Traditional
A traditional homeschool approach is based heavily on the use of textbooks and workbooks. It looks very much like what you would find in a typical school setting, only it is taught at home. The curriculum is age/grade based, meaning, what the child studies in a given year is based on what is thought to be academically appropriate for their age. They complete a lesson, take a test, and are graded based upon their performance, then they move on to the next lesson.
Content-based
Content based curricula are most often seen in the forms of the Classical approach, and unit studies. The Classical approach has very specific content that the child is to master. For example, in the first 4 years of the classical "trivium" there is much focus on the child memorizing all kinds of information and facts. Then, as they progress into the next level, they build on those facts and ask "why" when a child is naturally inclined to ask why anyway. Then, in the last level of the trivium, the child is in the rhetoric stage, building even more on what they have learned.
In unit studies, each lesson is content-specific, but all subjects tend to go together. All of the subjects are based on the same topic. For example, if in science, they are studying about the human body, then math will be based on something to do with the human body, as well as the reading assignments,etc.
Child-centered
Child centered schooling are methods that range from unschooling to Montessori. Child-centered models focus on letting the child direct their learning path, and letting adults get out of the way of their learning. Montessori is set up to where the child can self-correct mistakes, without need of intervention, unless asked.
Unschooling is essentially studying about whatever the child is interested in. If a child shows an interest in dinosaurs, then you get your hands on all things dinosaur- books,museums,etc. you take advantage of this learning opportunity and run with it.
Home-centered
Home centered methods are centered around the home. Everything in the home- the environment, the activities, the resources, are all home-centered and are all a part of the learning process. (home, meaning family) Academics are not necessarily separated from the rest of life, and life experiences are very much valued in the learning process. The most common home-centered method is the Charlotte Mason method. Education is taught mostly through the use of "living books".
I probably did a horrible job on these descriptions, but I'm trying to put them in my own words, and what I understand about them.*(see note below for more on these approaches). At some point or another I have looked into every one of these approaches, or a combination of them. Some stuff that we've done at home has been very Montessori minded. We've also gone the workbook route. I looked a lot into the classical approach.
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| Yes, an iPad or iPhone can be a learning tool. Balian is tracing letters and numbers with a stylus. |
The nice thing about homeschool nowadays is that there isn't this one size fits all approach. We have options! We don't have to do things the way that a school does them...because you aren't in a school! That gives me so much freedom. The hard part is breaking out of the box of what we have always been taught, or the way that we were taught. We don't even have to stick to one specific approach -we have the freedom to mix it up a bit-to use a little bit of traditional, mixed with some Montessori, and some unit studies. That's the beauty of it all. You have the freedom to teach your kids in the way that you want to/are led to teach them, and that could look completely different from one family to the next, or even one child to the next. But isn't it amazing that we, as parents have the opportunity to give each of our children the best possible education, that is the best possible fit for them? How else do we have that opportunity, but by teaching our children ourselves?
I'm honestly not exactly sure how this year is going to look. After taking a good look at my kids, and Bella especially, and how they learn...then taking a look at our goals for their education, and our own personalities, we've decided to go the home-centered route. And, honestly, It's pretty much the way I do things naturally anyway. I've always been one to teach my kids no matter where we were.
At the grocery store we can count, pick out shapes, name colors, read labels, etc.
Outside, we like to play, but sometimes we run into a very teachable moment (like observing eggs in a bird nest), or gardening with mommy,or working out in the garage with daddy.
Chores, cooking, art, everything is a learning opportunity. When I've gotten away from this, I've gotten stressed out. When I try to go by the books, my kids either get bored or they get frustrated. We all do much better when I simply challenge them where they are, and once they've mastered something, I challenge them more.
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| Balian using dinosaurs to identify his lower-case letters/sounds |
Do you see how this all fits in with discipleship?
Whether its Charlotte Mason or Whole-Hearted Learning, it's all based on the premis that my child is a living, learning, spiritual being, not just a tank for filling with information. It's opening up the child to a world of learning. My goal is to help my children to continue to love learning as much as they do now. I want them to become avid learners. I really believe that's what God desires for all of us in education. To become good learners, so that we can be teachable, and so that we are continuous students of His Word.
There is so much that goes into home-centered learning, apart from academics. Teaching the arts. Music, artists, etc. Character training. The study of God's Word. Going on nature walks and studying God's Creation. Life skills training.
This is why I believe that discipleship is the foundation for education. Discipleship and education happen together, at the same time. When we disciple, we educate. When we educate, we disciple (whether intentionally or not).
So much of this is stuff that most homeschooling families do throughout the day anyway, but they may not be super-intentional, or may not have the perception that all of these things add up to education, rather than being entirely separate entities.
Don't take me the wrong way. Academics are important too; however, I'm more interested in if my child is really learning, than what academic level is printed on the front of their books. I would rather Bella really learn something, and have it stick, then just simply learn something for a test, and then forget it entirely. I don't just want her learning fact after fact after fact. I want her to live it and breathe it.
Kind of like with Jesus...
I want her to touch the difference between a frog and a toad, not just read that a frog has slimy skin, and a toad has rough,dry skin. And if we can't touch a frog or a toad, then I want her to read about them in a way that captures her imagination, rather than just spit out facts and answers.
I want Bella, Balian, and Isaiah to love God. I don't just want them to know facts about Him, or have a million different Bible verses memorized by the time they graduate High School. I want them to know Him personally; to experience His presence; to stand in awe of His Majesty. I want them to know that they know that they know - not just because they have it memorized, but because they have learned to live it out in every area of their lives.
Obviously, there's only so much I can do in this area. I can't MAKE them love God. Even God himself can't do that. I can't bring them to a place of salvation - that is accomplished only by the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. But I can show them by how I live that I love God - and I can teach them about my Savior by getting into His Word with them. I can teach them how to worship by being a worshiper. I can teach them how to pray by being an example of prayer. And hopefully, by seeing my love for the Lord, they will desire to love the Lord as well. Until then, I will be standing on faith, and kneeling in prayer for the Holy Spirit to do a work in their hearts - to bring them into a place of repentance, salvation, and that they would have hearts that are set on fire for God.
Bella is a free spirit, and Balian is a kid that is so full of energy, I can barely keep up with him. Both of them are so full of life! And God made them that way! To make them learn in the traditional sense, would, I believe, squeeze the beauty out of the way God created them. I want to teach them in a way that causes their personalities that God gave them to shine - and to develop into what He wants them to be.
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| One of Bella's reading lessons from "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". |
Yes, there are subjects that require more structure, like math, reading, and writing. With these I have learned that short lessons are the best way to hold their attention.
Math: 15 minutes.
Reading: 15-20 minutes.
Writing: 10 minutes.
What I have seen is that they learn to focus for that small amount of time to where that time spent is more productive than an hour of struggling...where no learning happens. They remember when they pay attention. Things stick better, and they master things more easily. I am at a place where I just have to say "no thank-you" to pulling teeth to get a child to read and write. That in no way instills a love of learning. Instead, it causes a child to think that learning is boring, tedious, and altogether a negative experience.
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| A copy-work lesson taken from the reading assignment above. |
However, that's not to say that we shouldn't train children in diligence. Sometimes even a 10 minute lesson in copy work(writing) takes a reminder to do our best work without dawdling or wasting time. But diligence is much more easily taught in a 10 minute lesson than a longer lesson that becomes a burden to finish. As time goes on these lessons will increase in duration as each child is able to pay attention for longer periods of time.
So what we are doing is basing our learning not on how much we get done in a lesson (thinking that we must complete a certain amount of pages per day, etc.), but how completely a child understands, as well as the quality of work that is finished. It's mastery-based learning at its finest. They will not move on to the next thing until I know for sure that they grasp a concept fully. They "master" one thing before moving on to the next thing. The beauty of this is two-fold. If they need more work in one area, then you have the freedom to stay there for a while until they really get it. The other advantage is that if the child grasps the concept quickly, you don't have to stay on that concept and bore the child to death. You can move on when they are ready. So each child is able to work at their own pace. More challenging for quick learners, and less frustrating for slower learners.
So how do we fit it all in? Math, reading, writing, art, music, bible,science, and history, as well as so many other things like running a household...and how in the world do you do it with 3 children who aren't even all doing "school" yet?
I mean, I still have to feed them, for goodness sake!
What does it really look like in a tangible way?
What are we actually using for curriculum?
I'll answer those questions next time, as well as give a lot of useful resources, so keep your eye out for Homeschool Decisions, Part 3: How?
* For more information on the different homeschool approaches, go to the Simply Charlotte Mason website.
They do a good job with giving unbiased (more detailed) information about each approach, as well as some places to get more information about other approaches as well.
Or get your hands on Educating the Whole-hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson. They do an excellent job of describing, in detail, the differences between ALL of the homeschool approaches. An excellent resource for beginning home-schoolers! (I talk about the book in this post, if you want to read that as well.)
