Freedom And Discipline

Charlotte Mason, a great educator in Britain from the late 1800 s to the early1900 s, was renowned as Mother of Family Education. She devoted her whole life to the establishment of an efficient educational theory for educating children. Her thoughts of family education serves as the kernel of her theory system and freedom and rules are the final form of her theory. This thesis has illustrated the factors that affect the formation of her thoughts and her theory basis by interpreting Mason’s family education ideas. It has focused on its theory precise and goal as well as its path and course arrangement. At last, it has summarized the experience of family education and its enlightenment for today’s family education in China.This thesis can be divided into four parts. The prelude has explained the reason of choosing this topic, the sense of doing this research, the domestic and overseas research situation and the study method of this thesis. Chapter one mainly introduces the effects of the background information and education information of that time and of Mason herself to the formation of her thoughts. Chapter two firstly illustrates Mason’s point of views on religion, human nature and psychology and mainly elaborates the theory foundation of family education ideas. It secondly grasps the goal of family education and advocates that we should turn out to be an ideal person by denying utilitarianism and building up an educational mode of freedom and rules.Chapter three firstly carries out family education by forging atmosphere, cultivating habits and forming thoughts and secondly narrates the basic content and main methods of Mason’s family education by explaining the course of habit, practice and daily life. Chapter four expounds the effects of Mason’s ideas which have bearing on the educational methods and practices in the UK, North America and South Africa. Its positive effects reside with that it leans on parents’ accomplishment, the combination of freedom and rules, the cultivation of children’s aesthetic taste which entails giving rise to children’s curiosity and thirst for knowledge. In the end, it summarizes the lessons acquired from Mason’s family education and points out the limits of it.