Elements of a CM education
LIVING BOOKS
Miss Mason used living books to educate children rather than textbooks containing only dry facts or books written down to a "child's level."
"education is of the spirit and is not to be taken in by the eye or effected by the hand; mind appeals to mind and thought begets thought and that is how we become educated. For this reason we owe it to every child to put him in communication with great minds, that is of those who have left us great works; and the only vital method of education appears to be that children should read worthy books, many worthy books. (Vol. 6, pg. 12)
This is a definition of a living book sent by Vicki Surbatovich to "Parent's Review," Winter 1994 (from Charlotte Mason Study Guide, pg. 117): "To me, a living book is a book so well-done, the story so smoothly flowing, the passions so nobly excited, the mind and morals so well-nourished, that we are better people (not merely better informed) than if we had not read the book."
NARRATION
Narration may very well be the main element of a CM education. Narration is the act of telling back what has been read after only one reading. In order to effectively narrate, a student must have a good habit of attention. He must go through the mental effort of understanding what has been read, organizing it in his mind, and deciding how best to communicate it in his own words.
"The simplest way of dealing with a paragraph or a chapter is to require the child to narrate its contents after a single attentive reading, - one reading, however slow, should be made a condition; for we are all too apt to make sure we shall have another opportunity of finding out "what 'tis all about." (Vol. 3, pg. 179)
"education which demands a conscious mental effort, from the scholar, the mental effort of telling again that which has been read or heard. That is how we all learn, we tell again, to ourselves if need be, the matter we wish to retain, the sermon, the lecture, the conversation." (Vol. 6, pp. 159-160)
SHORT LESSONS
Short lessons are necessary for younger children to keep their minds focused. As a child matures and masters his power of attention, lessons become longer.
"the lessons are short, seldom more than twenty minutes in length for children under eight; and this, for two or three reasons. The sense that there is not much time for his sums or his reading, keeps the child's wits on the alert and helps to fix his attention; he has time to learn just so much of any one subject as it is good for him to take in at once" (Vol. 1, pg. 142)
FINE ARTS
Miss Mason believed that children should be exposed to the great ideas of men and women expressed in their art. Her students were exposed to 6 works of one artist for each of three terms of study (3 artists per year, 18 works). Likewise, Miss Mason had her students study the works of a single great composer.
"We recognize that the power of appreciating art and of producing to some extent an interpretation of what one sees is as universal as intelligence, imagination, nay, speech, the power of producing words. But there must be knowledge and, in the first place, not the technical knowledge of how to produce, but some reverent knowledge of what has been produced; that is, children should learn pictures, line by line, group by group, by reading, not books, but pictures themselves." (Vol. 6, pg. 214)
"Let the young people hear good music as often as possible, and that under instruction. It is a pity we like our music, as our pictures and our poetry mixed, so that there are few opportunities of going through, as a listener, a course of the works of a single composer. But this is to be aimed at for the young people; let them study occasionally the works of a single great master until they have received some of his teaching, and know his style." (Vol. 5, pg. 235)
NATURE STUDY
Charlotte Mason advocated getting outside and observing nature first hand as well as recording those findings in a "nature-diary."
"It would be well if all we persons in authority, parents and all who act for parents, could make up our minds that there is no sort of knowledge to be got in these early years so valuable to children as that which they get for themselves of the world they live in. Let them once get touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things. (Vol. 1, pg. 61)
"As soon as he is able to keep it himself, a nature-diary is a source of delight to a child. Every day's walk gives him something to enter" (Vol. 1, pg. 54)
Miss Mason used living books to educate children rather than textbooks containing only dry facts or books written down to a "child's level."
"education is of the spirit and is not to be taken in by the eye or effected by the hand; mind appeals to mind and thought begets thought and that is how we become educated. For this reason we owe it to every child to put him in communication with great minds, that is of those who have left us great works; and the only vital method of education appears to be that children should read worthy books, many worthy books. (Vol. 6, pg. 12)
This is a definition of a living book sent by Vicki Surbatovich to "Parent's Review," Winter 1994 (from Charlotte Mason Study Guide, pg. 117): "To me, a living book is a book so well-done, the story so smoothly flowing, the passions so nobly excited, the mind and morals so well-nourished, that we are better people (not merely better informed) than if we had not read the book."
NARRATION
Narration may very well be the main element of a CM education. Narration is the act of telling back what has been read after only one reading. In order to effectively narrate, a student must have a good habit of attention. He must go through the mental effort of understanding what has been read, organizing it in his mind, and deciding how best to communicate it in his own words.
"The simplest way of dealing with a paragraph or a chapter is to require the child to narrate its contents after a single attentive reading, - one reading, however slow, should be made a condition; for we are all too apt to make sure we shall have another opportunity of finding out "what 'tis all about." (Vol. 3, pg. 179)
"education which demands a conscious mental effort, from the scholar, the mental effort of telling again that which has been read or heard. That is how we all learn, we tell again, to ourselves if need be, the matter we wish to retain, the sermon, the lecture, the conversation." (Vol. 6, pp. 159-160)
SHORT LESSONS
Short lessons are necessary for younger children to keep their minds focused. As a child matures and masters his power of attention, lessons become longer.
"the lessons are short, seldom more than twenty minutes in length for children under eight; and this, for two or three reasons. The sense that there is not much time for his sums or his reading, keeps the child's wits on the alert and helps to fix his attention; he has time to learn just so much of any one subject as it is good for him to take in at once" (Vol. 1, pg. 142)
FINE ARTS
Miss Mason believed that children should be exposed to the great ideas of men and women expressed in their art. Her students were exposed to 6 works of one artist for each of three terms of study (3 artists per year, 18 works). Likewise, Miss Mason had her students study the works of a single great composer.
"We recognize that the power of appreciating art and of producing to some extent an interpretation of what one sees is as universal as intelligence, imagination, nay, speech, the power of producing words. But there must be knowledge and, in the first place, not the technical knowledge of how to produce, but some reverent knowledge of what has been produced; that is, children should learn pictures, line by line, group by group, by reading, not books, but pictures themselves." (Vol. 6, pg. 214)
"Let the young people hear good music as often as possible, and that under instruction. It is a pity we like our music, as our pictures and our poetry mixed, so that there are few opportunities of going through, as a listener, a course of the works of a single composer. But this is to be aimed at for the young people; let them study occasionally the works of a single great master until they have received some of his teaching, and know his style." (Vol. 5, pg. 235)
NATURE STUDY
Charlotte Mason advocated getting outside and observing nature first hand as well as recording those findings in a "nature-diary."
"It would be well if all we persons in authority, parents and all who act for parents, could make up our minds that there is no sort of knowledge to be got in these early years so valuable to children as that which they get for themselves of the world they live in. Let them once get touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things. (Vol. 1, pg. 61)
"As soon as he is able to keep it himself, a nature-diary is a source of delight to a child. Every day's walk gives him something to enter" (Vol. 1, pg. 54)
Note: Implementing the above elements, while good, are not ALL that is required for a true CM education.