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Here are some interesting thoughts on comparing some of these teaching methods: > [Charlotte Mason's teaching style] is not unschooling, nor is it delight-dire

Here are some interesting thoughts on comparing some of these teaching methods: > [Charlotte Mason's teaching style] is not unschooling, nor is it delight-directed. To illustrate the difference, imagine that you had a son who was interested in knights and wanted to learn more about them. With unschooling, you wouldn't plan any lessons but you would let your son read all the books he could find about knights, play knights games, look up knights on the internet. Then, you'd count those hours as school time. With delight-directed, you would note his interest in knights, and ditch your plans to teach about ancient cultures and US History, and instead plan a semester of lessons about knights. With CM, you would allow your son to learn all he wanted about knights in his spare time, but during school hours, you would continue to assign readings from chronological history and literature so he'd still be learning about ancient Egypt, Rome, US History, etc. because, as Charlotte Mason said, you never know what will ignite a passion in a child, so exposure to many topics is necessary. However, you would keep school hours short to give him plenty of time (and inclination) to learn about knights after school. [1] Sounds like you might like Charlotte Mason's approach. [1] https://www.amblesideonline.org/faq https://www.amblesideonline.org/faq

bjt2n3904 4y ago
No, actually I don't like that method! Infact, that's the one I was saying I don't like! This weaponizes hedonism for education -- and it's good for children to learn that education can be gratifying. But there are many things in education that are not pleasing for some time. If the child is not led to discipline themselves to learn things they don't necessarily enjoy... It's like trying to teach them to eat only things they enjoy. To circle back, I really think these pop education methods are boiling down to fad diets. You can lose weight with the Paleo diet, or Jenny Craig, or avoiding carbs... But what do they all have in common? Caloric intake rules the day.
- noworriesnate 4y ago
  What percentage of school time should the child spend learning about things they're interested in, in a way that is deeper than what the curriculum calls for? Charlotte Mason's answer is, let's say, 70%. Both unschooling and delight-driven learning answer this question with 100%. Keep in mind, with the Charlotte Mason method you still have to follow a planned curriculum 30% of the time, with all the accompanying test-taking, homework, etc. I think it's a question of balance, like you said children need to learn self-discipline but they also need to learn that education can be gratifying. I don't think the answer to that question should be 0% or 100%, I think it should be somewhere in the middle.

bjt2n3904 4y ago

No, actually I don't like that method! Infact, that's the one I was saying I don't like! This weaponizes hedonism for education -- and it's good for children to learn that education can be gratifying. But there are many things in education that are not pleasing for some time. If the child is not led to discipline themselves to learn things they don't necessarily enjoy... It's like trying to teach them to eat only things they enjoy. To circle back, I really think these pop education methods are boiling down to fad diets. You can lose weight with the Paleo diet, or Jenny Craig, or avoiding carbs... But what do they all have in common? Caloric intake rules the day.

noworriesnate 4y ago
What percentage of school time should the child spend learning about things they're interested in, in a way that is deeper than what the curriculum calls for? Charlotte Mason's answer is, let's say, 70%. Both unschooling and delight-driven learning answer this question with 100%. Keep in mind, with the Charlotte Mason method you still have to follow a planned curriculum 30% of the time, with all the accompanying test-taking, homework, etc. I think it's a question of balance, like you said children need to learn self-discipline but they also need to learn that education can be gratifying. I don't think the answer to that question should be 0% or 100%, I think it should be somewhere in the middle.