How does Charlotte Mason’s relational model apply to Science Instruction? Most of us were trained in the traditional manner of memorization and regurgitation, fragmented information and reproduction. But for Mason, science was not an isolated subject, and each scientific discipline fit within the broad web of not only the various types of sciences but of math and history and art. How do we offer children this integrated and relational feast of science today in the 21st century?

This course aims to give participants not only a robust understanding of Mason’s context and principles for science teaching but equip them to translate those principles into practice for students today. We recognize the unique pressures of the STEM culture on our students and seek to lay out a path that gives students the scientific literacy they are owed as persons and prepares them for life in our current world.

This is a self-study course designed to take one semester and worth about 3 college credits (6-9 hours/week of study). It was developed along with several other courses as part of a Templeton grant to better integrate science and faith within a Mason curriculum.* As we finish out this grant, we would appreciate your feedback on this course through a pre-course survey which you take now and a post-course survey upon completion. Thank you for your participation.

Though local requirements differ, we hope many can use this course toward Professional Development hours or Continuing Education Units. The schedule includes readings, narration prompts, and other assignments. These various readings are the backbone of the course which means your narrations (assigned and unassigned) are vital to help you integrate and assimilate ideas in the course. Look for connections from week to week, discuss the ideas you read with others, actually do the science experiments—the more you put in, the more you will get out.

We at the Charlotte Mason Institute are grateful to Kerri Forney and Danielle Sunseri for developing this course for us. We hope it equips you to introduce your students to the wonders of science—from nature study to chemistry.

Sincerely,

The Charlotte Mason Institute

*This project was made possible through the support of a grant from Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc. or the Charlotte Mason Institute.