I have a book called "A Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola, which I have been endeavoring to read for the past year or so. It's a wealth of information on the Charlotte Mason style of learning, and because it takes focus to read, I usually end up reading something "lighter". But, at the reminding of a friend who is doing a book study on it, I've picked it up again. If you don't know who Charlotte Mason is, you can find out more on the website Ambleside (http://www.amblesideonline.org/). She is a brilliant 19th century educator from England that had a whole new approach to teaching children. She started her own schools, and had amazing results. Sadly, most schools today are totally ignorant of her observations of children, and thus don't benefit from her expertise.
There are many different quotes I'd like to share, but I'll just give you the ones I read today. The author is speaking in terms of getting children interested in learning and how you go about that. She said that if testing is the only reason for learning something, it will be learned and soon forgotten. But, if a relationship is formed in the learning process, the student will remember the information indefinitely. To quote, "Charlotte urges us to establish a relationship with Knowledge. A relationship with Knowledge is like a friendship. When you are introduced to someone, you are courteous and friendly, but you don't have a meaningful relationship. To have one often requires patience and perseverance. Unfortunately, many lessons - are only introductory. "It's nice to meet you" we say, nodding to Knowledge. But we need to go about after the introductions are made and work toward establishing a relationship if we are really going to "know". Firsthand experience is best, but if that is not available nor convenient, then books are the next best thing. "Our children may not be able to hold a conversation with a deep sea diver, a geologist, or a person from ancient times, but they can come to know any of these people through the books they have written. A single author does a wonderful job of helping form relations. How do I develop the art of standing aside to let my children develop relations with things, be they paintings, bees, bears or biographies? Through the use of narration and real books, observation and experience.
"My eldest daughter, Sophia, is too young to have experienced World War II (firsthand knowledge), but recently she has gotten to know someone who did - Corrie ten Boom. Corrie shared her experiences with Sophia in her book, The Hiding Place. Our history textbook may make its introductions, its outlines, its overviews, to a time in history. But it can never do what Corrie can do (and what all real books do): help form a relation."
The other quote from the same page is: "Charlotte said, "let them learn from first-hand sources of information - really good books, the best going, on the subject they are engaged upon. Let them get at the books themselves, and do not let them be flooded with (diluted talk from) the lips of their teacher. The teacher's business is to indicate, stimulate, direct and constrain to the acquirement of knowledge. The less the parents and teachers 'talk-in' and expound their rations of knowledge and thought to the children they are educating, the better for the children...Children must be allowed to ruminate (chew over, as in a cow chewing cud), must be left alone with their own thoughts."
I'd love to write more about this way of learning, but will leave it there today. Kids woke up, and we must get on with our day!
There are many different quotes I'd like to share, but I'll just give you the ones I read today. The author is speaking in terms of getting children interested in learning and how you go about that. She said that if testing is the only reason for learning something, it will be learned and soon forgotten. But, if a relationship is formed in the learning process, the student will remember the information indefinitely. To quote, "Charlotte urges us to establish a relationship with Knowledge. A relationship with Knowledge is like a friendship. When you are introduced to someone, you are courteous and friendly, but you don't have a meaningful relationship. To have one often requires patience and perseverance. Unfortunately, many lessons - are only introductory. "It's nice to meet you" we say, nodding to Knowledge. But we need to go about after the introductions are made and work toward establishing a relationship if we are really going to "know". Firsthand experience is best, but if that is not available nor convenient, then books are the next best thing. "Our children may not be able to hold a conversation with a deep sea diver, a geologist, or a person from ancient times, but they can come to know any of these people through the books they have written. A single author does a wonderful job of helping form relations. How do I develop the art of standing aside to let my children develop relations with things, be they paintings, bees, bears or biographies? Through the use of narration and real books, observation and experience.
"My eldest daughter, Sophia, is too young to have experienced World War II (firsthand knowledge), but recently she has gotten to know someone who did - Corrie ten Boom. Corrie shared her experiences with Sophia in her book, The Hiding Place. Our history textbook may make its introductions, its outlines, its overviews, to a time in history. But it can never do what Corrie can do (and what all real books do): help form a relation."
The other quote from the same page is: "Charlotte said, "let them learn from first-hand sources of information - really good books, the best going, on the subject they are engaged upon. Let them get at the books themselves, and do not let them be flooded with (diluted talk from) the lips of their teacher. The teacher's business is to indicate, stimulate, direct and constrain to the acquirement of knowledge. The less the parents and teachers 'talk-in' and expound their rations of knowledge and thought to the children they are educating, the better for the children...Children must be allowed to ruminate (chew over, as in a cow chewing cud), must be left alone with their own thoughts."
I'd love to write more about this way of learning, but will leave it there today. Kids woke up, and we must get on with our day!
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