| The Charlotte Manson method of education | | | | · Each child is made to write down a |
| started in the early 1900s by the British educator | | | | passage through the form of dictation. This allows |
| of the same name. Charlotte Manson brought | | | | them to improve their listening ability as well as |
| about a change in the method of homeschooling | | | | writing ability. As children do this task, they are |
| at that time, focusing on access to a quality | | | | exercising multiple learning areas at the same |
| education for all classes of society irrespective of | | | | time. The parents or the teacher is supposed to |
| social class or gender. | | | | watch over the child writing the dictated passage |
| One of the main aspects to Charlotte Manson's | | | | to catch any mistakes and correct them |
| approach was the introduction of 'Living books'. | | | | immediately. |
| These, unlike normal text books, were texts | | | | · Listening to songs and looking at |
| written in first person form by a single author | | | | paintings and other pieces of art is an important |
| with a lot of passion about the subject written. | | | | part of this method of education. This brings |
| Living books were usually written in a narrative | | | | about a sense of art appreciation among the |
| form, making them engaging to read as well as | | | | children. This is made even more productive by |
| understandable and interesting. Children were then | | | | asking the children to narrate their observations. |
| encouraged to cement their learning by providing | | | | · An emphasis on appreciating nature. |
| a narrative on the subject just covered. This | | | | Daily walks, outdoor studies, and visits to natural |
| way, children and their parents could actually tell | | | | places are common. Children are made to carry a |
| what the student had learned, making the results | | | | 'Nature Notebook' which they can use to write or |
| of studying more transparent. | | | | draw anything they have seen. |
| Other features of the Charlotte Manson method | | | | · Habit training, including good manners, |
| to education include: | | | | neatness, truthfulness, obedience and kindness, is |
| · The use of narration to bring about a | | | | practiced and reinforced in this method. These |
| new subject; Children find this easier to listen to | | | | habits are best taught when the child is young. |
| and digest compared to normal 'lectures'; | | | | The current idea of boy scouts and girl guides |
| · The importance given to handwriting; | | | | dates back to the time of Charlotte Mansion. This |
| Children are made to write short passages to | | | | approach has a great emphasis on learning by |
| improve their handwriting. Copy work is a daily | | | | experience and learning from nature. This tradition, |
| activity in this method. Only one copy work | | | | bought about by Charlotte Manson's ideas, is |
| should be done each day. | | | | practiced all over the world. |