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At the mention of Home Schooling, many people picture children sitting around the dining room table (or at desks), while Mom stands in front of them holding the Teacher Edition of a textbook. They picture lesson plans, textbooks, workbooks, lectures, and report cards. Basically, they picture public school, but in the family’s kitchen or a designated ‘school room’.
While some families do use this approach, many choose other ways to educate their children. That’s one of the beautiful things about home schooling, choice. We get to choose how, when, and what our children study. We get to choose the materials, schedule, and method that work best for our family. We have many methods to choose from, and they don’t all resemble the above description.
School-at-Home
This is the approach that most resembles public school. It often involves purchasing pre-packaged curriculum that comes with textbooks, workbooks, tests, complete lesson plans, teacher editions, and answer keys. Many new homeschoolers start with this method, because it most closely resembles what the child is used to (if they’ve attended public or private school). Some may choose this method because they feel secure that there won’t be gaps in the child’s education. Others may choose it because it means less planning and preparation than some other methods. Some like the approach, but prefer to plan the lessons & find the materials on their own, instead of buying pre-packaged curriculum.
Classical Homeschooling
The goal, of a Classical education, is to teach students to think for themselves. This is done, by teaching with appropriate methods for the child’s developmental phase. The first phase is Grammar, when memorization is the main focus (K-6). During this phase, they are given a solid foundation in each subject. The second phase is Logic (7-8). It is in this phase that they learn to order & organize facts. Formal logic is taught, and they learn to make organized statements & arguments. The third phase (9-12) is Rhetoric. This is when they learn the skills of communicating well. Writing, researching, and orating are important aspects of this phase.
Charlotte Mason
This is a literature-based approach. Few, if any, textbooks or workbooks are used. Instead, “living books” (books that make the subject come alive) are used. Nature walks, nature journals, copywork, dictation, journaling, and narration are all part of a Charlotte Mason education. Students learn in real-life situations and show what they know by discussion & narration not tests.
Waldorf
This method focuses on educating the whole child – body, mind, and spirit. Early grades emphasize arts & crafts, nature, music, and movement. Older children are taught to reason things out for themselves, and develop self-awareness. Instead of using textbooks, they create their own books. TV and computers are discouraged, in this method, due to a belief that they are bad for the child’s creativity & overall health.
Montessori
This method is used mainly for younger children. Self-teaching materials are used, so the child can learn in an independent manner. In this method, children learn at their own pace. The teacher is there to control the environment, not the student. The environment is prepared for learning and kept neat & uncluttered. Educational materials are kept well-organized and easily accessible by the child. TV & computers are discouraged in this method.
Unit Studies
Unit Studies combine most, if not all, subjects into the study of one topic. Math can be hard to include in a Unit Study, so it is usually done separately.
For a unit study on frogs, you might learn about their classification & life cycle (or even get a tadpole to raise) for Science, study their habitats for Geography, read books about them (Reading), use words from the books you’re reading for Spelling & Vocabulary, write stories or poems about them (Grammar & Penmanship), draw or paint pictures of them for Art, and listen to songs about them for music.
Unit studies are wonderful for younger children, and are a great way to connect many subjects at one time.
Internet Homeschooling
There is a wealth of information and resources on the web; virtual schools, virtual tutors, online curriculum, and plenty of quality websites. Advice, resources, and help are available, for just about everything, with just a few clicks of your mouse.
Unschooling
Also called interest-led or child-led learning, unschooling is just that – it is led by the interests of the child. Unschoolers don’t do formal lessons or follow a school schedule. They learn by living life. The child studies what they want, how they want, when they want. Unschooling parents trust that their children will learn what they need, when they need it. They don’t force their child to learn specific things, at specific ages, simply because the Board of Education says they should.
This is a difficult method for many to consider. To use this method, you must first get rid of the ‘school’ frame of mind: the idea that certain topics should be taught at certain ages. Many parents have a hard time letting go of that and trusting that their child will get a good education without the schedules & formal lessons.
Eclectic Homeschooling
This is the method most often used by homeschoolers. Eclectic homeschoolers pick and choose what they use. They may like certain aspects or concepts from different methods, so they combine them to create their own way of educating. They could be eclectic about their materials, using curriculum from different providers for each subject.
An eclectic homeschooling family may use workbooks for some subjects, unit studies for others, and unschooling for others. They may like the theory behind the classical approach, but prefer different materials. The eclectic homeschooler chooses the methods & materials they think will work best, for each child, for each subject. They might use workbooks, textbooks, educational videos, computer programs, the internet, the library, museums, tutors, and other resources. |
Homeschool Methods
