Science of Relations
From Dr. Shannon Whiteside, Alveary Program Director:
How can we know if our students are growing in their knowledge of books and things? It is not as simple as giving them a multiple-choice test. That might be an indicator of what knowledge they can hold in their short-term memory, but that is not an indicator of what they have internalized and what knowledge has changed who they are and what they are interested in.
Charlotte Mason called education the science of relations (Principle 13). This does not refer to the interconnectedness of ideas and helping students find those connections, but rather to the natural affinity a person is born with to all domains of life–music, poetry, nature, history, art, science, geography, handworks, math, and language. Through exposure to those various areas, students can build relationships with the people from history, the characters of literature, the people and places across the world, the animals in their backyard and the paintings of artists.
Education approached from this standpoint is not about learning information about things and events, but about building relationships and interest that affect one’s thoughts and actions. Mason wanted students to care about what they were learning and find meaning with that knowledge outside of the classroom walls and stated, “The question is not,––how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education––but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? .…How full is the life he has before him?” (School Education, p. 170-171).
This principle of education–the science of relations–was one of Mason’s unique contributions to the educational world. She wanted students to be engaged in their learning on a personal and emotional level. How can we know if that is happening? I will give you a couple of personal examples from my children. My teenage daughter chose to decorate her room with a picture that shows maps of where various Shakespeare plays took place. Through our years of reading Shakespeare plays she has built a relationship with him and the characters from his plays. She also loves to scour used book shops looking for books to build her own personal library from the authors she has read over the years. My youngest daughter asked for a poetry anthology for Christmas and decorated her wall with a poem from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a poet she has come to appreciate. To keep it real, I am still waiting to see what relationships will come to fruition with my teenage son. He enjoys his studies overall and reads in his spare time but I am still waiting to see what author, or historical figure, or area of science really catches his attention outside of school time. How have your students built relationships with books and things? Head over to the Hive and let us know.
Notes
1. CMI Study Groups: Starting next week! Study Mason’s Volume 1 or 6 with an experienced mentor in a friendly, supportive small group. Alveary members receive a discount, but nonmembers are welcome to join. The reading assignments are a manageable 20 pages per month. Member discount code: ALVEARY
2. Alveary for Friends! Select Alveary subjects are now available for anyone to purchase (no membership required). Feel free to share with friends and tell them about our Instagram giveaway! Giveaway closes 7/9/23. alveary.org/shop.
3. New in the Print Store! Coil-bound versions of some individual subjects (the same as those available in the Alveary shop but at members-only prices!) are now available in the Members-Only print store. (Digital lessons by subject and by course are available on your dashboard).
4.Office Hours: Here is the video from last week’s session with Danielle Merritt-Sunseri. Our next session will be July 12 at 3:30 EDT.
5. Latin: The optional video Latin course is $179 for the year. (Teacher’s manual listed in Program is not needed, a savings of $75.) Sign-up link is listed in the Grade 7 Program (Step 2 on the Dashboard).
Queries
- Texts: Is there an option to get text reminders? A couple of members mentioned that they were texted direct links to things and that sounds great to me! I looked around my various profiles/settings and didn’t see where I could sign up for text notifications.
Yes, you can get periodic text reminders for Alveary news by texting “Alveary” to 615-334-9550.
- Where can find the Our Work packets and Copywork/Dictation packets?
You can find Our Work packets in the Program (Step 2 on the Dashboard) under the References. Copywork/Dictation packets are under Quick Links (p.2) in the Language Study lessons. Editable versions can also be found on Step 3 of the Dashboard under DIY options.
