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.