Homeschool Methods

A Quick Overviewof the Most Common

FIRST THINGS FIRST• Most important to remember: I want my child to

know God and love God, develop godly character, and I want my child to love learning.

• What do I want my children to learn and apply about God, himself/herself, and the world must precede the question what method will I use to teach them?

• Do not let the method determine your child’s biblical worldview.

• Be willing to modify or change method to accommodate child’s learning preferences.

TRADITIONAL

TRADITIONAL • Works for...– Child who is studying material similar to scope and

sequence as other public or private schools (short-term homeschooling).

– Beginner families who are most comfortable with a classroom style set-up at home.

– Parents who want to have everything planned out for them.

– Parents who want to use tests and quizzes as a primary way to test knowledge and understanding.

– Children who enjoy textbooks and workbooks.

CLASSICAL

• Exposure to history, art, and culture of Western Civilization, including languages of Latin and Greek, philosophy and literature of the West

• Christian Classical includes Theology.

CLASSICAL • Trivium

STAGES AGE AGE APPROACH

Concrete Grammar Elementary - Focus on science of language usage, of absorbing information, memorizing phonics, spelling, grammar, foreign language, history, science and math- Student has the ability to memorize many facts

Analytical Logic Middle School -Focus on science of right thinking, have discussions, debates and draw conclusions, teach algebra and thesis writing- Student has ability to make connections with the facts already learned

Abstract Rhetoric Highschool + -Focus on verbal and written expression- Student has ability to use connections learned to articulate and formulate own opinions

CLASSICAL

• Works for...– Parent and child who like structure.– Child who enjoys reading and writing, especially

the classics of Western Literature. – Parent who likes to be highly involved in discussing

books, giving dictation, etc. – Child who is academically-oriented. – Parent who believes that developing good study

skills fairly early on in your child's life will benefit him greatly as time goes on. (ex. Learning latin roots of words)

UNIT STUDIES

Theme

Theme:First Emperor of China

Qin Shi Huang Di(259 - 210 BC) and his

accomplishments

Science/Engineering:How did he build the Great Wall and Terracotta Army?

Art:What kinds of architectural principles were applied to

build the Great Wall of China and Terracotta Army

Music:What kind of

music/instruments fell under this same

time period?

Math:How long did it take the emperor to build the Great Wall and Terracotta Army?

Questions like how many, how much...

Geography:What parts of China

were under his reign?

Bible:What was happening in Bible times during

this period? What was the emperor’s idea of

the after-life?

Language:If you were one of the builders during the construction of the

Great Wall, can you write about what your experience

might have been like?

UNIT STUDIES• Works for...– Families with more than one child who can study

similar subjects at their own level. – Parents with a lot of time to interact with their

child(ren) and make connections with them. – Child who enjoys hands-on-projects and group

learning. – Families who are not concerned about following

traditional scope and sequence.

CHARLOTTE MASON

“Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” The approach is gentle and flexible, yet the parent still guides the learning process.

CHARLOTTE MASON

Charlotte Mason was a homeschooled kid and a British educator who used...

• “living books” (written by a person with a passion for the subject vs. textbooks)

• narration (especially oral narration for younger children)

• short lessons• the study of art, nature and poetry and using

notebooks to document and draw • the development of good habits

CHARLOTTE MASON• Works for...– Parents who want to create a learning environment that

encourages their child to explore and appreciate the world around him, perhaps not rigidly sticking to a schedule,

– Parents who see value in evaluating learning through other means besides written tests

– Parents who want to offer a well-rounded education, including enjoying art, nature, music and of course lots of books,

– Parents who don’t mind being very involved in the process of your child’s education – discussing books, giving dictation, listening and encouraging narration, and enjoying poetry, art and music together

UNSCHOOLING

UNSCHOOLING

• Started by educator, John Holt.• Philosophy: – First, children are born learners with a natural curiosity

that causes them to make sense of their world, think through and solve problems. He believes they have the ability to self-correct.*

– Parents and educators can get in the way of this natural process. Therefore, they need to be more passive and willing to take a step back and give direction only when students ask for and need help.

UNSCHOOLING

• Philosophy: – Second, build child’s self esteem. It is the key to learning.

Overbearing teachers and parents, coercive educational institutions, the rote drudgery of learning and endless testing - all serve to create a sense of anxiety, of crushing curiosity, of making learning a painful rather than a natural and pleasurable act. Over time students come to believe that they are failures. Indeed, Holt asserts that stammering and stuttering are the consequences for some children of destroyed self esteem.

UNSCHOOLING• Works for...– Families who are not concerned with scope and sequence

and structure– Parents who want child to have the freedom to follow

his/her own interests– Parents who have confidence in the process of learning and

are okay if not everything is document by a written test– Parents see a value in having child develop expertise in an

interest, and are willing to let other activities take second place, at least for a season

– Child who has interests, hobbies or collections they want to pursue

ECLECTIC

ECLECTIC• Works for...– Parents who prefer to hunt for the best curriculums

to suit their kids’ needs and their teaching goals. – Parents who don’t mind spending the money to

experiment with different curriculums.– Parents who are more adventurous in their

approach to teaching and enjoy the process of finding what works best.

– Kids who don’t mind a lot of change or repeating some of the things they might have learned in previous materials.

SAMPLE CURRICULUMS

• Traditional - AOP, Bob Jones, Abeka, Local textbooks, Rod and Staff

• Classical – Tapestry of Grace, Veritas Press, Story of the World, Early Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind

• Unit Studies – Konos, Tapestry of Grace, Weaver• Charlotte Mason – Ambleside Online, Sonlight

(literature based but with scope and sequence)• Eclectic – A hodge podge of different things