May 21, 2010
By Nicci A. Kilcoyne
There are a host of homeschooling methods and corresponding curriculum choices that today’s homeschooling families have to choose from in the educational market. It can be very confusing to try to decide without actually knowing whether or not your family will respond well to the curriculum, which is why it is important to examine different methods ahead of time and try out some samples, if offered, to see what will work best for you. In this article there is a brief explanation of many of the popular methods out there, and some links to help you further research on your own.
Complete Curriculum Kits/ aka- “School-in-a-Box” – This is usually a popular approach for those just getting started in homeschooling and especially with those who have younger students and/or multiple students. Depending on the curriculum you choose, you could end up having various methods of teaching included within your ‘kit’; but the main goal here is to have everything you need for the school year. The provider puts together everything thing needed to teach your child for the semester/year, thus doing all the legwork for you in terms of selecting textbooks, reading books, and other resources. It does not mean that they have done the entire lesson planning for you, but they usually do provide a suggested outline or scope and sequence. Examples of these curriculum kits can be seen in the following links: http://heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/create-heart-of-wisdom-year-1-package/ ; & http://www.timberdoodle.com/Complete_Homeschool_Curriculum_Packages_s/363.htm
Unit Study Method – Using the unit study method in homeschooling involves implementing thematic study on any given subject. Instead of studying subjects such as math, science, history etc…, in a unit study, you have a consistent ‘theme’ in which all learning subjects are incorporated within that theme. For example, you may choose to do a thematic unit on geology. Within your unit, you will plan lessons that involve math equations at your child’s learning level, history of geology, science experiments involving geology and so on. The consistent presence of your chosen theme will be seen in every lesson, no matter what you are teaching. Many homeschoolers like this approach and consider it ‘whole’ learning, total immersion, which helps to ‘cement’ information into the child’s experience. Unit studies are also a great way to take a break from regular schooling yet still continue learning. Many unit studies are designed with a hand on approach that makes learning fun for both student and teacher. If you choose to use the unit study method as your main schooling method, be sure that you plan lessons around a specific scope and sequence so that you do not end up with ‘educational gaps’ from year to year. For more on unit studies see: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/methods/UnitsFree.htm
Charlotte Mason Education—Charlotte Mason, an educator in the late 1800’s thru early 1900’s, had a passion for children as ‘whole individuals’ and sought to educate them as such. Education her way involves a strong base in liberal arts, strong literary sources, and nourishing the total child, not just the mind. Her methods are so popular with homeschoolers, mostly because they help to install a lifelong love of learning. There are many resources available online; here are a few of the best: http://simplycharlottemason.com/basics/what-is-the-charlotte-mason-method/ ;
/ http://www.charlottemasoneducation.com/;
& http://www.amblesideonline.org/New.shtml
The CM method is not for the weak at heart, this is intensive education that requires the parent to be fully involved in their child’s education, but most homeschoolers will tell you that it is well worth the hard work and time!
Classical Approach – “Classical education depends on a three-part process of training the mind. The early years of school are spent in absorbing facts, systematically laying the foundations for advanced study. In the middle grades, students learn to think through arguments. In the high school years, they learn to express themselves. This classical pattern is called the trivium” – taken from the well-trained mind website: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/classical-education/ The Well Trained Mind seems to be one of the leading resources for this method, it is strongly based in the development of language skills and the skills of the mind. Develop the mind, develop the education of the child seems to be the focus.
Unschooling—wikapedia.com defines unschooling as: Unschooling refers to a range of educational philosophies and practices centered on allowing children to learn through their natural life experiences, including child directed play, game play, household responsibilities, work experience and social interaction, rather than through a more traditional school curriculum. Unschooling encourages exploration of activities led by the children themselves, facilitated by the adults. Unschooling differs from conventional schooling principally in the thesis that standard curricula and conventional grading methods, as well as other features of traditional schooling, are counterproductive to the goal of maximizing the education of each child. The main thought centers around the fact that children are naturally inclined to learn and therefore only need someone available to teach as needed. There are varying degrees of unschooling, some parents follow a suggested scope and sequence but still leave the main aspects of learning up to the queues of their child, while others are strictly child-led, only educating as their child shows interest. Unschoolers have faced sharp criticism for their approach, sometimes even from other homeschoolers, because of the lack of discipline that seems to be portrayed through unschooling.
*A 2007 survey asked parents why they choose to homeschool and allowed them to provide several reasons. The following response was from those who considered themselves ‘unschoolers’: Nontraditional approach to children's education - or "unschoolers" who consider typical curriculums and standardized testing as counterproductive to quality education - 65 percent.
*Home-educated children fall in the 65th to 80th percentile on standardized tests (the national average is the 50th percentile.) A researcher also studied the "self-concept" of children to learn about the socialization issue and found that about half of the 224 homeschoolers examined scored at or above the 91st percentile on the Piers-Harris global scale, which seeks to measure the "central core of personality" according to John Wesley Taylor. Taylor concluded that "insofar as the self-concept is a reflector of socialization, it would appear that few home-schooling children are socially deprived."
For more on unschooling go to: http://familyrun.ning.com/ & http://www.unschooling.com/library/faq/index.shtml
Montessori Method—with many similarities to the Charlotte Mason style, the Montessori method is also a popular approach to education. There are many different interpretations of the Montessori Method, for a few explanations see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_method ; http://www.montessorimom.com/what-montessori-method/
& http://www.montesori.orgs/.
Online Curriculum/ Distance Learning: Very popular for homeschoolers who wish to have their children home but perhaps are overwhelmed by the responsibility of teaching their children themselves. Online curriculum oftentimes offers support from licensed teachers and counselors, as well as having all the lessons planned out for you. This is traditionally viewed as public school within the home, and is sometimes preferred when children respond well to a classroom type setting. About.com has a good listing on online resources: http://homeschooling.about.com/od/distancelearning/Distance_Learning.html
Other computer-based curriculums available are: http://www.aophomeschooling.com/switched-on-schoolhouse/overview.php ; http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/ ; & http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum.htm
Eclectic Homeschooling – Eclectic homeschoolers tend to not follow a prescribed curriculum in order to meet their educational goals. Pulling from every and any resource available, they attempt to reach their child through whatever means necessary. They adjust and tweak as they see fit and often succeed. This approach requires the teacher to tune into their student’s personalities and learning styles, often resulting in a tutoring/ mentoring relationship, with the word ‘relationship’ being key. They jump in and out of several methods to accomplish their scope and sequence with an obvious benefit of exposure to many different teaching styles and learning experiences, because they are so flexible, they are not limited to any one philosophy of education. http://eclectichomeschool.org/ has many resources available to the eclectic homeschooler; many homeschoolers find themselves naturally falling into an eclectic approach over time because of the ease that it brings in helping to ‘tailor’ education to their child’s specific needs.
Enki Education-- http://www.homeschooldiner.com/guide/enkie_homeschooling.html defines Enki education as: The Enki approach was developed in 1989 by Beth Sutton, M.Ed., at the
request of a group of parents. Enki is an arts-based program. It is also a "
contemplative" educational method that seeks human wisdom and vitality,
wherever they arise, "in all people, in all cultures, in all times." An
approach that incorporates elements of many educational philosophies
and religions, including Waldorf, Montessori, scientific, Buddhist,
Christian, Native American, Islamic, Secular Humanist, and African. Enki
integrates the skill mastery techniques of traditional education and the
integrated project learning of theme-based education, along with many
educational aspects of the Waldorf Inspired Programs.
Enki programs "...weave together many diverse elements in order to
support our fundamental premise: the central task of education, whether
in classroom or homeschool programs, is the integration of body, heart,
and mind within each child... We want the child to experience himself - his
struggles, his successes, his dreams -- in every man. That's what makes
this a spiritual, yet not sectarian approach. “Following the above link will provide more information if you are interested in this approach for homeschooling.
Waldorf Method -- Waldorf education is based on the spiritual-scientific research of the Austrian scientist and thinker Rudolf Steiner. Online resources include: http://homeschooling.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=homeschooling&cdn=education&tm=87&f=21&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.awsna.org/education-intro.html ;
http://homeschooling.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=homeschooling&cdn=education&tm=132&f=21&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/ ; &
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/methods/Waldorf.htm
Thomas Jefferson Education-- http://www.offtheconveyorbelt.com/tjed/intro based on looking back in history to the kind of education that produced some of this nation’s great leaders, this education method’s primary focus is Leadership Education to impact the world around us.
As you can see, homeschooling can be anything you want it to be. When researching different methods and curriculums ask yourself, “Will I feel comfortable teaching this way, will my child respond naturally to this approach?” If so, then give it a try, you can even make it a homeschooling project for the whole family to examine different styles and take a poll to decide what is best for you! Most of all have fun with your child and get to know each other through the process!
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