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An Essay towards a Philosophy of Education
Discover the time-honored approach to education that inspired a generation of tutors and governesses, teachers, schoolmasters, and parents, with effects that still echo today.
An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education by Charlotte M. Mason is a classic work that presents a comprehensive overview of her educational philosophy. Mason’s priority of a broad curriculum—intended to be filled with opportunities for children through nature walks, art study, and “living books” rather than dry textbooks—shows how she envisioned learning to be a delight throughout life, rather than mere rote memory.
This edition adds two chapters which were cut from the 1925 publication. One is a chapter with an in-depth comparison of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's thinking with that of John Milton. The other is a section full of case studies exhibiting where and how "the Ambleside Method" worked in schools throughout England, and other places where it was not as successful due to the local culture (namely, some mining communities).
The text has been carefully formatted in larger type for easy reading. Our edition also retains running numbers in the margins that will allow readers to cross-reference page numbers from previous publications. The digital edition does not have page references, as a use of a keyword phase using the "search" feature will typically suffice.
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Available in print and ebook, this book is accessible to a new generation of families and educators who are seeking an approach to learning that is focused on the whole child. With acknowledgments to the Charlotte Mason Institute for the use of what we have added as Appendix A, "Some Impressions of the Ambleside Method," and to Charlotte Mason Poetry and their transcription team for their assistance with the text of the "Two Educational Ideals" chapter. In addition, we have licensed two images from The Armitt Museum and Library in Ambleside, England.
An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education by Charlotte M. Mason is a classic work that presents a comprehensive overview of her educational philosophy. Mason’s priority of a broad curriculum—intended to be filled with opportunities for children through nature walks, art study, and “living books” rather than dry textbooks—shows how she envisioned learning to be a delight throughout life, rather than mere rote memory.
This edition adds two chapters which were cut from the 1925 publication. One is a chapter with an in-depth comparison of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's thinking with that of John Milton. The other is a section full of case studies exhibiting where and how "the Ambleside Method" worked in schools throughout England, and other places where it was not as successful due to the local culture (namely, some mining communities).
The text has been carefully formatted in larger type for easy reading. Our edition also retains running numbers in the margins that will allow readers to cross-reference page numbers from previous publications. The digital edition does not have page references, as a use of a keyword phase using the "search" feature will typically suffice.
___
Available in print and ebook, this book is accessible to a new generation of families and educators who are seeking an approach to learning that is focused on the whole child. With acknowledgments to the Charlotte Mason Institute for the use of what we have added as Appendix A, "Some Impressions of the Ambleside Method," and to Charlotte Mason Poetry and their transcription team for their assistance with the text of the "Two Educational Ideals" chapter. In addition, we have licensed two images from The Armitt Museum and Library in Ambleside, England.
642 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2012
106 people are currently reading
448 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte M. Mason
62 books228 followersCharlotte Mason, a renowned British educator, lived during the turn of the 20th century. She turned the idea of education being something of utilitarian necessity into an approach based upon living ideas. She believed that education is "an atmosphere, a discipline, a life" and a "science of relations." Her methods are embraced around the world today, especially among the homeschool community.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 12, 2016
Since I love Charlotte Mason's Towards a Philosophy of Education and I love Karen Glass, I was bound to love this even though I am often not a fan of abridgements. At this time in my life, when I find myself reading more and more of Mason's writings, when I am learning more and more about her as a person, this is the perfect refresher volume. It is a great go-to volume for my podcast, The Mason Jar, also. It is especially helpful as my volume of Towards a Philosophy is in many pieces.
I will always remember Karen mentioning how she changed the title when she began to notice that CM used the term mind frequently. Charlotte was all about the mind and if we do not understand that we cannot understand her. Karen's volume and especially the notes before each chapter remind us of this.
I will always remember Karen mentioning how she changed the title when she began to notice that CM used the term mind frequently. Charlotte was all about the mind and if we do not understand that we cannot understand her. Karen's volume and especially the notes before each chapter remind us of this.
February 10, 2016
Finally! A copy of this book that won't fall apart and have to be held together with rubber bands! I'm thinking about transferring all of my notes as I read, but this book is almost too pretty to write in!
August 5, 2024
Comencé a leerlo con mucha ilusión porque había escuchado buenos comentarios de CM y porque en parte, ya seguía un poco su filosofía.
Sin embargo, al sumergirme en las páginas de este libro me golpeé de frente con varios obstáculos inesperados. En primer lugar, CM tiene plena convicción de su método y hace un montón de aseveraciones del tipo “hemos demostrado que”, “la evidencia es obvia de”, etc. cuando en realidad, no presenta ningún argumento sustancial. Lanza muchísimas ideas al voleo que no justifica y que ella simplemente se cree porque lo vivió. Pero vivirlo no es evidencia de nada, es solo un botón de muestra en el mar de la estadística.
Además, queda bastante confusa la postura que ella tiene entre teología y metodología de educación. Las defensoras de CM dicen que debemos tomar esto como “solo” una metodología de educación y no como teología, pero a medida que la lees te das cuenta que ella todo el tiempo habla de su metodología como parte de la teología que le enseña a los niños.
Finalmente, sus ideas se repiten en bucle. Creo que todas estas páginas se podrían haber reducido a 50 sin perder absolutamente nada y habríamos aprendido lo mismo sobre su método.
En fin, me voy decepcionada porque su metodología, a grandes rasgos me gusta, pero en cuanto a este libro, deja bastante que desear.
Sin embargo, al sumergirme en las páginas de este libro me golpeé de frente con varios obstáculos inesperados. En primer lugar, CM tiene plena convicción de su método y hace un montón de aseveraciones del tipo “hemos demostrado que”, “la evidencia es obvia de”, etc. cuando en realidad, no presenta ningún argumento sustancial. Lanza muchísimas ideas al voleo que no justifica y que ella simplemente se cree porque lo vivió. Pero vivirlo no es evidencia de nada, es solo un botón de muestra en el mar de la estadística.
Además, queda bastante confusa la postura que ella tiene entre teología y metodología de educación. Las defensoras de CM dicen que debemos tomar esto como “solo” una metodología de educación y no como teología, pero a medida que la lees te das cuenta que ella todo el tiempo habla de su metodología como parte de la teología que le enseña a los niños.
Finalmente, sus ideas se repiten en bucle. Creo que todas estas páginas se podrían haber reducido a 50 sin perder absolutamente nada y habríamos aprendido lo mismo sobre su método.
En fin, me voy decepcionada porque su metodología, a grandes rasgos me gusta, pero en cuanto a este libro, deja bastante que desear.
September 15, 2021
I always like to read a Charlotte Mason book to start the school year. I wish Karen Glass would edit all of CM's works like this. It was so much easier to read the entire book with outdated and obscure references removed or explained. Some of the longer examples were also moved to an appendix. Overall, this was an excellent resource for CM homeschoolers and has been made very accessible to modern ears without loosing the original wisdom and language of the author.
July 30, 2022
Karen Glass truly has distilled Charlotte Mason's book An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education so that it is easily approachable in this century. I appreciated the section headings and occasional footnotes she added to help organize and give context to the original text. Charlotte Mason's ideas are themselves wonderfully practical and they provide a helpful lens through which to view education.
Note: The listing on Goodreads says this book is 202 pages. In fact it is 189.
Note: The listing on Goodreads says this book is 202 pages. In fact it is 189.
June 7, 2022
I don't know how to review this... very helpful but also so dense that I only got a fraction of what was there. However, this philosophy of education is one that looks excellent and superior to any other. This semi-updating by Glass was definitely helpful.
May 10, 2023
This woman was a genius. Karen Glass did an incredible job with her intros/summaries before each chapter. One day I plan to read the unabridged version, but this was a great, approachable place to start.
August 18, 2017
A great introduction to Charlotte Mason's philosophy and writings.
January 19, 2019
What a life-changing book! I highly recommend this book if you want to think deeply about what education is, how it happens, and the Holy Spirit's role in educating each one of us.
December 13, 2022
Explica la manera en que los niños pueden aprender desde la mente de los autores de libros clásicos, es muy interesante la propuesta de Charlotte Masón para preparar un currículo para homeschool.
November 7, 2023
An amazing way to approach Charlotte Mason without feeling so intimidated!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews