The Charlotte Mason Method of Homeschooling
View PDF | Print View
by: DianeNoble
Total views: 33
Word Count: 643
More and more parents today and choosing the Charlotte Mason method to homeschool their children. Charlotte Mason founded the homeschooling movement in the early 1900's (1842-1923). Her enthusiasm and commitment to the education of children paved the way for a comprehensive and adaptable program. The foundation of the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling is a focus on core subjects with an emphasis on classical music, fine arts and literature. Charlotte Mason dedicated her life to creating an effective educational program that would engage children and provide them with quality and lasting educational experiences.
One of the corner stones of the Charlotte Mason method is the use of what she calls "living books." These types of books are to replace dry factual textbooks that school children often dread. A "living book" must be authored by someone not only knowledgeable but passionate about a subject. The author's enthusiasm must shine through the language of the text. Mason believes this enthusiasm would then be mirrored by the students. "Living books" must also be written in conversational or narrative style. Mason looks down upon "twaddle" which she defines as books that are dumbed down for children. These types of books, she argues, not only insult a child's intelligence but put out any passion the child may have felt for the subject.
An important part of Mason's program includes reading literature and narrating. Children must become proficient at narrating in their own words what they have read. The narration can be oral, written or even expressed in drawings. Narrating after reading helps to ensure comprehension. Younger children can narrate orally or through drawings but by ten years old, the child should be able to narrate a story by writing. Narration ensures that the child has synthesized the reading, organized the information in their mind and determined how best to communicate this information.
Another cornerstone of the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling is nature diaries. Teachers should often conduct quick and catchy lessons outdoors and then ask children to conduct their own observations of nature and draw what they see. Mason believes that the consistent study of nature paves the way for the meaningful instruction of scientific topics. Spending a significant amount of time outdoors helps children create a bond with mother nature and a sincere respect for the environment. If you would like to incorporate the Charlotte Mason method into your homeschooling program, a great first step would be to ask your children to keep a nature diary which can include prose, poetry and pictures.
Children educated the Charlotte Mason way must not only develop literary, scientific and mathematical skills, but also excel in building good character and discipline. Mason was a firm believer that children must learn to govern themselves and develop a sense of inner discipline. Parents and teachers play an important role here, for they must guide children towards the development of good habits. Some of habits Mason encourages parents and teachers to nurture in children are: respect, patience, cleanliness and timeliness. Mason stated that it often takes four to six weeks for one of these skills to solidify as a habit. Parents who want to incorporate The Charlotte Mason method into their homeschooling program should try to implement as many of these practices as they can.
About the Author
Homeschooling disadvantages every parent should know. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
HTML Code For Copy & Paste
The following code can be copied and pasted into your web page to ensure all links are properly maintained.
Rating: Not yet rated