DIY Homeschooler

It goes back to the old proverb: “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime” — Author unknown. In an article called, “The Gift of ‘How to Learn,’” Jessica Hulcy explains what the proverb means.

Education today seeks to shove a lot of fish down a man. When we teach our children at home, we have the advantage of teaching them how to fish.

The key is teaching children “how to learn,” meaning how to apply information rather than merely collect it and regurgitate it. The goal is application that turns information collecting into information using. Mere information is easily forgotten, but if parents give students the CD player of “how to learn,” the student can plug in any new subject/CD and apply newfound information to any task.

Jessica Hulcy, “The Gift of ‘How to Learn,’” The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Jessica Hulcy, co-author of KONOS, the grandaddy of unit study curriculum, explains how unit studies provide a unique way of allowing students to spend time immersed in a subject long enough to learn how to learn. But we can pull this jewel from the unit study method and apply it in our own homes, no matter what our methodology or mix.

The key, of course, is providing our children with the time and resources they need to learn how to learn.

By the time homeschooled students reach high school, most parents are obsessed with three C words: covering, content, and credits. Give us a list of required subjects, study, pass the test, and move on. No time for fluff or fun activities—just the three R’s: reading, writing, and research. However, fun activities are part of the immersion process and make serious, heavyweight research palpable.

Read the entire inspiring article and give the gift of how to learn!

You’ll find this and other helpful unit study resources on our Unit Study page.