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 Grace Academy, 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 over the various developmental stages of their learning:
Language-Eliciting Activities: Narration, Dictation, Recitation, Literature – Our children are encouraged to describe, in oral and written form, what they have read, seen, experienced, or heard. in the process, they discover new ideas and learn how to describe what they have understood, developing skills in reading, comprehension, writing, and expression.
Cultivation of Good Habits – Recognizing that childhood is the time when people are forming habits, we emphasize developing habits of virtues such as kindness, listening and attentiveness, respect, order, and follow-through. Habits in young children not only establish their character but also become their future academic practices. We talk explicitly about these habits and their fruit and incorporate them into the daily routines of the school.
Discovery of Living Ideas – We seek to bring ideas and history alive through biography, fiction, art, drama, and active discussion. The books we read are carefully selected works of proven excellence which are age-appropriate both in reading level and content. We try to take advantage of a child’s capacity to memorize and their natural curiosity to discover.
