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 like 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" (named for the town of Ambleside where they were headquartered) worked in schools throughout England.
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.
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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, where Miss Mason's estate items are housed.