Continuing our review of the Charlotte Mason philosophy/methods, Susan Wise Bauer notes that, “Writing continues to be a weak area in the larger home school community; we need more, not less, explicit teaching in this area.”
Classical and Charlotte Mason are at odds here, as Charlotte Mason advocates minimal grammar and writing instruction (suggesting that children can learn by absorbing good literature), as well as waiting until the children are older to begin; while Classical advocates like Bauer want more, and earlier, writing instruction from the parents. I agree with Bauer here contra Charlotte Mason.
A few other suggestions that Bauer says are compatible with both Classical and Charlotte Mason: “choosing quality reading material, reading adult level books to children, making narration rather than testing the central method of evaluating learning…”). These ideas seem good and wise.
Showing posts with label Charlotte Mason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlotte Mason. Show all posts
Charlotte Mason Review Part I
This post begins a series of articles on figuring out your homeschool philosophy. Note that there are a variety of options here: the “unschool” approach, which pretty much lets kids drive the educational process with little in the way of formal training. Then there’s the self-taught approach, which is much more academically rigorous, but with an emphasis on children learning to teach themselves. Another option is the Classical approach, which, though variously defined, places an emphasis on history, favors language-based study over image-focused study, and follows the pattern of the Medieval Trivium (Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric).
Then there’s Charlotte Mason, which we will be considering today. Charlotte Mason was an early twentieth-century educator who developed a philosophy of teaching that is followed by many home educators today. First, we should note that Charlotte Mason was herself a classical educator, so this method has much in common with the modern Classical movement. I recently gave a talk at the Veritas teacher training conference, and one of the other workshops was on the similarities between “Charlotte and Dorothy” (Dorothy L. Sayers, whose seminal essay, “The Lost Tools of Learning,” birthed the modern revival of Classical education).
So there’s a great deal of overlap between the two philosophies, and as we will be dealing with Classical education in a series of future posts, we’ll not cover all that ground now. But here is a brief summary of the Charlotte Mason philosophy, from Susan Wise Bauer, Classical home educator and author of The Well-Trained Mind (note that she is drawing this summary from the writings of a contemporary Charlotte Mason advocate):
“In her first chapter, Levinson summarizes the Mason method as relying on narration, rather than workbooks; on whole and living books, rather than textbooks; and as utilizing short morning lessons with the afternoon and evening free.”
Here are a few other details, from a popular Charlotte Mason website:
“Charlotte’s students used living books rather than dry textbooks. Living books are usually written in story form by one author who has a passion for the subject. A living book makes the subject ‘come alive.’ She taught spelling by using passages from great books that communicate great ideas rather than just a list of words. She encouraged spending time outdoors, interacting with God’s creation firsthand and learning the living ways of nature.”
There is much good here, and home educators should consider these concepts.
At St George Academy (our family homeschool), we do use some of these methods, but do not embrace the Charlotte Mason philosophy unreservedly. Indeed, I have some real concerns. Consider this, from Charlotte Mason’s A Philosophy of Education (emphasis mine):
Then there’s Charlotte Mason, which we will be considering today. Charlotte Mason was an early twentieth-century educator who developed a philosophy of teaching that is followed by many home educators today. First, we should note that Charlotte Mason was herself a classical educator, so this method has much in common with the modern Classical movement. I recently gave a talk at the Veritas teacher training conference, and one of the other workshops was on the similarities between “Charlotte and Dorothy” (Dorothy L. Sayers, whose seminal essay, “The Lost Tools of Learning,” birthed the modern revival of Classical education).
So there’s a great deal of overlap between the two philosophies, and as we will be dealing with Classical education in a series of future posts, we’ll not cover all that ground now. But here is a brief summary of the Charlotte Mason philosophy, from Susan Wise Bauer, Classical home educator and author of The Well-Trained Mind (note that she is drawing this summary from the writings of a contemporary Charlotte Mason advocate):
“In her first chapter, Levinson summarizes the Mason method as relying on narration, rather than workbooks; on whole and living books, rather than textbooks; and as utilizing short morning lessons with the afternoon and evening free.”
Here are a few other details, from a popular Charlotte Mason website:
“Charlotte’s students used living books rather than dry textbooks. Living books are usually written in story form by one author who has a passion for the subject. A living book makes the subject ‘come alive.’ She taught spelling by using passages from great books that communicate great ideas rather than just a list of words. She encouraged spending time outdoors, interacting with God’s creation firsthand and learning the living ways of nature.”
There is much good here, and home educators should consider these concepts.
At St George Academy (our family homeschool), we do use some of these methods, but do not embrace the Charlotte Mason philosophy unreservedly. Indeed, I have some real concerns. Consider this, from Charlotte Mason’s A Philosophy of Education (emphasis mine):
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