Joyful Discovery - The Charlotte Mason Influence
Our view of the way children learn is influenced by the ideas of Charlotte Mason. Mason herself was a classical educator from mid-nineteenth century England. Classical education in her day, as in ours, emphasized highly cognitive teaching, driven primarily by memorization and drill. Charlotte Mason pioneered teaching methods that took advantage of a child’s natural curiosity and delight in discovery. Her ideas engaged a child’s heart and imagination in the learning process and avoided the tedium and exasperation that can creep into overly rote teaching environments.
At Wilberforce, we believe that children learn best with a balanced approach that is both experiential and disciplined, that engages both the mind and heart, that develops cognitive ability, igniting curiosity and passion. Many of the ideas and methods Charlotte Mason developed achieve this balance beautifully, and we have incorporated these tools in several ways:
v Language Eliciting Activities – Narration, Dictation, Recitation,
Literature, and Picture Studies – Children describe, in oral and written form,
what they have read, seen, experienced, or heard. In the process, they discover
new ideas and learn to describe what they have understood, developing skills in
reading, comprehension, writing, and expression.
v Limited hours in the early grades – Wilberforce has half days for
Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten and a half-day option on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday for students in Classes One and Two. We believe that at
these young ages, everything we need to do academically can be done – and
done well – in limited school hours, thereby freeing children to spend
afternoons at home with their families and at play. Also, during Classes One
and Two, we emphasize the major academic areas of reading and math in the
mornings when the students are fresh and alert. Afternoons are devoted to
more creative activities such as music, art, and nature studies.
v Cultivation of good habits – Recognizing that the early years are the time
when children are forming habits, we emphasize developing habits of life and of
scholarship, such as kindness, attentiveness, diligence, respect, order, and
follow-through. Habits in young children not only establish their character but
also become their future academic practice. We not only talk explicitly about
these habits and their fruit, but we also incorporate them into the daily routines
of the school.
v Discovery of living ideas – We seek to bring ideas and history alive through
biography, fiction, art, drama, exploration, and play. The books we read are
carefully selected works of proven excellence that are age-appropriate both in
reading level and content. We take advantage of a child’s capacity to memorize
and their natural curiosity to discover.
v Nature studies – We share Charlotte Mason’s conviction that contemplative
study and exploration of God’s creation should not be dull or tedious but full of
life and delightful discovery, for God has given us these things for our
enjoyment.
© The Wilberforce School 2005. No part of this site may be copied or used either in its entirety or in part without the express written permission of The Wilberforce School.
Our view of the way children learn is influenced by the ideas of Charlotte Mason. Mason herself was a classical educator from mid-nineteenth century England. Classical education in her day, as in ours, emphasized highly cognitive teaching, driven primarily by memorization and drill. Charlotte Mason pioneered teaching methods that took advantage of a child’s natural curiosity and delight in discovery. Her ideas engaged a child’s heart and imagination in the learning process and avoided the tedium and exasperation that can creep into overly rote teaching environments.
At Wilberforce, we believe that children learn best with a balanced approach that is both experiential and disciplined, that engages both the mind and heart, that develops cognitive ability, igniting curiosity and passion. Many of the ideas and methods Charlotte Mason developed achieve this balance beautifully, and we have incorporated these tools in several ways:
v Language Eliciting Activities – Narration, Dictation, Recitation,
Literature, and Picture Studies – Children describe, in oral and written form,
what they have read, seen, experienced, or heard. In the process, they discover
new ideas and learn to describe what they have understood, developing skills in
reading, comprehension, writing, and expression.
v Limited hours in the early grades – Wilberforce has half days for
Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten and a half-day option on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday for students in Classes One and Two. We believe that at
these young ages, everything we need to do academically can be done – and
done well – in limited school hours, thereby freeing children to spend
afternoons at home with their families and at play. Also, during Classes One
and Two, we emphasize the major academic areas of reading and math in the
mornings when the students are fresh and alert. Afternoons are devoted to
more creative activities such as music, art, and nature studies.
v Cultivation of good habits – Recognizing that the early years are the time
when children are forming habits, we emphasize developing habits of life and of
scholarship, such as kindness, attentiveness, diligence, respect, order, and
follow-through. Habits in young children not only establish their character but
also become their future academic practice. We not only talk explicitly about
these habits and their fruit, but we also incorporate them into the daily routines
of the school.
v Discovery of living ideas – We seek to bring ideas and history alive through
biography, fiction, art, drama, exploration, and play. The books we read are
carefully selected works of proven excellence that are age-appropriate both in
reading level and content. We take advantage of a child’s capacity to memorize
and their natural curiosity to discover.
v Nature studies – We share Charlotte Mason’s conviction that contemplative
study and exploration of God’s creation should not be dull or tedious but full of
life and delightful discovery, for God has given us these things for our
enjoyment.
© The Wilberforce School 2005. No part of this site may be copied or used either in its entirety or in part without the express written permission of The Wilberforce School.