Confused by the different homeschool methods available? Want to know how to take the best from each to create your own approach? Take a tour through some of the options:
Sure, it might initially be easier to grab a package of material and go; but how do you know it will take you where you are headed — unless you know where you are headed?
Developing your own approach to educating your children at home does require an investment of your time and a willingness to learn. But the long-term benefits for you, your children, and your home-life are definitely worth the investment. Besides, learning is fun! (And isn’t that one of the concepts we hope to impart to our children?)
Use this opportunity to gain insight from those who have gone before, keeping in mind that someone else’s approach is not your approach. It most likely will not work “as is” in your situation or environment.
As you take a tour of these methods, develop an understanding of the various educational philosophies behind them. Note any ideas that you find especially appealing, or concepts that would be particularly effective in assisting your children. Then pull out those ideas that will work for your family. When you are finished, you will have a wonderful start on formulating your own approach.
Here are a few other ideas to keep in mind:
No Two Families Are the Same
Your family is unique, created with a unique purpose. You will come across families, for example, who are certain that classical education is THE way to educate their children at home; after all — it works for them. See the fruit! And so it does. But remember that we are not all the same. Copying others will not bring your family success.
No Two Children Are the Same
Of course you know this. But keep your children in mind as you begin investigating different ways of educating at home. What might work for one child, may not fit another. An avid reader may prefer more living literature on which to chew, while a child who loves structure may enjoy the traditional way of doing things.
Obviously if you have ten children you do not need to encumber yourself with ten different educational frameworks. Rather, you can pick and choose among those distinctives from each method that work for each child within the greater educational framework you have designed for your family as a whole.
One Method Can Have Many Faces
“It is so easy to be intimidated into thinking that your homeschool should mimic those of seasoned veterans. They seem to have a handle on things. Their kids are impressive. They’re obviously doing something right. But, the question you really need to consider is whether or not what they are doing is right for you.”
Cathy Duffy, 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum
The same educational approach may look very different in each family as they adapt it to fit their circumstances. There are very different implementations of the classical method of education in homeschools (not to mention in private schools). Delight-directed homeschooling can range considerably in structure. Unit studies vary from simple units put together by Mom to intricately detailed, published studies.
Various educational philosophies offer a wide range of ideas from which to choose; but they need not be prescriptive. We can put those theories that we believe will help us reach our goals for our children into our educational toolbox without overlaying an entire approach on our family.
Despite what you may hear, you are not failing your family if you decide not to implement every detail of a particular method as suggested. One of the biggest advantages of home education is the process of individualization!
Methods May Vary With the Subject Matter
While discovering the past through great literature is an engaging way to experience history, it may not adequately cover geometry.
Many times we feel skills need to be developed in the old-fashioned way, while the various content areas may have more “sticking power” when they are approached in a different manner.
There is no need to follow an all-or-nothing approach to any particular method unless it fits your family to do so.
Methods May Vary With Developmental Levels
College-level work tends to be limited to the traditional lectern and textbook method. Kindergarten is generally experienced in a more hands-on environment.
Our educational approach may vary as our children mature.
Methods May Vary With the Tutor
In the end, your approach will reflect you. If you have ten children, you may find it difficult to teach at ten different grade levels. If you are a very structured person, you may find an eclectic approach to educating your children at home unwieldy and time-consuming. If you are more of a free spirit, you may find the traditional way of doing things too restrictive.
A particular approach may have a certain appeal, but we may find that it simply will not work in our own circumstances. This is one of the reasons why it is important to develop our own approach to educating our children at home — an approach that reflects ourselves and our family.
Additional Resources
Making the Case for Educating Ourselves
A cursory examination of a handful of approaches to educating at home will likely provide us with a starting place. There will likely be one approach that we will gravitate to, and that will deserve more in-depth study. So we can begin with a program that serves as a framework whether it follows a classical, literature-based, unit study, or traditional (without all of the bells and whistles) approach, knowing that we are free to keep the pieces that work for us and rid ourselves of methodologies that only burden us.
102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy
An “Approaches to Learning” questionnaire helps us zero in on our preferred methods of education. Read our entire review.
Methods
Other thoughts on developing your approach.
DIY Homeschooler 