Styles of Home Education: Unit Studies Method

The posts in this series are taken from the notes of my sister-in-law Rhonda's notes.  Rhonda is a veteran home educator of over 20 years.  You can visit her blog here. 

Unit Studies Method

Konos was one of the first curriculum to offer this style of learning.  Using a theme as a springboard, the teacher pulls lessons from that main theme to teach many subjects such as geography, history, art, vocabulary, etc.  There are many hands-on types of activities and creativity seeps from the seams of this method of learning.  Lessons are retained by seeing, hearing, and acting out, rather than just reading it from a book.  One lesson on telephones can lead to a biography of Alexander Graham Bell, the inner workings of the ear, and the history of the telegraph.

Advantages:

• Creative learning is, by far, the most fun type of learning for the student.
• Lends itself well to field trips.
• The whole family becomes involved in the learning process. 

Disadvantages:

• Requires more preparation time on the part of the teacher.  
• Additional textbooks are needed for math and phonics instruction.
• Can seem overwhelming to complete so many activities.

Lori's 2 cents:  While we think until studies are a great idea, they do not lend well to a busy lifestyle.  If you are like me and you have a part-time job outside of the home, you might not even consider the amount of prep time that this method takes.  However, I have a few friends who have children with Autism and it seems to be a favored method among those parents.  This is probably because the child is able to focus on the things that he or she already loves and incorporates it into every subject.