Charlotte Mason vs. Neo-Classical vs. Classical (Part Two)

You may be wondering how Charlotte Mason differs from classical education and how classical education differs from neo-classical education. I asked myself the same question not too long ago. After reading a slew of discussion forums and articles online, I came up with these working definitions. I’m going to begin with neo-classical because that’s where we’ve found ourselves the last couple years.

Neo-Classical

Popularized by Dorothy Sayers’ essay “The Lost Tools of Learning,” neo-classical education divides the trivium (grammar, dialectic [or logic] and rhetoric), so essential to classical education, by grade levels. According to Classical Conversations (CC), which I categorize as neo-classical, students in preschool through sixth grade study grammar. They memorize facts and information that they will later need, the “pegs” on which to hang future ideas from their studies. A neo-classical educator would say that this stage, as well as with the others, best fits a child’s development at this age. Students in seventh and eighth grade participate in dialogue with other students and educators as they ask questions. Students in high school learn how to clearly and carefully express themselves as they argue for their viewpoints and solve complex problems in the world.

Our homeschool days with CC usually included time to review grammar from previous weeks, time to learn new grammar, a math lesson, and a reading lesson. We tried Saxon math and did not like the curriculum at all (too many worksheets) and Spell to Write and Read, which I really do like. We are continuing to learn to read with this curriculum.

Classical

Classical education utilizes the trivium as well, except in all grade levels. All students, regardless of their age, learn how to commit important information to memory (grammar), ask and answer questions (dialectic), and solve problems using what they know (rhetoric). Classical education relies heavily on language as a teaching tool. A typical classical education includes studying the fine arts, science, math, Latin, and possibly Greek later on. Classical education emphasizes studying history in chronological order and reading good literature (the “classics”). Classical education, akin to Charlotte Mason, educates the whole person with the goal of citizens who contribute their thoughts and ideas to society in a constructive way. The search for truth, beauty, and goodness form the core of a classical education.

As you can probably see, classical education and neo-classical education are similar in many ways. Both utilize the trivium and both include a rigorous study of Latin. I believe they differ in how they apply the trivium and how much emphasis they place on fine arts and science. CC does include a block of time for both fine arts and science as part of Community Day, but a classical educator would include a daily study or near-daily study of both topics. While CC doesn’t limit studies at home, the program also boasts that all you need to complete the program in the elementary grades is the Foundations Guide, which only contains a weekly study of fine arts and the grammar work for science.

Charlotte Mason

I think that generally when people hear about Charlotte Mason, they categorize her as a gentle, free-spirited educator who utilized books, and only books, in her teaching. While she taught and wrote with gentleness, her educational methods are anything but free-spirited. She designed a rigorous educational model that includes multiple subjects of study, narration, recitation, and challenging (non-multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank) exams for her older students. She encouraged her students to fully observe the world around them; halfhearted attempts to describe an object or narrate a reading would not suffice. She expected her students to give each lesson their complete attention, which explains why she kept her lessons short (around 10 minutes for younger students, and generally not more than 30 minutes for older students). She presented her students with a feast of living ideas through living books so that they could choose which subjects to study further on their own—the subjects filled with the ideas they connected with the most.

A day in a Charlotte Mason classroom might have included a Bible study, a history reading, recitation of a beautiful poem, a math lesson using common objects, a picture study from a famous artist, copywork, reading, and an afternoon spent outdoors or making something useful with a skill learned during handicrafts. Charlotte Mason required her students, depending on age and ability, to narrate each subject either orally (for younger students) or written (for older students). Other subjects studied included music appreciation, geography, literature, nature, and specific science topics in the older grades (Charlotte Mason grouped together roughly three grade levels and called them “forms”). Charlotte Mason sought to educate the whole person using lessons filled to the brim with truth, loveliness, and inspiration.

If you have anything to add or anything you think needs to be corrected in my definitions, please comment below! I’m learning as I go along, and appreciate all the advice I can get.

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You can read part one of this series here. I’ll publish part three next Tuesday!