Intro to Homeschooling Philosophies
You decided to take the brave step to homeschool. Whether your children were struggling, bored, or you felt they weren’t really absorbing the material, you decided traditional schooling wasn’t working. Inevitably, we immediately begin to purchase textbooks and materials almost identical to what they were using at the school. Sometimes we even feel the need to buy a school desk for each child. I almost did. One of the greatest lessons I learned is that school at home does not need to resemble traditional schooling. In fact, traditional schooling is not the most effective method of truly learning. It was developed out of necessity to easily handle the instruction of a large number of children at one time. Even if you chose to homeschool for reasons other than educational quality, looking at other styles of homeschooling may lead to a more pleasant and enjoyable experience. Let’s look at some of the main styles or philosophies of homeschooling.
Traditional
Most of us experienced schooling in this way. Each subject is taught with a separate textbook or workbook. We were expected to read the textbook, listen to a lecture on the reading, answer homework problems consisting of short answer, true/false, and multiple choice, and then retain the information we studied for a test at the end of the week. It is the easiest method for teaching a large group at the same level, but can be tedious with several children all completing different levels. If a child is able to complete the work without assistance, it can be a simple approach, but studies show that it is not the best method for long term retention.
Classical
Classical homeschooling follows a sequence of three stages, called the Trivium. This method uses the strengths children have at different stages to efficiently build on their learning. Young children tend to memorize information easier than those who are older, so education for children from the ages of six to ten focuses on memorizing the rules of phonics, spelling, grammar, math, science, history, ect. This phase is referred to as the Grammar Phase. The Dialectic Stage, consisting of the children ages ten through twelve, takes advantage of their desire to know why and ask questions. They study logic, debate, the “whys,” math, and some writing. The Rhetoric Stage, for those ages thirteen to eighteen, works on developing strong, persuasive writing skills and rigorous studies. Once a week families using this method get together for a “community day” to learn with their peers. Most families that use this method love that their curriculum is easy to follow and they love the breadth of knowledge and literature they cover. Complaints are that the curriculum can be pricey and the workload taxing, not allowing time for
pursuing other subjects or outside activities, and sometimes spilling onto Saturdays.
Where can I find more information?
Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason’s philosophy is to put a “feast” before children and let them take in what they are ready for. This method involves reading “living books” (not dry textbooks,
but books that come alive and are timeless), narrating back what has been read, spending free time in nature and having nature walks, utilizing a nature journal, and spending time appreciating art. There are short lessons on a variety of subjects, and writing is taught through copywork, dictation, and journaling. School work should be completed in the morning allowing for the pursuit of crafts, free time, and pursuing interests in the afternoon. She also stresses the importance of making good habits. There are many sources of curriculum that follow Charlotte Mason philosophy, or you can create your own plan using her writings as a blueprint. Most love the concentration on beauty, nature, and living books, and the more relaxed and inviting style of learning. For those with dysgraphia (tend to flip letters when writing) or other aversions to writing, copywork and dictation can be irritating.
Where can I find more information?
There are many websites sharing how they implement the Charlotte Mason method in their home, or curriculums that have been developed using this philosophy. If this is a philosophy you are interested in you can visit https://charlottemason.com/, or I just checked out the following books:
Thomas Jefferson Education/Leadership Education (TJed)
This is considered a newer movement in homeschooling, but follows the same process that educated many leaders in history. Leadership Education believes that children have their own unique genius and missions to fulfill, and that their education should be personalized to help them fulfill their goals and mission. Although personalizing education sounds time consuming, this form of education focuses on raising self-motivated learners/scholars that have a love of learning and desire to gain the abilities, skills, and knowledge necessary to prepare them for their individualized goals/missions. They focus on the proven studies that when an individual chooses/wants to learn, they retain information and actually learn the material. It is the student’s responsibility to educate themselves. The parents’ responsibility is to inspire and mentor their children to help them take the next best step. This form of education concentrates on the use of classics, mentors, inspiration, structuring time not content, expecting quality not conformity, simplicity, and the example of a parent seeking their own scholar phase. Education is divided into stages or phases. The core phase (for ages eight and under) concentrates on developing values, work ethic, understanding of good/evil, ect. Lessons are short with a concentration on the reading of literature and making it enjoyable. Parents are encouraged to have the children help alongside them with work and chores. The Love of Learning Phase (ages eight to thirteen) encourages the introduction of all types of subjects through real books (not textbooks) and fun activities or games. The Scholar Phase (ages twelve through nineteen) consists of the reading and discussion of excellent books, short lessons/lectures, activities, persuasive writing skills--all with the goal of teaching how to think, not what to think. This method can be completed on your own, through online mentoring programs, or through Liber community schools that meet once a week found here. Most parents utilizing this method love the self-directed, empowered, life-long learners that come out of this process, but it does require more faith on the parents’ part and the occasional slowing down and backing up if the love of learning and core stages aren’t strong enough.
Where can I find more information?
There are different ways this method is implemented. These two websites and two books are both excellent resources, but I would keep in mind that your leadership education can be customized to your family. The philosophy is most important; don't get overwhelmed by her list of tips and ideas. Take what works for your family!
http://www.lemimentortraining.com/Home_Page.html -good resource for creating new communities, training & education, and finding well put together scholar classes
Unit Studies
Where traditional schooling separates subjects, unit studies intertwine the different disciplines to form connections. When studying Egypt, for example, you might read about the history of the pyramids (history), paint using Egyptian rules of depicting humans (art), study Thales and how he used math and proportions to calculate the height of the pyramid (math), write a short story about Egyptian gods interactions with mortals (writing), and study what the organs of the body do and why and how the Egyptians preserved bodies (science.) Unit studies are fun and engaging and usually involve hands-on activities that draw children in and tend to send more information into long-term memory. Complaints consist of materials to collect and prep time, and some worry of not hitting all subjects enough.
Where can I find more information?
There are innumerable unit studies out there. You can buy a unit study on a particular subject, a curriculum covering a year or more's worth of material, or you can simply create your own by checking out library books on a subject and brainstorming ideas for hands-on activities. I plan on creating a reviews page soon as I have tried and enjoyed many!
Unschooling
With unschooling there is no curriculum, but you follow where the child’s interests lie. If the child is interested in trains, you research and read about trains until they express interest in another area, and then you spend time learning more about that area. You also draw the child into learning through everyday activities such as helping parents cook, writing the grocery list, determining the best deals when grocery shopping, or helping hand their father tools with metric measurements. The benefit is that the child learns the concepts taught because they want to and understand why the concept is needed, both which increase the transition of the learning into long-term memory. Complaints include that many are concerned that they won’t hit many important topics they feel their children need. This method is also more difficult to document in states that require documentation, or if continued throughout high school for transcript purposes.
Where can I find more information?
Honestly, I haven't read either of these books, but they come highly recommended. If this style is appealing, check out the books below.
Because of my fear of not educating my children the best way possible, I tried almost every one of these philosophies, and have seen successful adults come out of each one. I have settled on Leadership Education because it allowed me to take the positive aspects of each of the other philosophies and incorporate them in inspiring my children to become life-long, self-thinking learners prepared for life, which was my goal for their schooling. Follow the links and read more on the philosophies that seem conducive to the environment and goals you want for your family. Good luck!
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