One last question about Charlotte Mason method

[Hunter's Moon]

Can someone please explain to me their experiences with the CM method?

 

I can't wrap my head around the whole idea. Reading books to learn something? Being public schooled for 10+ years has obviously make me think differently.

 

I just don't really understand.

 

Can someone please tell me how they know their children are learning everything that you set out to teach them? For example, if learning about a certain time period, how did you know a few books would teach them about it?

 

Thanks. If you don't understand anything, please tell me and I will try my best to clarify my concerns.

[prairiegirl]

You know that they are learning by the narrations that they give you for every reading they do. The narrations can be oral or written, depending on the age. Also, CM also had end of term exams that measure how much the child understood.

[Tabrett]

A "few books" is much more than a chapter in a text book. It is easier to remember information that is learned in a story form, a child wants to hear and/or read, than reading a dry text.

 

How much do you remember of a novel you read in high school verses what you learned in a history text?

[Hunter's Moon]

A "few books" is much more than a chapter in a text book. It is easier to remember information that is learned in a story form, a child wants to hear and/or read, than reading a dry text.

 

How much do you remember of a novel you read in high school verses what you learned in a history text?

 

I am in high school now, a Junior.

 

I understand what you are saying about remembering a novel more, but you must also remember all I was ever taught to learn by was a textbook.

 

Another question, if anyone has kept a book of Centuries, would you please share your experiences? Thanks.

 

Also, I suppose I really want to know, were narrations and dictations enough for your children to remember? Did you do anything else to ensure they remembered? Thanks.

[Hunter's Moon]

Okay, maybe I have one more question :blush:

 

How do you substitute books if you use Ambleside Online?

 

Do you find books only in the same time period, or about the same thing.

 

For example, a book I could not find online was about two Jewish boys growing up in New York in the '40s. I was not sure if I should try to find a book about Jewish lives in the U.S. in the '40s, or if I should try to find something much more similar to the book.

[AngelaNYC]

You should join a yahoo group called AmbleRamble. It's all about using substitutions and full of other good ideas.

 

The CM method does seem very different from a public school way of doing things, but it's so very effective. Most of us going into it for the first time (either as a parent or student) need to do some sort of adjusting - but the key is to have faith in the process. Here's a good site for beginners (there's more than just the one page):

 

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cheps/ao-start.html

 

And of course there's so much reading to be done on the AO site itself. I would go to the site map page and just read as much as you can. I'm finishing up my second year using AO and can't wait to start up with a new year! My son loves it and he's gotten so much out of it. We use the whole method - not just the booklists, but the nature, poetry, composer, & artist schedules, and try to incorporate as much of the CM methodology as we can (short lessons, handicrafts, afternoons free, outdoors every day, etc)

 

Good luck!.