Homeschooling Approaches
Although every family is unique, certain homeschooling approaches have become
popular in one form or another. Most homeschoolers do not exactly follow one
style or method, but rather select ideas and methods from among different
approaches to best fit their family's needs. Many of these methods have several
common elements such as defined objectives, lesson plans, frequent library
visits, family nights, portfolios, and even tutoring and mentoring. When looking
at the differences between homeschooling approaches, it is important to see what
they have in common as well as their differences.
The first step in choosing a homeschooling approach is to gather information
about the options that exist. Ask yourself a few questions to help you decide
what homeschooling methods best fit your family. Are you a highly organized
person? Do you like your day to be predictable, or are you inclined to stay
flexible, ready to adapt to changing circumstances? Would you prefer that you
not be told what to do? Do you want your curriculum to be planned for you, with
teacher instructions and worksheets for the children? Or do you want to be able
to pick and choose which books they read and which activities to engage in?
As you study these descriptions and talk to experienced homeschoolers, you can
start to get a feel for the style that best fits you and your family.
The following are the most popular homeschooling approaches:
School-at-Home
School-at-home is the style most often portrayed in the media because it is so
easy to understand and can be accompanied by a photo of children studying around
the kitchen table. This is also the most expensive method and the style with the
highest burnout rate. Most families who follow the school-at-home approach
purchase a boxed curriculum that comes with textbooks, study schedules, grades,
and record keeping.
Unit Studies
Unit studies use your child's interest and then ties that interest into subject
areas like math, reading, spelling, science, art and history. For example, if
you have a child who is interested in ancient Egypt, you would learn the history
of Egypt, read books about Egypt, write stories about Egypt, do art projects
about pyramids, and learn about Egyptian artifacts or mapping skills to map out
a catacomb.
Unschooling
Unschooling is also known as natural, interest-led, and child-led learning.
Unschoolers learn from everyday life experiences and do not use school schedules
or formal lessons. Instead, unschooled children follow their interests and learn
in much the same way as adults do—by pursuing an interest or curiosity.
Unschooled children learn their math, science, reading and history in the same
way that children learn to walk and talk.
"Relaxed" or "Eclectic" Homeschooling
"Relaxed" or "Eclectic" homeschooling is the method used most often by
homeschoolers. Basically, eclectic homeschoolers use a little of this and a
little of that such as workbooks for math, reading, and spelling, and taking an
unschooling approach for the other subjects.
Classical Homeschooling
The "classical" method began in the Middle Ages and was the approach used by
some of the greatest minds in history. The goal of the classical approach is to
teach people how to learn for themselves. The five tools of learning, known as
the Trivium, are reason, record, research, relate, and rhetoric. Younger
children begin with the preparing stage, where they learn basic reading,
writing, and arithmetic. The grammar stage is next, which emphasizes
compositions and collections, and then the dialectic stage, where serious
reading, study, and research take place. All the tools come together in the
rhetoric stage, where communication is the primary focus.
The Charlotte Mason Method
The Charlotte Mason method has at its core the belief that children deserve
respect and that they learn best from real-life situations. According to
Charlotte Mason, children should be given time to play, create, and be involved
in real-life situations from which they can learn. Students of the Charlotte
Mason method take nature walks, visit art museums, and learn geography, history,
and literature from "living books," books that make these subjects come alive.
Students also show what they know, not by taking tests, but via narration and
discussion.
The Waldorf Method
The Waldorf method is also used by some homeschoolers. Waldorf education is
based on the work of Rudolf Steiner and stresses the importance of educating the
whole child—body, mind, and spirit. In the early grades, there is an emphasis on
arts and crafts, music and movement, and nature. Older children are taught to
develop self-awareness and how to reason things out for themselves. Children in
a Waldorf homeschool do not use standard textbooks; instead, the children create
their own books.
Montessori
Montessori materials are also popular in some households. The Montessori method
emphasizes "errorless learning," where the children learn at their own pace and
in that way develop their full potential. The Montessori homeschool emphasizes
beauty and avoids things that are confusing or cluttered. Wooden tools are
preferred over plastic tools, and learning materials are kept well-organized and
ready to use. Most homeschoolers use the Montessori method for younger children.
Multiple Intelligences
"Multiple intelligences" is an idea developed by Howard Gardner and Harvard
University's "project zero." The belief is that everyone is intelligent in his
or her own way and that learning is easiest and most effective when it uses a
person's strengths instead of their weakness. For example, most schools use a
linguistic and logical-mathematical approach when teaching, but not everyone
learns that way. Some students, the bodily kinesthetic learners for example,
learn best by touching and not by listening or reading. Most successful
homeschoolers naturally emphasize their children's strengths and automatically
tailor their teaching to match their child's learning style. Successful
homeschoolers also adjust their learning environment and schedule so that it
brings out their child's' best. The goal for the homeschooling parents is to
identify how, when, and what their child learns best and to adapt their teaching
style to their child.
Hybrid Homeschooling (part-time)
Hybrid homeschoolers work in the middle ground between a traditional type of
schooling, and homeschooling. Many hybrid homeschoolers work with their public
school system or utilize co-op classes, tutors, and even private school
programs. While hybrids work with a more traditional type of schooling, they
only do this a few days per week. Homeschoolers find this method more appealing
as children get older, because it provides a more structured environment for the
child, and can take a lot of weight off of the parents shoulders as well as free
up a good deal of your time.
Internet Homeschooling
The Internet Homeschooling method has become a widespread phenomenon that allows
homeschoolers to harness the power of the Internet by accessing virtual tutors,
virtual schools, online curriculum, and quality websites. Parents are turning to
this method because they can set their own schedule, learn online wherever there
is internet access, talk to teachers one on one whenever their child needs help,
and can study subjects that interest their child. Also, schools like iQ Academy,
let you work at your own pace, and even provide students with a laptop |
Please share your ideas with me. Which method did you decide to use and why? What books would you recommend for a mom who is just starting to plan on homeschooling? Are there any websites which describe the different methods in a compare/contrast format? What should I be doing to prepare? Thanks so much!!! 
very closely now. We spend 1-2 hours a day actively learning The rest of the day we play, do read-alouds, go on hikes, etc...
We started K with the oldest as classical hs'ers, and then dabbled in Enki, Oak Meadow, and unschooling before returning to classical education. It fits mine and dh's educational philosophy - a strong academic education that also nourishes their development (the reading of great works by great minds). It also has helped me slowly prioritize what is most important (those subjects get much depth) and what is more elective (those subjects are more of a survey, at least until high school). For us, that means, Latin, math, and "language arts" (direct instruction in grammar, copywork/composition, and phonics/spelling/reading) 4 days a week. Once a week, we rotate the other subjects: history (done chronologically), science, art, nature study, and literature (we read every day, but once a week, we spend time reading through a particular book/genre - we are starting with fairy/folk tales).
Reading living books we already try to do.
Classical education began back in the empires of Greece and Rome, and was the way of educating chidlren (well, boys) in the West until the learly 1900's, when it fell out of favor based largely on the educational philosophy of men like John Dewey. Classical education is based on the Trivium: grammar, logic, rhetoric (not necessarily subjects but how they are taught, though some will argue that specific subjects also are what define Classical education) and the Quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. The Trivium can been seen as the study of letters and their application and the Quadrivium can been seen as the study of numbers and their application.
