Styles of Home Education: Unschooling Method

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

Unschooling Method

John Holt and the Moores made this style of learning famous.  Here, the child is given the resources and environment for learning and then allowed to choose what he or she wants to learn based upon their interests.  A child is not forced to learn certain subjects in certain grades and later schooling is emphasized.  John Holt argued that a child will teach himself as ha becomes interested in various subjects with a minimal amount of help from the teacher.  Many great men down through the ages were self-taught.

Advantages:

• A very relaxing style of learning, takes pressure off of performance.
• A child will think it to be heaven, of course!
• The student is basically unaware that schooling is taking place.

Disadvantages:

• Gaps in learning might frustrate child and teacher.
• Undesirable subject matter may be chosen.
• Child may lack self-discipline and motivation.

Lori's 2 cents:  Evidently, I am have failed to set my home up as a learning environment such as this because if I let my kids choose that would watch TV and play video games all day long.  Despite the fact that I LOVE to read, it has failed to rub off on my children.  I suspect that the great men who self-educated were those with strong personalities and natural God-given motivation.  I pray to have a child like this one day!  :)

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.

Styles of Home Education: Whole Child Method

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

Whole Child Method

This style of learning is synonymous with the name Charlotte Mason.  There are three main goals to this approach to schooling:

1. Give the child something or someone to love.
2. Give the child something to do.
3. Give the child something to think about. 

Charlotte mason believed in using real life experiences and bringing them into the classroom.  The home as the setting, teaching using "real" books (not textbooks) and emphasizing nature study.  Learning is integrated throughout the course of the day seizing the opportunities to teach.  LIFE IS LEARNING!   Narration (telling the information back to the teacher) is also used on a daily basis.  Lessons are kept short.  Homework and grades are almost nonexistent.  A sketchbook is recommended for the student, useful in the nature studies and art.  Music training is also a vital part of this method.

Advantages:

• A very enjoyable style of learning for the student.
• Creative learning at it's best.
• Works great with multi-grade levels. 

Disadvantages:

• Requires the teacher to watch for teaching moments throughout the day.
• Doesn't adapt well to a more structured type of school day.
• Academic progress may be harder to chart.

Lori's 2 cents:  I know a few families who use this method of learning and their kids are very bright and eager to learn.  To some extent, I think most home educators have a hand in this style as we walk along side of our children and use life to teach lessons. 

Styles of Home Education: Classical Method

The notes in these posts are taken from my sister-in-law Rhonda who is a veteran home school mom with over 20 years of experience.  You can check our her blog here. 

The Classical Method

While also being more structured, this method is not as rigid as the traditional method.  The classical style of teaching basically involves 3 stages.  In the elementary years, the focus is on learning facts, thus the traditional method can be used in this stage.  In the middle school years, the student will learn critical thinking skills, logic, higher math, along with a strong emphasis on history.  The high school years are used to develop writing methods as well as speaking skills.  Art, travel, and apprenticeship are all a valued part of this style of teaching.  Classical literature is used heavily throughout to form character and worldview.

Advantages:

• Child has exposure to wonderful pieces of art and literature.
• Gives a well-rounded education.
• Enables the student to develop and world view and think critically.

Disadvantages:

• Struggling readers and non-readers might not like the heavy use of literature.
• Involved more extra-curricular activities such as travel, art exposure, etc.

Lori's 2 cents:  I love this method!  While we don't rigidly stick to it (we have yet to study Latin:)  we love the heavy use of history as we believe that it is critical for shaping a world-view.  It seems that this method, more than any other, encourages world history as heavy as American History.  We also have enjoyed reading children's versions of classics like the Odyssey, and Beowulf.  I believe that the best resource to get you started on this route is Susan Wise Bauer's The Well-Trained mind, available through Peace Hill Press.

Styles of Home Education: Traditional Method

I am dong a series of posts on different styles of home education.  In this series I will use notes written by my sister-in-law Rhonda who is a home school veteran!  You can check out her blog here.http://www.walkingwithsarah.com/

Traditional Method of Education


This style of teaching resembles the classroom setting.  There is a set time for schooling to take place with a set curriculum.  A Beka and Bob Jones are some of the main textbook companies that encourage this methodology.  The course will involve teaching rote facts and a large amount of seat work.  Learning is built systematically over a period of years and includes repetition to enforce ideas learned.  Extracurricular activities and few with the main emphasis on mastering the basics.

Advantages:

• No gaps in learning as education is "line upon Line" and enforced by repetition.  
• Does not require teacher to be overly creative.
• Security in teaching the curriculum as it is laid out for the teacher.

Disadvantages:

• Multi-grade teaching is more difficult.
• May stifle creativity and kill the joy of learning.
• Contributes to burnout.

Lori's 2 cents:  While we have only been home educating for 6 years now, I have to say that we have found bits and pieces of these programs to be wonderfully complete and useful.  We love Bob Jones English and science.  We are "eclectic schoolers" with our hands in many of the methods, but not fully devoted to one single method.  

The traditional method is a method that we try to stay away from.  I prefer my home to not resemble a classroom in any way, but I have friends who do it and do it very well.