A Charlotte Mason Education
The Charlotte Mason method encourages teaching in a relaxed manner, but with a structured schedule. The knowledge of God, Man, and the Universe follows a similar structure to Steiner's philosophy of head, heart, and hands. Mason, who lived in Great Britain from 1842 to 1933, was an innovative educator who combined several methods of learning into her own unique and eclectic hodgepodge. While lecturing at Bishop Otter Teacher Training College in Chichester, England, she began training governesses. Her school eventually became Charlotte Mason College. She lectured around the country, developed the curriculum for the Parents National Education Schools in England, and initiated the Parent's National Education Union (PNEU).
An Atmosphere, A Discipline, a Life ...
Charlotte Mason believed that “education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life,” all formed from relationships … relationships between music, art, books, and nature. Mason believed that children need to learn from ideas first, facts later. She knew that children would learn more by experiencing education as a way of life, rather than attending classes at certain periods in the day or year, neglecting their studies the rest of the time.
Great Works of Literature
Mason believed children should be exposed, at an early age, to great works of literature, fine art, classical and other types of music, and nature. She avoided what she called “twaddle,” or mindless pulp fiction, instead opting for classics. She believed children desired to be saturated with knowledge at an early age, but needed to learn from experiences, not from rigorous exercises in facts and drills.
Narration and Copywork
Mason also believed that children should be treated as people, not cookie-cutter imitations of one another sitting at desks in a classroom setting, behaving the way teachers expected. Instead of writing themes, Mason developed a method called narration, in which a student would recite back what they had read or learned that day, implementing their skills in writing, drama, music, or art. She also focused on copywork, a method that helps children learned penmanship and grammar by repeating or imitating pieces of text, either from a work of literature, the Bible, or poetry.
Nature in the Afternoon
Mason believed that children learned best in small bursts over a long period of time, so she encouraged students to read a few chapters from several books, over a period of weeks. She also believed children should relax in the afternoon, and soak in all they learned during the day. This knowledge, said Mason, would instill the child’s knowledge of man, God, and the universe. Finishing classes by noon left the afternoon open for children to play, take nature walks, do activities, or relax. Mason encouraged all her students to enjoy nature, while keeping a journal of observations, drawings and text.
Original Homeschooling Series
Mason wrote a multiple volume set of writing from many of her articles, now reprinted and entitled Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series. Several authors have reprinted or summarized her works. Their books may be more useful to some who are seeking more practical, rather than philosophical, advice.
Join the CM-Waldorf group to discuss how you integrate
Charlotte Mason methods with Waldorf and other holistic methods.
