CHARLOTTE MASON

Assalamu Alaykum
I'll start by this quote which I think is quite relevant to our goals in home educating and Muslims.

Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) said,
People need 'Ilm(knowledge) more than they need food and drink,
because they need food and drink once or twice a day,
but they need 'Ilm with every breath they take.
[Miftaah Daar al-Sa'aadah (1/65-66)]



Charlotte Mason was a 19th Century Educator whose ideas, philosophy, and concept of living books and real life experience, as a foundation for educating are very much relevant today as they were at the turn of the century.

Like with all other resources, we take what agrees with the Deen( Quran, the Sunnah and the way of our pious predessessors) and leave the rest.

 "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life" 

"Education is the science of relations."

Charlotte Mason 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."

The fundamental idea is, that children are persons and are therefore moved by the same springs of conduct as their elders. Among these is the Desire of Knowledge, knowledge-hunger being natural to everybody. Histories, Geography, the thoughts of other people, (in other words), the humanities is proper for us all, and are the objects of the natural desire of knowledge. So too, are Science, for we all live in the world; and Art, for we all require beauty, and are eager to know how to discriminate; social science, Ethics, for we are aware of the need to learn about the conduct of life; and Religion, for …we all 'want God.'—Charlotte Mason, A Philosophy of Education, p. 4

The six-volume set of books she left behind , covering all aspects of her extremely useful educational ideas also covers pertinent issues of moral, intellectual and physical development. They are Must-haves if one is home educating.
There are many books available that explain her philosophy as well. I have recently added in my Home Library all the books that follow her principles (which I have at the end of the page).

How to Use Charlotte Mason's Methods in a Muslim Home.
Living Books: "Children have a right to the best we possess; therefore their lesson books should be, as far as possible, our best books."

Probably the best known of Mason's methods is her use of living books for every subject possible instead of dry, factual textbooks or books that are 'written down' to children. Rather than books written by committee, as most textbooks are, living books are usually 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.

 The size of the book is not as important as the content and style- it should be alive and engaging.
Miss Mason did use textbooks when they were the best books she could find to meet the above criterion.
Miss Mason dismissed as 'twaddle' materials that are dumbed down and insulting to children.

Narration: “Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there in every child’s mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the process of disciplinary education.”

Children are expected to tell about what they have read; this is referred to as narration. Narrations can be oral, written or drawn and should be given after only one reading of the material. This method requires the child to intentionally train his powers of attention, to synthesise all he has read, to organise the material it 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."

Habit Training: “Habit is ten natures.”
Miss 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".

 She believed that habit training was a powerful force in helping children to take charge of their own education. Miss 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.

Lessons: “Children no more come into the world without provision for dealing with knowledge than without provision for dealing with food. They bring with them not only that intellectual appetite, the desire for knowledge, but also an enormous, an unlimited potential for attention to which the power of memory seems attached.”

Mason advocated that lessons be kept short and focused for younger children, seldom more than 20 minutes in length. As children mature and develop greater mastery of their powers of attention, lessons grow progressively longer. Students were given a schedule so they knew they had a limited time to complete the lesson. Miss Mason believed that dreary or dawdling lessons 'stultified a child's wits' and blocked his intellectual progress at the start. 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 fear of subjects. Miss 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.

Prepared Dictation: Once children had mastered the basic mechanics of handwriting, Miss Mason introduced them to prepared dictation. 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. 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. The teacher dictates to him from the passage, one phrase at a time, watching carefully as he writes to catch any misspelled word and correct it immediately. Miss Mason believed in immediately correcting misspelled words so as not to let a misspelled word imprint itself on the student's memory. Miss 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.

Handwriting: Miss Mason used A New Handwriting for Teachers, by M. M. Bridges (Mrs. Robert Bridges) to teach handwriting to her students. Miss 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".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. Once a child had mastered the formation of individual letters, 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.

Art: Charlotte Mason believed that children deserved direct contact with the best art. 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. 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.
As long as the works being studies are not portraits of animate beings, this could be a very relaxing part of the homeschool.

Music appreciation: Mason's goal was to teach the  appreciation of  Classical Music. Since this is NOT part of our Deen, I feel no need to discuss nor analyze it.

Nature Study and Outdoor Education: “If we give children regular opportunities to get in touch with God’s creation, a habit is formed that will be a source of delight throughout their lives. Many people know little of the natural world because they never take time to observe it. Once our senses are on the alert, though, nature yields treasure after treasure.” -Karen Andreola, A Charlotte Mason Companion.

Miss Mason believed that young children should spend several hours outdoors every day that the weather permitted. 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 calender of the first finds of each season- birds, flowers, and other species were sketched, described, and dated.

Students 12 years and over, 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." 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."

For this, some the popular books that are used for nature study in the Charlotte Mason curriculum are Handbook of Nature Study, The Burgess Bird Book and Animal book, The Bee People by Margaret W. Morley, The Seed BabiesSquirrels and other Fur Bearers, Fabre's The Story Books of Science and the Holling C. Holling Books. You can find the complete list of Charlotte Mason Style living books here.
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. For us, we have found the Miquon Math Curriculum with their Cuisinaire Rods from Key Curriculum Press to be most benificial in this regard. These have been ound helpful for children with Dyscalculia, too.

Poetry, Shakespeare and Plutarch and were integral to Mason's Schools. Since these contain the examples of the peak of English language, it must be encouraged and used but I am yet to realize the use of it being a daily study.  Some of the editions recommended by Charlotte Mason Style Educators can be found here.

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. Some books that keep CM's style in Grammar study are listed here.

Quran: Mason believed the Scriptures should be read 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.
This is very similar to our method of studying the Quran. We also recite, memorize, and read the tafseer of portions of the Quran in order to assimilate the lessons, commands and prohibitions in our heart and conduct, Insha Allah..

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.
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.Miss Mason also wrote a Geography reader for her students.

Foreign Language: Foreign language lessons began with children's songs and stories.
We use Arabic as the second language, for our goal is to understand the word of Allah. Consistent with Miss Mason's philosophy, a foreign language is best taught in a living setting. Her students studied French as a second language with some Latin and German which we could add at a later stage or simultaneously, if we so desire.

Handicrafts: Miss 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..." 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 allowed..."



 The mind of a child takes or rejects according to its needs, whether in taking or rejecting, the mind is functioning for its own nourishment; that the mind, in fact, requires sustenance as does the body, this mind is not to be measured or weighed but is spiritual, so its sustenance must be spiritual too, must in fact be ideas.”


20 principles of Charlotte Mason
From Philosophy of Education, Volume 6 of the Home Education Series

1. Children are born persons.

2. They are not both either good or bad, but with possibilities for good and for evil.

3. The principles of authority on the one hand and of obedience on the other, are natural, necessary, and fundamental; but—

4. These principles are limited by the respect due to the personality of children, which must not be encroached upon whether by the direct use of fear or love, suggestion or influence, or by undue play upon any one natural desire.

5. Therefore, we are limited to three educational instruments—the atmosphere of environment, the discipline of habit, and the presentation of living ideas. The P.N.E.U. Motto is: "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life".

6. When we say that "education is an atmosphere," we do not mean that a child should be isolated in what may be called a 'child-environment' especially adapted and prepared, but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions. It stultifies a child to bring down his world to the child's level.

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.

8. In saying that "education is a life," the need of intellectual and moral as well as of physical sustenance is implied. The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum.

9. We hold that the child's mind is no mere sack to hold ideas; but is rather, if the figure may be allowed, a spiritual organism, with an appetite for all knowledge. This is its proper diet, with which it is prepared to deal; and which it can digest and assimilate as the body does food.

10. Such a doctrine as e.g. the Herbartian, that the mind is a receptacle, lays the stress of education (the preparation of knowledge in enticing morsels duly ordered) upon the teacher. children taught on this principle are in danger of receiving much teaching with little knowledge; and the teacher's axiom is, "what a child learns matters less than how he learns it."

11. But we, believing that the normal child has powers of mind which fit him to deal with all knowledge proper to him, give him a full and generous curriculum; taking care only that all knowledge offered him is vital, that is, that facts are not presented without their informing ideas. Out of this conception comes our principle that,—

12. "Education is the Science of Relations"; that is, that a child has natural relations with a vast number of things and thoughts: so we train him upon physical exercises, nature lore, handicrafts, science and art, and upon many living books, for we know that our business is not to teach him all about anything, but to help him make valid as many as may be of— "Those first-born affinities that fit our new existence to existing things".

13. In devising syllabus for a normal child, of whatever social class, three points must be considered:
(a) He requires much knowledge, for the mind needs sufficient food as much as does the body.
(b) The knowledge should be various, for sameness in mental diet does not create appetite (i.e., curiosity)
(c) Knowledge should be communicated in well-chosen language, because his attention responds naturally to what is conveyed in literary form.

14. As knowledge is not assimilated until it is reproduced, children should 'tell back' after a single reading or hearing: or should write on some part of what they have read.

15. A single reading is insisted on, because children have naturally great power of attention; but this force is dissipated by the re-reading of passages, and also, by questioning, summarizing and the like.
Nor is the accuracy of this statement limited to clever children or to children of the educated classes: thousands of children in Elementary Schools respond freely to this method, which is based on the behavior of mind.

16. There are two guides to moral and intellectual self-management to offer to children, which we may call 'the way of the will' and 'the way of the reason.'

17. The way of the will: Children should be taught,
(a) to distinguish between 'I want' and 'I will.'
(b) That the way to will effectively is to turn our thoughts from that which we desire but do not will.
(c) That the best way to turn our thoughts is to think of or do some quite different thing, entertaining or interesting.
(d) That after a little rest in this way, the will returns to its work with new vigor. (This adjunct of the will is familiar to us ad diversion, whose office it is to ease us for a time from will effort, that we may 'will' again with added power. The use of suggestion as an aid to the will is to be deprecated, as tending to stultify and stereotype character. It would seem that spontaneity is a condition of development, and that human nature needs the discipline of failure as well as success.)

18. The way of reason: We teach children too, not to 'lean (too confidently) to their own understanding'; because the function of reason is to give logical demonstration
(a) of mathematical truth,
(b) of an initial idea, accepted by the will. In the former case, reason is, practically, an infallible guide, but in the latter, it is not always a safe one; for, whether that idea be right or wrong, reason will confirm it by irrefragable proofs.

19. Therefore, children should be taught, as they become mature enough to understand such teaching, that the chief responsibility which rest on them as persons is the acceptance or rejection of ideas. To help them in this choice we give them principles of conduct, and a wide range of the knowledge fitted to them. These principles should save children from some of the loose thinking and heedless action which cause most of us to live at a lower level than we need.

20. We allow no separation to grow up between the intellectual and 'spiritual' life of children, but teach them that the Divine Spirit has constant access to their spirits, and is their Continual Helper in all the interests, duties and joys of life.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Assalamu alaykum great read MashaAllah. Where can I get the Islamic Charlotte Mason curriculum?
I really want to use this method for my children.