William Wordsworth, Charlotte Mason and contemporary primary school education

Abstract

ABSTRACT The hundredth anniversary of the death of a once famous educator, Charlotte Mason, has stimulated renewed interest and research in her philosophy and her practice in primary education, particularly since this was based on the enjoyment, interests and self-motivation of young children. This paper traces the influence of educational ideas in the poetry of William Wordsworth (1770–1850). On the philosophy of nineteenth-century educator, Charlotte Mason (1842–1823). First, there are brief biographies of Wordsworth and Mason. Then the paper explores similarities in their refreshing ideas about the nature of childhood, how children learn, learning outdoors, the need for children to have time to explore independently and the importance of a rich vocabulary and good literature. Many of their beliefs are still threatened by rigid curricula, frequent testing and inspections to enforce compliance, which they contested. In conclusion, examples are given of current practice illustrating how the philosophy of Wordsworth and Mason is relevant and how it can be interpreted today.