This free time allows children to process the learning that has taken place earlier in the day, and affords them better concentration on their reading lessons. Mason believed that boys, in particular, needed outdoor time to thrive in their education. Afternoons could also be used for nature observations, household jobs, caring for neighbors, or cooking.
Good Habits
Mason emphasized discipline in her approach to teaching children, which meant that establishing good habits was the key to success. Consistent practice of good habits with the children leads to a smooth day of homeschooling. The converse is also true: inconsistency will invoke resistance to good learning habits. While cultivating good habits involves diligence early on, the homeschooler who perseveres will delight in the good fruit that follows.
Great Minds
By exposing children to the books of the great thinkers, children can get in touch with the best minds. Mason believed it essential to expose children to the best ideas and a variety of human expression through the arts. With internet access and libraries, it’s easy to locate and study artwork of various mediums with a simple search.
Many homeschoolers incorporate CM style into their homeschool day before completely transitioning from their current style. It’s important to understand the foundation of the CM method so that one doesn’t mistakenly believe this approach is just read, read, read.
I interviewed a Charlotte Mason homeschool mom recently to find out what drew her to this approach to teaching her four children:
“A friend who had already been homeschooling her children for several years and who was familiar with Charlotte Mason ideas encouraged me to investigate CM further. I had initially resisted because I had the impression that her ideas were old-fashioned and Victorian (not my style at all), but I respected my friend's perspective and I gave it a try. I now know God was introducing me to CM, and I'm so glad He has taken us down this path.... When I first began implementing CM, my children were very young. My oldest was only three, so I had plenty of time to read and absorb CM ideas before the busier years of home educating older children. For me, it never really felt as though there was an adjustment. It was a gradual growth into her philosophy, which grew right along with my children...” (Kathy L., Maryland)
To learn more, read the 20 Principles of the Charlotte Mason approach to education.
Other sources for exploration:
For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola
A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levinson
Charlotte Mason, Education, Homeschool in Homeschool
Reader Comments (1)
That was a great summary of CM.
I am learning more about this method and the more I learn, the more I realize that much of it is how we've designed our homeschool lives naturally.
I've prayed and prayed about how He wants us to function as a homeschool family and the CM approach seems to be it for now.