{{Short description|British educator and reformer}} {{About||the American philanthropist and socialite|Charlotte Osgood Mason|the basketball and softball coach|Charlotte Mason (coach)}} {{Use British English|date=June 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{Infobox person |name = Charlotte Mason |image = Charlotte Mason.jpg |caption = |birth_name = |birth_date = 1 January 1842 |birth_place = Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales |death_date = {{death date and age|1923|1|16|1842|1|1|df=y}} |death_place = Ambleside, England |death_cause = |resting_place = |resting_place_coordinates = |other_names = |known_for = |education = |alma_mater = Home and Colonial Society |employer = Bishop Otter Teacher Training College, self-employed |occupation = Educator |title = |height = |term = |predecessor = |successor = |party = |boards = |spouse = |partner = |children = |parents = |relations = |signature = |website = |footnotes = }}
'''Charlotte Maria Shaw Mason''' (1 January 1842 – 16 January 1923) was a British educator and reformer in England at the turn of the twentieth century. She proposed to base the education of children upon a wide and liberal curriculum. She worked for five years under Fanny Trevor at Bishop Otter College.
Mason's philosophy of education has been summarized as emanating from two principles, that "children are born persons" and "education is the science of relations." Mason promoted a humanistic and highly integrative model for education which emphasized cultivating a love of learning in children as well as spiritual and moral formation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Glass |first1=Karen |title=In Vital Harmony: Charlotte Mason and the Natural Laws of Education |date=2019 |publisher=Independently Published |isbn=9781700769800}}</ref> Her theories have become especially influential in the Christian education and homeschooling movements.
==Biography== Charlotte Mason was born in the hamlet of Garth<ref>{{cite web|url=http://libguides.redeemer.ca/cmdc/timeline|title=Guides: Charlotte Mason Digital Collection (CMDC): Charlotte Mason Timeline|first=Marlene|last=Power|website=libguides.redeemer.ca}}</ref> near Bangor on the Northwest tip of Wales, near Caernarfon. Garth has now been incorporated into the modern city of Bangor. An only child, she was mostly educated at home by her parents.<!-- names of parents? --><ref name="Cholmondley">Cholmondley, Essex (1960)The Story of Charlotte Mason, (1842–1923)</ref><ref>[http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-mason.htm Charlotte Mason] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028055237/http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-mason.htm |date=28 October 2012 }}, infed.org</ref>
Mason taught for more than ten years at Davison School in Worthing, England. During this time she developed her vision for "a liberal education for all".
Mason was employed in 1874 at the Bishop Otter Teacher Training College under the Lady Principal of Fanny Trevor in Chichester. She worked there till 1878 as Senior Governess<ref>{{Citation |last=Edwards |first=Sarah |title=Trevor, Sarah Frances [Fanny] (bap. 1818, d. 1904), college principal |date=2019-03-14 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-109607 |work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |access-date=2023-07-10 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.109607 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and gave a series of lectures about the education of children under 9, later published as ''Home Education'' (1886).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1|title=CM Series|website=www.amblesideonline.org}}</ref>
Between 1880 and 1892, Mason wrote a popular geography series called The Ambleside Geography Books: *''Elementary Geography:'' Book I for Standard II (1881) *''The British Empire and the Great Divisions of the Globe:'' Book II for Standard III (1882) *''The Counties of England:'' Book III for Standard IV (1881) *''The Countries of Europe Their Scenery and Peoples:'' Book IV for Standard V (1883) *''The Old and New World: Asia, Africa, America, Australia:'' Book V (1884)
She co-founded the Parents' National Educational Union (PNEU), an organisation that provided resources to parents educating their children at home. She launched and served as editor-in-chief at the ''Parents' Review'' to keep in touch with PEU members.<ref name=pr>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR.shtml "Parents' Review"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013558/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR.shtml |date=1 December 2016 }}, AmblesideOnline Parents' Review Article Archive, Retrieved 11 November 2015</ref>
In 1890 she met Henrietta Franklin, in what others consider to be the "inspiring experience" of Franklin's life.<ref name="SpenceAiston2009">{{cite book|author1=Jean Spence|author2=Sarah Aiston|author3=Maureen M. Meikle|title=Women, Education, and Agency, 1600–2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WWWRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA110|date=10 September 2009|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-85584-0|pages=110–}}</ref> By 1892 Franklin had opened the first school in London based on Mason's principles. In 1894 Franklin became the secretary of the renamed Parents' National Educational Union and she undertook speaking tours to major cities in America, Europe and South Africa. She devoted her own money to the cause and wrote on its behalf. Franklin's biography cites that the PNEU's continued operations is down to her.<ref name=bioghen>Sybil Oldfield, 'Franklin, Henrietta [Netta] (1866–1964)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2015 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/53683, accessed 22 Nov 2017]</ref>
==Ambleside== [[File:Charlotte Mason 1902 Frederic Yates.jpg|thumb|Charlotte Mason - painted in 1902 by Frederic Yates]] Mason moved to Ambleside, England, in 1891 and established the House of Education, a training school for governesses and others working with young children. By 1892, the Parents' Educational Union had added the word "National" to its title to become the Parents' National Educational Union (PNEU). A Parents' Review School had been formed (later to be known as the Parents' Union School), at which the children were taught according to Mason's educational philosophy and methods. Mason wrote and published several other books developing and explaining her theories of education: *''Parents and Children'':<ref name=rac>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#2 Parents and Children] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#2 |date=1 December 2016 }}, Charlotte Mason, 1896, Retrieved 11 November 2015</ref> Parents and Children is a collection of her articles and essays previously published in various sources. *''School Education'':<ref name=se>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 School Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 |date=1 December 2016 }}, Charlotte Mason, 1904, Retrieved 11 November 2015</ref> outlines her methods for educating children from approximately age 9 to 12. *''Ourselves'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#4|title=CM Series|website=www.amblesideonline.org}}</ref> was also published in 1904. In it, Mason addressed herself directly to the children, or for parents to read aloud with their children, to help them learn to examine themselves and develop high moral standards and self-control. The first part is for children under age 16. Book two of ''Ourselves'' is written for students over 16.<ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/4_00.html Preface to Ourselves, by Charlotte Mason] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053135/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/4_00.html |date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> *''Formation of Character'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#5|title=CM Series|website=www.amblesideonline.org}}</ref> published the following year, in 1905, was developed from a revision of earlier volumes. Mason explained in the preface to volume 5 (Formation of Character) that "In editing Home Education and Parents and Children for the 'Home Education' Series, the introduction of much new matter made it necessary to transfer a considerable part of the contents of those two members of the series to this volume, Some Studies in the Formation of Character." Her purpose with this volume, she said, was to demonstrate how her methods should assist children to naturally develop and strengthen good character traits. "We may not make character our conscious objective," she wrote, but she believed that parents and teachers should "Provide a child with what he needs in the way of instruction, opportunity, and wholesome occupation, and his character will take care of itself: for normal children are persons of good will, with honest desires toward right thinking and right living. All we can do further is to help a child to get rid of some hindrance––a bad temper, for example––likely to spoil his life." Mason's last book, ''Towards A Philosophy of Education''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6|title=CM Series|website=www.amblesideonline.org}}</ref> was published in 1923, nearly forty years after her first book. It is written primarily to address the application of her methods and principles with high school students, but she also revised a summary of her principles, and in some cases revises and refines what she had written in previous volumes. Many home educators who read her volumes recommend starting with volume 6.
In addition to the geography series and her six volumes on education, Mason also wrote and published a six-volume work called ''The Saviour of the World'' (published between 1908–14), a study in verse of the life and teaching of Jesus.
Over the years between the publication of volumes 1 and 6 of her education series, other schools adopted her philosophy and methods. The Ambleside establishment became a teacher training college to supply all the Parents' Union Schools that were springing up, as well as to assist with correspondence programs provided for British parents living overseas and educating their children. The school trained young women according to Mason's methods in both homes and schools.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Women, Education, and Agency, 1600–2000|last1=Spence|first1=Jean|last2=Aiston|first2=Sarah|last3=Meikle|first3=Maureen M.|date=2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0415990059|location=New York|pages=105}}</ref> Mason spent her final years overseeing this network of schools devoted to "a liberal education for all."
After her death, the training school was developed as Charlotte Mason College and was run by the Cumbrian Local Education Authority.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/alumni/memory-lane/charlotte-mason-college/|title=Charlotte Mason College|website=University of Cumbria|access-date=}}</ref> In the 1990s, due to financial pressure, it became the tenth college of Lancaster University. An unfavourable Ofsted report four years later led to a merger with St Martin's College, and it became the Ambleside campus of St Martin's College.<ref>[http://www.ucsm.ac.uk/about/history.php History of St Martin's College] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202154252/http://www.ucsm.ac.uk/about/history.php |date=2 February 2007 }}</ref>
The buildings now form part of the University of Cumbria and a health centre. There is also a museum attached. In March 2008, the University announced plans to end teacher training in Ambleside, and to develop the campus for postgraduate work and a conference centre.
==Educational philosophy==
Mason's philosophy of education is probably best summarised by the principles given at the beginning of each book mentioned above. Two key mottos taken from those principles are "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life" and "Education is the science of relations." She believed that children were born persons and should be respected as such; they should also be taught the Way of the Will and the Way of Reason. Her motto for students was "I am, I can, I ought, I will."<ref name=bioghen/> According to Mason, children have a natural love for learning and she devised strategies that facilitated this through the creation of a positive learning atmosphere.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach: Bible Based Homeschooling|last=Sampson|first=Robin|date=2005|publisher=Heart of Wisdom Publishing Inc|isbn=0-9701816-7-1|pages=234}}</ref> She believed that children should be fed upon the best ideas, which she called 'mind-food.' She believed even the youngest children should be given 'ideas, clothed upon with facts' as they occur, inspiring tales, and worthy thoughts. Her approach is child-centred and is focused on liberal arts.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Schooled: Ordinary, Extraordinary Teaching in an Age of Change|last1=Fernandez|first1=Anne Lutz|last2=Lutz|first2=Catherine|date=2015|publisher=Teachers College Press|isbn=978-0-8077-5737-6|location=New York|pages=61}}</ref> It also emphasizes more on concepts (ideas) than on facts. Today, one can find Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool curriculums in many subject areas including maths and science.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://happyhomeschoolhouse.com/elementary/complete-curriculums/best-charlotte-mason-curriculum/|title = Best Charlotte Mason Homeschool Curriculum – Elementary -}}</ref>
Mason placed great emphasis on the reading of high-quality literature, and coined the phrase "living books" to denote those writings that "spark the imagination of the child through the subject matter."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cornerstonecurriculum.com/charlotte-mason|title=Homeschool Education & Biblical Worldview - Cornerstone Curriculum USA|website=Homeschool Education & Biblical Worldview - Cornerstone Curriculum USA|access-date=25 June 2018}}</ref> <!-- == Teaching methods == {{Overly detailed|date=July 2016|section=yes}} '''Living Books''': Mason claimed that usual education books were "written down" to children, while teachers should make use of "living books"; that is, books that are "written by one person with a passion for the topic and a broad command of the language as well as the ability to write in an engaging, literary style while communicating great ideas rather than mere facts."<ref>Mason, Charlotte [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 Home Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 |date=1 December 2016 }} pp 6, 229, 281</ref><ref>Mason, Parents and Children, pp 263, 279</ref><ref>Mason, Charlotte [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 School Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 |date=1 December 2016 }} preface pp 81, 84, 124, 125, 178, 227, 246</ref><ref>Mason, [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6 Towards a Philosophy of Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6 |date=1 December 2016 }} preface, pp 7, 13–30, 53,90, 91, 109, 117, 154,172</ref> The size of the book is not as important as the content and style- it should be alive and engaging.<ref>[http://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol3complete.html Mason, School Education, p 178,] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901200304/http://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol3complete.html |date=1 September 2016 }} "A fit book is not necessarily a big book."</ref>
'''Narration''': According to Mason, asking children to tell about what they have read require the child to intentionally train his powers of attention, to synthesise all he has read, to organise the material in his mind, and to determine how best to communicate all that he recalls in his own words. "Corrections must not be made during the act of narration, nor must any interruption be allowed."<ref>Mason, Charlotte [http://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol6complete.html Towards a Philosophy of Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805215418/http://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol6complete.html |date=5 August 2016 }}, see 'narration' in index.</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/Narration.shtml Amblesideonline, Narration] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203144233/http://www.amblesideonline.org/Narration.shtml |date=3 December 2016 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR35p610SomeNotesNarration.shtml Parents' Review Volume 35, 1924 p. 610 Some Notes on Narration by G.F. Husband] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806072616/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR35p610SomeNotesNarration.shtml |date=6 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR39p058RepeatedNarration.shtml Parents' Review, Volume 39, 1928 p058 Concerning Repeated Narration by Elsie Kitching] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052944/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR39p058RepeatedNarration.shtml |date=4 March 2016 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR68p061ThoughtsonNarration.shtml Parents' Review Volume 68, 1957 p. 061 Some Thoughts on Narration by Helen E. Wix] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806064035/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR68p061ThoughtsonNarration.shtml |date=6 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PRx02p170WeNarrateKnow.shtml Parents' Review, Volume 2, 1967 p. 170 We Narrate and then we Know by E.K. Manders] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104042506/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PRx02p170WeNarrateKnow.shtml |date=4 November 2016 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR31p000LiberalEducation.shtml Parents' Review, Volume 31, 1920 Lawe, Clouston, and Millar, A Liberal Education in Secondary Schools] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052841/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR31p000LiberalEducation.shtml |date=4 March 2016 }}</ref>
'''Habit Training''': Mason believed that formation of good habits was a vital part of her educational method. It is such an important part of her educational philosophy that it forms the seventh point in the 'short synopsis of the educational philosophy' she included in the preface of each of her six volumes on education: "7. By "education is a discipline," we mean the discipline of habits, formed definitely and thoughtfully, whether habits of mind or body. Physiologists tell us of the adaptation of brain structures to habitual lines of thought, i.e., to our habits." She believed that a proper education included "the discipline of habits formed definitely and thoughtfully".<ref name="Mason, Home Education">[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 Mason, Home Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 |date=1 December 2016 }}, preface</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#2 Mason, Charlotte Parents and Children] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#2 |date=1 December 2016 }}, preface</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 Mason, Charlotte School Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 |date=1 December 2016 }}, preface</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#4 Mason,Charlotte Formation of Character] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#4 |date=1 December 2016 }}, preface</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#5 Mason, Charlotte Ourselves] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#5 |date=1 December 2016 }}, preface</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6 Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6 |date=1 December 2016 }}, preface</ref> She believed that habit training was a powerful force in helping children to take charge of their own education.
Mason specifically encouraged a child's learning the habits of attention, perfect execution, obedience, truthfulness, an even temper, neatness, kindness, order, respect, recall, punctuality, gentleness, and cleanliness, among others.<ref>Mason, Charlotte [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 Home Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 |date=1 December 2016 }} pp 96–169</ref>
'''Lessons''': Mason advocated that lessons be kept short and focused for younger children, seldom more than 20 minutes in length.<ref>Mason, Home Education p 142</ref> As children mature and develop greater mastery of their powers of attention, lessons grow progressively longer.<ref>[http://amblesideonline.org/library.shtml#pneuprogrammes PNEU Programmes] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130192308/http://amblesideonline.org/library.shtml#pneuprogrammes |date=30 November 2016 }}, Compare programmes for the younger years with those for the upper years.</ref> Students were given a schedule so they knew they had a limited time to complete the lesson.
Mason believed that dreary or dawdling lessons 'stultified a child's wits' and blocked his intellectual progress at the start.<ref>Mason, Charlotte, Home Education p 17</ref> Mason believed these short, concentrated, focused lessons encouraged the habit of full attention, and securing such a habit early in life equipped the children to receive a broad education encompassing a well-ordered feast<ref>Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education, pp 51, 183, 189, 302</ref> of subjects. Mason also recommended alternating lessons so that children were doing a variety of work so as not to fatigue the brain- sums would be followed by a lesson in writing, for instance, rather than two history readings back to back.<ref>Mason, Charlotte Towards a Philosophy of Education p 158</ref>
=== Language arts ===
'''Handwriting''' Mason used ''A New Handwriting for Teachers'', by M. M. Bridges (Mrs. Robert Bridges<ref>[http://www.designingletters.com/html/italic_notes.html Designing Letters] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183150/http://www.designingletters.com/html/italic_notes.html |date=3 March 2016 }}</ref>) to teach handwriting to her students.<ref>Home Education, pp 236–338</ref> Mason's approach to handwriting was based on her belief that "No work should be given to a child that he cannot execute perfectly, and then perfection should be required of him as a matter of course".<ref name="MHE 160">Mason, Home Education page 160</ref> In keeping with her theories about short lessons and focused attention, she thought it more important that the student produce six perfect strokes than an entire slateful of slovenly work.<ref name="MHE 160" /> Once a child had mastered the formation of individual letters,<ref>Mason, Home Education page 236</ref> children were given a phrase, sentence, or paragraph to copy in their best handwriting. These copywork exercises should take only a few minutes each day so as to encourage the habits of attention and perfect execution without becoming tiring.<ref>Mason, Home Education p. 239</ref>
'''Prepared Dictation''': Once children had mastered the basic mechanics of handwriting, Mason introduced them to prepared dictation.<ref>Mason, School Education, page 286</ref> She used copywork and dictation to teach spelling and reinforce grammar and composition skills. In prepared dictation, the child is given a sentence, a passage, and eventually a few pages to study until he feels confident that he is prepared to accurately reproduce all the spelling, capitalisation, and punctuation in the passage.<ref>Mason, School Education page 307</ref> Younger students would reproduce a short passage as the teacher dictated. Older students, given two or three pages to study over the course of a week, would transcribe or reproduce a selection chosen by the teacher once each week.<ref>Mason, School Education page 305</ref> The teacher dictates to him from the passage, one phrase at a time,<ref>Mason, Home Education pp 241–243</ref> watching carefully as he writes to catch any misspelled word and correct it immediately.<ref>Parents' Review, Volume 17, no. 6, June 1906, pg. 467 Notes of Lessons by Stephanie Wilkinsin</ref> Mason believed in immediately correcting misspelled words so as not to let a misspelled word imprint itself on the student's memory. Mason believed that before learning the rules of spelling, punctuation, and syntax, children should first become familiar with fine writing and see the mechanics of grammar and spelling within the context of great thoughts and rich language. They also used dictation for practical skills, such as writing out a recipe from dictation.<ref>Mason, School Education page 358</ref>
'''Poetry''' was an integral part of daily life in Mason's schools. As in other subjects that introduce great ideas from the past, poetry is shared and allowed to stand on its own, without analysis or critique. Rather than telling the child what to think, this approach allows individual interpretation, with emotional, as well as intellectual, responses.
'''Shakespeare and Plutarch''': Students in Mason's schools studied Shakespeare and read Plutarch regularly, as well.
'''Grammar''': Since grammar is the study of words, not of things, Mason thought it is a difficult concept for young children to grasp. She recommended postponing the formal study of grammar until the child reached the age of ten. Consistent practice in narration, dictation, and copywork lays the foundation for grammar study.
'''Foreign Language''': Mason's students studied French as a second language as well as learning some Latin and German. Foreign language lessons began with children's songs and stories. Consistent with her philosophy, a foreign language is best taught in a living setting.
=== Arts ===
'''Art''': Charlotte Mason believed that children deserved direct contact with the best art.<ref name=Levison>Levison, Catherine A Charlotte Mason Education</ref> The great ideas of men and women of history are revealed in their works, whether paintings or writings or music. Art appreciation is taught through Picture Study, which introduces the child to six works of a great artist one at a time over a sixty-day term.<ref name=Levison /><ref name="amblesideonline.org">[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR34p075ArtandLiterature.shtml Parent's Review Volume 34, 1923, pgs. 75–84] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418231440/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR34p075ArtandLiterature.shtml |date=18 April 2016 }}</ref> The children study the print for several minutes undisturbed, then the parent or teacher looks at the print and asks the child or children to describe it. Another approach is to have the children sketch a general outline of the picture, or to pose a tableau in imitation of the picture- done from memory first, and then compare the sketch or tableau to the print.<ref name="amblesideonline.org"/><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PictureStudy.shtml Picture Study] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218191408/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PictureStudy.shtml |date=18 December 2016 }}</ref>
'''Music appreciation''': Mason's students would listen to a few works by a single composer over a term. The composer was chosen to correlate with the period of history the children were studying that term. The goal is for the children to learn to appreciate classical music<ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR14p535MusicArt.shtml Parents' Review, Volume 14, no. 7, July 1903, pgs. 535–537, Music and Art in Schools by L. Winifred Nicholls] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416064104/http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR14p535MusicArt.shtml |date=16 April 2016 }}</ref> and to have enough familiarity with major works and composers that they recognise them when they hear them.<ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/Music.shtml Music] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818013732/http://www.amblesideonline.org/Music.shtml |date=18 August 2016 }}</ref> "About six works by some great composer are chosen for study each term. These compositions are played or sung to the children constantly and studied carefully. The children are taught something about the form, harmonic structure, thematic development of the composition and some information is given about the life of the composer." Where possible, children were taken to live concerts as well.<ref name="amblesideonline.org"/>
'''Handicrafts''': Mason's students practised "various handicrafts that he may know the feel of wood, clay, leather, and the joy of handling tools, that is, that he may establish a due relation with materials..."<ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/6_1_01.html Mason, Charlotte; Towards a Philosophy of Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521181422/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/6_1_01.html |date=21 May 2016 }} p. 31</ref> About the role of daily handiwork in her schools she wrote: "The points to be borne in mind in children's handicrafts are: (a) that they should not be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like; (b) that they should be taught slowly and carefully what they are to do; (c) that slipshod work should not be allowed..."<ref>Mason, Charlotte [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 Home Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 |date=1 December 2016 }} pp.315–6</ref>
=== Math and science ===
'''Nature Study and Outdoor Education''': Mason believed that young children should spend several hours outdoors every day that the weather permitted.<ref>Gardner, Penny; Charlotte Mason Study Guide</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc#1.html Mason, Charlotte; Home Education, pp 42–95]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In Mason's schools, one afternoon each week was devoted to spending time outdoors. For nature study, children take along a sketchpad to draw and label the different aspects of nature they observe. Students kept a calendar of the first finds of each season- birds, flowers, and other species were sketched, described, and dated.<ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc#6.html Mason, Charlotte; Towards a Philosophy of Education page 223]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> High school aged students continued to keep nature notebooks, but they were more complex. In addition to their lists of birds and plants observed throughout the year, they kept records and drawings in their books and made "special studies of their own for the particular season with drawings and notes."<ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc#6.html Mason, Charlotte; Towards a Philosophy of Education, p. 219]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> They would study habitats and ecosystems as a whole rather than the individual plants and species of their younger years, enabling them to complete exam questions such as "Make a rough sketch of a section of ditch or hedge or sea-shore and put in the names of the plants you would expect to find."<ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/6_1_10_08.html Mason, Charlotte; Towards a Philosophy of Education, pp 219–220] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406224042/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/6_1_10_08.html |date=6 April 2016 }}</ref>
'''Mathematics''': Mason emphasised the importance of children's understanding mathematical concepts before ever doing paper and pencil equations. They should be encouraged to use manipulatives and to think through the whys and wherefores of solving word problems—in other words, how mathematics applies to life situations.
=== Social sciences ===
'''Bible''': Mason's method of studying the Bible was simple: read it every day. She gave children credit for being able to understand passages directly from the Scriptures, and she assigned several large portions to be memorised and recited each school year.
'''History''' is considered most relevant to children through the use of living books, biographies, autobiographies, and narration. In addition, Mason's students kept a 'Book of Centuries' that was similar to a personal time line in a notebook. They added people and events to the pages as they studied about them.
'''Geography''': Just as history is the story of what happened to a person, geography is the story of where he was and how his surroundings affected what happened. Geography is best taught through living books, also. Short map drills can supplement. -->
==Scouting==
Charlotte Mason was the first person to perceive the educational potential of Scouting applied to children. In April 1905, she added ''Aids to Scouting'' by Robert Baden-Powell to the syllabus of the Parents' Union School. Later, Baden-Powell credited a governess trained by Mason, coupled with the reputation of Mason herself, for suggesting the educational possibilities of Scouting. This, amongst other influences, led to ''Scouting for Boys'' and the formation of the Scouting movement.<ref name="masonaids">{{cite web | year = 2007 | url = http://scoutguidehistoricalsociety.com/aids.htm | title = Aids to Scouting| publisher=Johnny Walker's Scouting Milestones | access-date =1 June 2015}}</ref><ref name="masonaids2">{{cite web|year=1937 |url=http://www.dshearer.fsbusiness.co.uk/sctfiles/bp_talks.htm |title=Be Prepared |publisher=DGS: Scouting, Interview from Listener magazine |access-date=22 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070120055426/http://www.dshearer.fsbusiness.co.uk/sctfiles/bp_talks.htm |archive-date=20 January 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Mason and her teachers organised the Parents' Union Scouts for boys and girls around the country, both those educated at home and those at schools using the P.N.EU system ''(date?)''. When the Girl Guides were established, Mason suggested that the P.U. Scouts amalgamate with national organisations for boys and girls respectively.
== Publications == Charlotte wrote several books in the latter portion of her life, mainly on the subjects Education & Geography.
*[https://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol1complete.html Home Education Series - Vol 1, Home Education] *[https://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol2complete.html Home Education Series - Vol 2, Parents and Children] *[https://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol3complete.html Home Education Series - Vol 3, School Education] *[https://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol4complete.html Home Education Series - Vol 4, Ourselves] *[https://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol5complete.html Home Education Series - Vol 5, Formation of Character] *[https://amblesideonline.org/CM/vol6complete.html Home Education Series - Vol 6, Towards a Philosophy of Education] *[https://www.amblesideonline.org/elementary-geography.php Elementary Geography] *[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66369 An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education: A Liberal Education for All] *[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/71087 Home education] *[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72445 Parents and children] *[http://charlottemasonpoetry.org/charlotte-mason-poetry/ Poetry: The Savior of the World] * Scale How Meditations *[https://www.amblesideonline.org/pr Parents' Review Articles Archive]
==Mason vs. modern Classical Education== {{Synthesis|date=August 2025}} *Some versions of the Classical education movement put less emphasis on the fine arts, especially visual art, although other classical Christian educators like George Grant,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.franklinclassical.com/ |title=Franklin Classical |access-date=10 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517143315/http://franklinclassical.com/ |archive-date=17 May 2016 }}</ref> draw heavily from the insights of both Charlotte Mason and Dorothy L. Sayers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kingsmeadow.com/ |title=King's Meadow Study Center | Recovering a Gospel-shaped culture |access-date=22 July 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015201917/http://www.kingsmeadow.com/ |archive-date=15 October 2016 }}</ref> *Classical Education may sometimes be described as rigorous and systematic,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.welltrainedmind.com/classical-education/ |title=Classical Education | Helping parents educate their children in the classical tradition since 1999 |access-date=20 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604133328/http://www.welltrainedmind.com/classical-education/ |archive-date=4 June 2016 }}</ref> separating children and their learning into three rigid categories, Grammar, Dialectic, and Rhetoric.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/trivium.html |title=Classical Christian Homeschooling: On the Trivium |access-date=28 September 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518021302/http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/trivium.html |archive-date=18 May 2016 }}</ref> Charlotte Mason believed that all children are born as full persons, and should be educated on real ideas, through their natural environment, the training of good habits, and exposure to living ideas and concepts from the beginning.<ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/20Principles.html AmblesideOnline, Charlotte Mason's 20 Principles: A Synopsis of her Educational Method] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509213744/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/20Principles.html |date=9 May 2016 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/3_19b.html Mason, Charlotte; School Education, chapter 19, "Educational Manifesto"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411021317/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/3_19b.html |date=11 April 2016 }}</ref> *Classical Education often will introduce writing composition earlier and teaches it as a separate subject, while Mason depends on oral narration and a smooth transition into written narration in later grades without studying composition as a separate subject until the upper years.<ref>Mason, Charlotte; [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 School Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 |date=1 December 2016 }} page 286</ref><ref>Mason, Charlotte; [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6 Towards a Philosophy of Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6 |date=1 December 2016 }}, pp 15, 108, 154, 190,</ref> *Classical Education introduces formal grammar at an earlier age than Mason does. She believed in beginning grammar lessons with whole sentences rather than parts of speech.<ref>Charlotte Mason, [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 Mason, Charlotte; Home Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 |date=1 December 2016 }}, page 295-300</ref> *Classical Education allows more parental explanations and distilling of information than Mason does.<ref>Mason, Charlotte; [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 School Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 |date=1 December 2016 }} page 229</ref> *The version of classical education developed by Dorothy L. Sayers relies heavily on rote memorisation for young children.<ref>[http://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html Sayers, Dorothy; "The Lost Tools of Learning"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216062703/http://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html |date=16 December 2016 }}</ref> Mason's students memorised scripture, poetry, and songs,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amblesideonline.org/WhatIsCM.shtml |title=AO What is CM? - AmblesideOnline.org |access-date=28 September 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130193425/http://amblesideonline.org/WhatIsCM.shtml |archive-date=30 November 2016 }}</ref> but she did not value rote memorisation for the sake of rote memory. She believed that children should be fed upon the best ideas, which she called 'mind-food.' She believed even the youngest children should be given 'ideas, clothed upon with facts' as they occur, inspiring tales, and worthy thoughts.<ref>Mason, Charlotte, [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#2 Parents and Children] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#2 |date=1 December 2016 }}, p. 263</ref><ref>Mason, Charlotte [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6 Towards A Philosophy of Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#6 |date=1 December 2016 }}, pp.88–90 109, 253, 256</ref> *The Classical Education approach in ''The Well Trained Mind'' relies on abridged books and simplified version of the classics for younger children; this version of Classical Education terms this period as 'the Grammar Stage'.<ref>Bauer, Susan Wise; Wise, Jessie; ''The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home'', page 61</ref> Mason believed that children should be introduced to subjects through living books, not through the use of "compendiums, abstracts, or selections."<ref>Mason, Charlotte; [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 School Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#3 |date=1 December 2016 }}, page 247</ref> She used abridged books only when some of the content was deemed inappropriate for children. She preferred that parents or teachers read aloud those texts (such as Plutarch and the Old Testament), making omissions only where necessary.<ref>Mason, Charlotte, [http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 Home Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201013242/http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html#1 |date=1 December 2016 }} Home Education, page 233</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Sources== *{{cite web | title=The Charlotte Mason Method | last=Andreola | first=Karen | year=1994 | publisher=Practical Homeschooling Magazine | url=http://www.home-school.com/Articles/CharlotteMason.html | access-date=8 April 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060415145441/http://www.home-school.com/Articles/CharlotteMason.html | archive-date=15 April 2006 | url-status=dead }} *{{cite book | last= Bell | first= Debra | year=2005 | title=The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling | edition=3rd | publisher=Tommy Nelson | isbn= 1-4003-0566-7 }} *{{cite book | last= Cholmondley | first= Essex | year=1960 | title=The Story of Charlotte Mason, 1842–1923}} *{{cite book | last= Gardner | first= Penny | year=1997 | title=Charlotte Mason Study Guide | edition=1st | publisher=SunRise Publishing | isbn= 1-57636-039-3 }} *{{cite book | last=Griffith | first=Mary | year=1999 | title=The Homeschooling Handbook | edition=Revised 2nd | publisher=Three Rivers Press | isbn=0-7615-1727-8 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/homeschoolinghan00grif_0 }} *{{cite book| last =Kerr | first =Rose | title =Story of the Girl Guides 1908–1938 | publisher=Girl Guides Association | year =1976 | location =London}} *{{cite book | last= Levison | first= Catherine | year=1997 | title=A Charlotte Mason Education | edition=2nd Printing | publisher=Charlotte Mason Communique-tions | isbn= 0-9655044-0-9 }} *{{cite book | last= Macaulay | first= Susan Schaeffer | year=2009 | title=For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School | edition=revised and updated from the 1984 | publisher=Crossway Books | isbn= 978-1-4335-0695-6 }} *{{cite web | title=The ABC's of Charlotte Mason | url=http://homepage.bushnell.net/~peanuts/faq1.html | access-date=8 April 2006 | archive-date=4 April 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060404223435/http://homepage.bushnell.net/~peanuts/faq1.html | url-status=dead }} *{{cite web | title=What is the difference between the Charlotte Mason approach and the Classical approach? | url=http://simplycharlottemason.com/home/started/cmclassical/ | access-date=11 June 2006}} *{{cite web | title=What methods did Charlotte Mason use? | url=http://simplycharlottemason.com/home/started/cmmethods/ | access-date=11 June 2006}} *{{cite web | title=The Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte M. Mason | url=https://www.amblesideschools.com/manual/Charlotte-Mason/charlotte-mason-6-volume-series | access-date=17 September 2010}} *{{cite web | title=Ambleside Online Parents' Review Article Archive | url=http://amblesideonline.org/PR.shtml | access-date=17 September 2010}} *{{cite web | title=Ambleside Online Frequently Asked Questions | url=http://amblesideonline.org/FAQ.shtml | access-date=17 September 2010}} *{{cite web | title=The Classical Side of Charlotte Mason by Karen Glass | url=http://www.welltrainedmind.com/the-classical-side-of-charlotte-mason/ | access-date=17 September 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818000351/http://www.welltrainedmind.com/the-classical-side-of-charlotte-mason/ | archive-date=18 August 2010}} *{{cite web | title=Classical Education and Four Year Cycles by Karen Glass | url=http://www.truthquesthistory.com/articles/articles_detail.php?contentid=93 | access-date=17 September 2010}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote}} {{Wikisource|Author:Charlotte Mason|Charlotte Mason}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080212095028/http://www.charlottemasonstudies.com/cmlife.html Timeline of Mason's life] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20071220065100/http://fp.armitt.plus.com/charlotte_mason.htm The Armitt Museum page on Mason] *[http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-mason.htm Informal Education Biography] *[http://amblesideschools.com Charlotte Mason-Inspired Schools] *[http://amblesideonline.org/PR.shtml Parents' Review articles online] *[http://amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html The Original Homeschooling Series online] *[http://amblesideonline.org/curriculum.shtml Ambleside Online free Curriculum based on the writings of Charlotte Mason] *[http://simplycharlottemason.com Simply Charlotte Mason Curriculum Guide and resources] *[http://charlottemasonhome.com A Charlotte Mason-Inspired Home Education] ; Texts * {{gutenberg author|53773}} * {{Librivox author |id=12282}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Charlotte}} Category:English educators Category:People associated with Scouting Category:1842 births Category:1923 deaths Category:Education writers Category:People from Bangor, Gwynedd Category:People from Ambleside