Full Description
Awakening the Whole Child offers a refreshing and transformative perspective on education. Drawing on the timeless principles of pioneering educator Charlotte Mason (1842-1923), this book reimagines education for today and tomorrow, inspiring connection, curiosity, and the flourishing of the whole child.
With contributions from authors across the globe, this book offers a critical examination of Mason's relational philosophy, highlighting its relevance to contemporary debates and addressing key issues such as multicultural and critical perspectives, meritocracy and segregation, academic freedom, parental or carer involvement, and state control. Mason's approach emphasises the child's relationship with self, others, the environment, the universe, and the transcendent, making her ideas relevant to both religious and secular worldviews. Packed with practical wisdom and theoretical insights, the book broadens the conversation by engaging with ecological, societal, psychological, and philosophical perspectives, tackling urgent questions about the purpose of education often overlooked in today's standardised systems.
Designed for educators, researchers, and anyone seeking to reimagine education, Awakening the Whole Child invites readers to critically engage with Mason's philosophy, and rethink education for the betterment of individuals and society.
Contents
1. Charlotte Mason: Core Ideas, Educational Influences, and Institutional Legacy, Section 1: For the Sake of the Child: Nurturing a Flourishing Sense of Self, 2. The Gift of a Charlotte Mason Philosophy: A Practical Theology in an Age of Depression and Anxiety, 3. Building School Atmosphere: An Invigorating Thought Environment for Contemporary Students, 4. Mason's Principle of Narration: An Educational Practice that Honours Personhood, 5. The Goods of the Gods: A Brief Look at Narrative in Charlotte Mason's Model of Education, 6. Narration of Heroic Becoming: Plugging into the Collective Unconscious, 7. William Wordsworth: Why is Charlotte Mason Always Quoting Him?, 8. How to Teach Effective, Lasting Concepts in a Simple Way: The Power of Visual Memorisation, 9. How to Guide Narration in Differentiated Contexts: Further Up and Further In, 10. United States of America: Students and Stories of a Charlotte Mason Education in a Rural Mining County, 11. Brazil: Spreading the Feast for Students in Brazil, 12. South Africa: The Delights and Challenges of a Living Education, 13. Türkiye: Exploring Charlotte Mason's Pedagogy in the Context of Turkish Education, 14. France: The French Touch in Charlotte Mason's Pedagogy, 15. New Zealand: The "Wow Factor" of a Charlotte Mason Education, Section 2: For the Sake of the World: Cultivating Creativity and Citizenship for the Common Good, 16. Making Citizens: Narration as Participation, Participation as Narration, 17. Stunted Growth: A Charlotte Mason Perspective on Smartphones, 18. Charlotte Mason's Approach to Reading the Bible and the Context and Purpose of her Saviour of the World, Part 1, 19. The Relevance of Charlotte Mason's 'Saviour of the World': Moral and Biblical Learning in the 21st Century, Part 2, 20. Charlotte Mason's Philosophy and Practice as Antidote to Modernist Epistemology, 21. From Greece to Zoom: The History (and Future) of Narration, 22. Learning Backwards, Living Forwards: Medical Education, Christian Narrative, and Virtue Formation, 23. How to Reach Beyond the Bounds of Time and Place: Supporting a Diverse and Dynamic 21st Century Education, 24. How to Understand Success and Childhood: Curiosity, Courage, Clarity, 25. Korea: The Application of Charlotte Mason's Pedagogy at Sandol Nature School's Poetry Class with Songs and Traditional Korean Instruments, 26. United States of America: Embracing a Hispanic Heritage within the Broader Culture, 27. South Africa: Community and the Other in Post-Apartheid Context, 28. Australia: Discussing Mason, Pestalozzi, Montessori, and Piaget over Tea and Cake, 29. Ukraine: A Relational Education in Time of War, 30. United States of America: Experiencing the Charlotte Mason Philosophy in a Spanish Immersion School, 31. Canada: Charlotte Mason and Island Winter Life, 32. Charlotte Mason in the 21st Century, Appendix A: Charlotte Mason's Twenty Principles of Education, Appendix B: Mason Centenary Monograph Series
