| A pair of sisters stand side by side at
| |
| | love of knowledge and the desire to
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| the bathroom sink peacefully brushing
| |
| | continue learning for a lifetime is a
|
| their teeth. Their four-year-old brother
| |
| | higher goal.
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| bounds into the room,. Using much force
| |
| | It is a nobler ideal.
|
| he lifts the heavy stepping stool and
| |
| | NARRATION STRENGTHENS Mental Powers There
|
| squeezes it between them. Standing on his
| |
| | is more to narration than meets the eye
|
| soapbox, now eye-level with his sisters,
| |
| | -- or shall we say meets the ear? We can
|
| he states, "I want to brush my teeth."
| |
| | see how narration invites the child's
|
| One annoyed sister, mouth full of foaming
| |
| | individual personality to become part of
|
| toothpaste, replies, "Can't you wait your
| |
| | the learning process. What we may not see
|
| turn?" Her brother eloquently argues,
| |
| | is how narration strengthens and
|
| "Haven't you ever heard the story of the
| |
| | challenges all the powers of mind.
|
| little boy who couldn't get any water to
| |
| | Attending, remembering, visualizing,
|
| brush his teeth so da-seeds grew in his
| |
| | comprehending, synthesizing (seeing the
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| mouth?" "No, what seeds?" chuckles the
| |
| | whole from the parts), and articulating
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| sister, rinsing her mouth.
| |
| | are the result of placing our trust in
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| "Don't you know about da-seeds?" "I think
| |
| | this method. All a parent need to do is
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| he is referring to gum disease," I say,
| |
| | to set the table with a varied diet of
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| coming to his rescue, wondering when he
| |
| | true and noble ideas for the child to
|
| heard us talking about this topic.
| |
| | feast upon and his mind does for itself
|
| The girls leave the room with clean teeth
| |
| | the sorting, arranging, correlating,
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| and I decide to fight "da-seeds" in my
| |
| | selecting, rejecting, classifying, for
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| own mouth and keep a little boy company
| |
| | which textbook committees and the writers
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| at the same time.
| |
| | of intricately detailed unit studies
|
| As you can see from this true story,
| |
| | think they are responsible.
|
| children learn to express themselves with
| |
| | NARRATION IS EVALUATION
|
| an ever-increasing vocabulary long before
| |
| | For the literary subjects narration is
|
| we treat them to pages of
| |
| | the best way to find out what a child
|
| "vocabulary-building" busy work. My son's
| |
| | knows. But what about other subjects? How
|
| little speech was a peek into that "art
| |
| | will we live if we don't have
|
| of telling" which is in every child's
| |
| | multiple-choice tests resulting in
|
| mind, waiting to be discovered.
| |
| | statistics and percentages to point to?
|
| As a parent you probably know how much
| |
| | (Answer: how many children who pass such
|
| young children delight in "telling." When
| |
| | tests remember any of the material a few
|
| they are very young we encourage them to
| |
| | weeks later?) Insecurity lurks to trap
|
| walk and talk. Sadly, when school begins
| |
| | those of us who have put all our eggs in
|
| they are told to sit down and be quiet.
| |
| | this one basket of evaluation. It is so
|
| Their instinct of curiosity motivates
| |
| | simple and enjoyable that we may feel
|
| them to know. Their wonderful new
| |
| | like we're cheating. As one Charlotte
|
| knowledge motivates them to tell. But all
| |
| | Mason fan wrote me recently, "Americans
|
| too often this ability and desire to tell
| |
| | are into insurance. We want proof of
|
| is "schooled out" of children.
| |
| | excellence, measurements of progress, and
|
| One of the reasons Charlotte Mason's work
| |
| | guarantees of success . . . We test for
|
| is enjoying a renaissance among modern
| |
| | IQ, readiness, learning disabilities,
|
| home educators is that she worked with
| |
| | learning aptitude, creativity,
|
| children's desire to tell what they know.
| |
| | achievement, development, brain
|
| Unlike other educators of her day, Miss
| |
| | hemisphere dominance, perception, and on
|
| Mason believed strongly that this amazing
| |
| | and on and on. We have placed our hopes
|
| gift with which children are born should
| |
| | in what can be seen, measured, graphed,
|
| not lie fallow in their education.
| |
| | reported, and compared. We want visible
|
| Recognizing that "narration" -- telling
| |
| | signs of an infinitely complex, invisible
|
| others what you have just learned -- is
| |
| | reality. As educators we have listened to
|
| the best and most natural way for a young
| |
| | our fears and have sacrificed education
|
| child to organize and demonstrate the
| |
| | to the god of security.
|
| knowledge he gains from books, she
| |
| | Charlotte Mason can inspire us, but
|
| incorporated this natural gift into her
| |
| | cannot give us what we must become
|
| school lessons and correspondence
| |
| | ourselves -- people of faith." Narration:
|
| courses.
| |
| | How To Do It Formal telling should be
|
| This is the method of learning we have
| |
| | required of children only after the age
|
| chosen for our children. But how does it
| |
| | of six. All kindergarten narrations
|
| work? First, Miss Mason required her
| |
| | should be spontaneous. Young students
|
| teachers to read aloud to the children.
| |
| | should begin by narrating paragraphs.
|
| Instead of "dumbed-down" basal readers,
| |
| | Aesop's Fables are handy for developing
|
| which Miss Mason fearlessly labeled
| |
| | the power of narration because they are
|
| "twaddle," she fed the children's minds
| |
| | short and non-twaddly. Drawing a picture
|
| with the best age-appropriate literature
| |
| | of what has been read aloud is a
|
| she could find. This was all important,
| |
| | legitimate form of narration, too. This
|
| both in retaining a child's interest and
| |
| | also develops a child's imagination, a
|
| in giving his mind solid food for
| |
| | valuable part of his intellect. Older
|
| thought.
| |
| | students do not mind breaking into the
|
| As many of us have found, all children
| |
| | narration habit with Aesop's Fables.
|
| respond naturally to a good story! Then,
| |
| | Children of all ages enjoy narrating
|
| since knowledge is not assimilated until
| |
| | fairy tales and Greek myths, and can
|
| it is reproduced, she felt children
| |
| | easily tell the difference between these
|
| should tell back, after a single reading,
| |
| | "made-up" stories and the Bible stories
|
| what they had just heard. This she called
| |
| | they will also be narrating.
|
| "narration." Information or KNOWLEDGE ?
| |
| | By age eight, part or all of a short
|
| Today's children are exposed to much
| |
| | chapter can be narrated (about seven
|
| information and come away with little
| |
| | minutes' worth of a teacher's reading
|
| knowledge. Why? Because they have never
| |
| | aloud).
|
| thought the writer's ideas through and
| |
| | At the age of nine or ten, children who
|
| made them their own. Charlotte Mason
| |
| | have been used to the effort of narrating
|
| observed that what the child digs for
| |
| | stories can easily go on to narrate whole
|
| becomes his own possession. Narration
| |
| | chapters of history -- historical
|
| develops the power of self-expression and
| |
| | fiction, biography, myths and legends --
|
| forces the child to use his own mind and
| |
| | as well science and nature investigation,
|
| form his own judgment.
| |
| | and Bible. As an alternative to telling,
|
| Today, this simple and delightful way of
| |
| | you can also give a child the opportunity
|
| learning is too often replaced with the
| |
| | to ask you questions from what he has
|
| convenient use of workbooks. In so many
| |
| | read. His mind will work through the
|
| schools -- and some home schools! --
| |
| | matter to pick out the main points as
|
| children are captive to pages of multiple
| |
| | well as some subtle details which might
|
| choice, true and false,
| |
| | stump you.
|
| fill-in-the-blank, and lists of
| |
| | Charlotte Mason's method is the simplest
|
| questions. But why should we work so hard
| |
| | and most natural method I've found to
|
| and weary our children trying to remember
| |
| | teach children composition. The wonderful
|
| fragments of information? Take that
| |
| | "art of telling" carries over to a
|
| information and make it into a story!
| |
| | child's writing. Because narration was
|
| Then have your children relate the story
| |
| | the primary way Charlotte's students
|
| back to you. Help them learn the "plot"
| |
| | gained knowledge from books, composition
|
| -- the reasons -- behind science,
| |
| | (first oral, later written) was an
|
| history, and the other disciplines. In
| |
| | integral part of a variety of subjects --
|
| this knowledge they will find delight.
| |
| | not a separate subject. During the years
|
| "Living Books" Children respond to what
| |
| | of oral narration the mechanical skills
|
| Charlotte Mason called "living ideas"
| |
| | of writing are progressing so that by the
|
| found in "living books," as opposed to
| |
| | age of ten a child is ready to begin the
|
| textbook-committee pabulum.
| |
| | effort of lengthy written narrations.
|
| Textbooks present history, for example,
| |
| | You could call these "book reports" and
|
| as a series of disconnected wars and
| |
| | "essays," if you prefer.
|
| political coups. Why did people live the
| |
| | For evaluation in Miss Mason's schools
|
| way they did or fight for those causes?
| |
| | and home schools, children were asked
|
| In most cases, the textbook writers are
| |
| | essay questions and their oral or written
|
| clueless.
| |
| | narrations determined what they knew.
|
| A child who reads the good history -- or
| |
| | These examinations at the end of each
|
| even the good literature -- of those
| |
| | term, were never proceeded with review.
|
| times will understand far better than the
| |
| | The children spoke or wrote with fluency
|
| textbook writers how people thought and
| |
| | because they knew what they had
|
| the noble aims that moved them. Even the
| |
| | previously narrated even months before.
|
| noble language of these books helps form
| |
| | Our own children are familiar with
|
| his thinking.
| |
| | workbook pages so that they are prepared
|
| So we who believe in narration must
| |
| | to take our state's required year end
|
| search for books that nourish a child on
| |
| | test, but narration is basic in our home
|
| living ideas, and that accustom his ear
| |
| | school. Each child narrates according to
|
| and tongue to good English.
| |
| | her own ability and each child loves her
|
| Beautiful Thoughts A child who has
| |
| | books. I hope my article has given you
|
| developed and attained the power of
| |
| | increased confidence to set this
|
| narrating from living books tells his
| |
| | beneficial and enjoyable use of narration
|
| version of the story using attractive
| |
| | to motion' in your home school. What may
|
| vocabulary as it appeals to him. He does
| |
| | seem awkward at first, with time and use,
|
| not merely parrot information. He absorbs
| |
| | becomes a great accomplishment in your
|
| into himself the beautiful thought from
| |
| | child's education. For, with the frequent
|
| the book, making it his own and then
| |
| | use of narration your children will
|
| gives it forth again with just that
| |
| | become learned and literate young
|
| little touch that comes from his own
| |
| | scholars.
|
| mind. Isn't it interesting how the Word
| |
| | Sunday School Founder Champions Narration
|
| of God includes four gospel accounts,
| |
| | Charlotte Mason wasn't the only one who
|
| each narrated from a special point of
| |
| | believed narration to be the best method
|
| view? NARRATION Fixes Information in a
| |
| | of learning, remembering, and evaluating.
|
| Child's Mind Miss Mason found that if you
| |
| | H. Clay Trumbull, a founder of the
|
| use narration consistently, review is
| |
| | American Sunday School movement and
|
| unnecessary. Narration is not merely an
| |
| | author of many books, believed narration
|
| effort of memory, yet it increases the
| |
| | to be an invaluable method for teaching
|
| mind's ability to remember. A child
| |
| | the Word of God in Sunday schools.
|
| gathers from the whole passage what he
| |
| | Trumbull quoted pages of what great men
|
| has assimilated and he will be able to
| |
| | have said about narration in his book
|
| remember his own assimilation (train of
| |
| | Teachers and Teaching (now unhappily out
|
| thought) months later, with no review
| |
| | of print). One professor Trumbull quoted
|
| from the teacher.
| |
| | suggested that the mind of a child is
|
| NARRATION AND Living BOOKS INSPIRE Love
| |
| | best opened by way of his mouth. "You
|
| of KNOWLEDGE Certainly we should drill
| |
| | cannot fill a bottle with the cork in,"
|
| children on the simple facts they need to
| |
| | he said. Counting every passive hearer as
|
| memorize -- arithmetic facts, important
| |
| | a corked bottle, he adds: "You may pour
|
| historic dates, Bible verses. Short daily
| |
| | your stream of knowledge upon them till
|
| drills will not overshadow the children's
| |
| | you drown them, and not get a drop of it
|
| school day. However, narration should be
| |
| | into them because their mouths are shut."
|
| our main learning tool. When narration
| |
| | Trumbull said that there is no mental
|
| from real books is practiced not as "a
| |
| | getting and holding except through, or in
|
| nice thing to do from time to time," but
| |
| | conjunction with, some mental giving or
|
| as a fundamental way to acquire
| |
| | doing. He looked back into the pages of
|
| knowledge, your children will be happy
| |
| | history and discovered "telling" was
|
| and fulfilled with their school lessons.
| |
| | greatly used by the ancients. Socrates,
|
| True personal knowledge is satisfying and
| |
| | the great Greek teacher, always began his
|
| children will hold onto their favorite
| |
| | teaching by asking his students
|
| ideas for a lifetime, not just for a
| |
| | questions, in order to open their minds,
|
| test.
| |
| | and to secure their cooperation with him
|
| Compare this important principle of
| |
| | in the teaching process. He insisted that
|
| education with that of the cramming of
| |
| | he who would be a learner must not merely
|
| information for tests. What does cramming
| |
| | be a listener and a recited, but must
|
| do for a child's mind? Have we allowed
| |
| | also be "one who searches out for
|
| the goal of making the grade become the
| |
| | himself." Trumbull urged this method be
|
| ideal? Miss Mason has taught us that the
| |
| | used in Sunday schools.
|
