Welcome to Foundations: Relational Methods.

You may be very familiar with Charlotte Mason's methods of instruction, or you may be completely new to them. Either way, we hope you will find much to inspire you, lots that resonates with you, and some things that challenge you, because the challenge is where growth happens. We at the Charlotte Mason Institute believe that our methods of instruction should be rooted in the principles of Charlotte Mason while staying relevant to current research about learning theories, educational psychology, and the current content about specific disciplines. This guide will help you implement Mason's methods in your home or classroom and give you the rationale for why instruction is done a specific way. It is not so important to do it exactly as we prescribe, but rather to understand the principles and apply those to your students' needs.  Take the time to listen, to reflect, to talk with others, and to process what you learn in this guide. Dip in an out of subjects as you need support. Just as we discourage children from "binging" their books, we also want to avoid teachers "binging" this series in a passive manner.‍

How to Get the Most Out of This Guide

Share generously. Your stories and experiences may be exactly what another member needs to hear today to solve a problem or resolve a question. Don't be shy! Join the conversation in the Alveary Hive, and let's support each other! We're all friends here.‍

Be constructive. We’re here to push each other forward and lift each other up. Find ways to help each other think bigger, reframe challenges, and stay curious. ‍

Visit and revisit. While wanting an overview of many of Charlotte Mason's methods can work through each section of the guide in order, one section is not dependent on another. Looking for support in Exams or Math? Visit those sections and come back for others later.

Let's get started.

Preliminary Inventory

In order to get into the right head-space for learning and implementing Mason's methods, think for a moment about these questions. You can write your answers in the comments here or reflect in a notebook:

1) First thoughts: Think about your experience as a student. What methods were effective for learning? What methods were ineffective?

2) How would you describe the role of the teacher?

3) Respond to the following statement: "All education is self-education." What do you think that means?

4) Assess your understanding of Mason's methods.  What subjects are you confident to teach? What subjects are you less confident to teach?