13 Methods for Home Education

13 Methods for Home Education

Contributed by: Abby @familystylelearning

Having even a brief understanding of educational methods can help you become a more confident homeschool teacher. We learn from those who have gone before us and we adapt those lessons to fit our family’s style.

1. Eclectic Homeschooling: Rather than going ‘all-in” on one strategic method or curriculum, being an Eclectic educator allows for complete customization: accounting for each child's specific needs and learning style in an individualized way. Eclectic parents pull together a variety of resources that work best for their family.
2. Traditional Homeschooling: This style emphasizes a more structured approach with a set schedule. It uses textbooks and worksheets, along with tests to evaluate the child's progress. This method is often used by new homeschoolers as it most closely resembles a public school and what families have become accustomed to. The strengths of this method include the consistency of routine and the ability to purchase pre-established curriculums.
3. Classical Homeschooling: The Classical method breaks down into three learning stages: grammar (elementary), logic (middle school) and rhetoric (highschool). While the first phase focuses largely on memorization, this method aims to equip children to think critically and know how to articulate well. It holds values and morals in high regard and challenges students to learn from the classical literature and study latin.
4. Charlotte Mason Homeschooling: Living books, Nature Journaling, and Handicrafts are just a few of the catch phrases that get linked to Charlotte Mason. This approach believes “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” The founder, Charlotte Mason herself, desired to see children learning in short lessons with plenty of time to play outdoors and explore nature, creating an experience-based, hands-on approach to education.
5. Reggio-Emilia: This approach encourages educators to take the role of co-learners rather than merely teachers. Instead of giving facts and answers, parents walk alongside the students and encourage their curiosity. This teaches students how to learn, research, and discover answers for themselves. This method also allows students to pursue their own interests in their own learning style.
6. Project-Based Homeschooling: The parents and/or students may choose a specific topic to develop a better understanding of and begin a project that will help to display what has been learned at the end of a designated time. This will take research, critical thinking and hands on experience to create a tangible product, such as a display, book, or presentation.
7. Waldorf Homeschooling: Created after World War 1, this method was designed to inspire peace. The educator is encouraged to teach towards the individual child's gifting and allow the natural rhythms of the day to establish how learning takes place. Imagination and hands- on experiences take the place of textbooks.
8. Montessori Homeschooling: Giving credit to the students’ independent abilities, this method allows self-directed learning and hands-on activities based on personal interest. Aesthetically pleasing stations and manipulatives are used to promote mastery over memorization.
9. Unit Study Homeschooling: A single topic or theme will be the focal point of learning for a designated amount of time. (ie. Oceans) All subjects will correspond with this idea, perhaps with the exception of mathematics. Parents of multiple children tend to appreciate that all students are learning one topic while still customizing the depth of that topic based on each child’s grade.
10. Online Homeschooling: Allowing for a great deal of flexibility and convenience, online education can often be a great fit for families who need their children to be more independent. It can also offer easy tracking and grading to meet government requirements. Families may also choose to outsource one subject to an online resource to assist with a parent's insecurities with teaching a particular subject or just to lighten the load.
11. The Thomas Jefferson Method: With a focus on creating valuable members of the community, this approach desires students to be well rounded in their education on both local and global scales. From agriculture and mechanics to languages like Latin and Greek, students learn how to be critical thinkers and problem solvers that benefit their society.
12. Relaxed Homeschooling: Ideal for the type-B parent, a relaxed homeschool does not stress about meeting standards but approaches subjects at the student’s pace and interest. There is typically minimal structure and scheduling may be done in reverse style. Relaxed Educators tend to prefer an open and go curriculum which requires no preparation.
13. Unschooling: This method is claimed by a wide variety of educators that can vary quite a lot. Therefore, “unschooling” should be defined by the individual who claims it. Some parents may be completely hands-off on the child's education, believing that children will naturally learn what they need to when they desire to learn it. Others intentionally engage their children in learning through everyday life routines, such as learning measurements and fractions while baking in the kitchen, learning science through nature studies and reference guides, or studying Language Arts through daily journaling. Originally, Un-schooling was given its name in a desire to signify that it did not resemble traditional education.

Now that you are aware of the major methods, you must add your own style to it. Education doesn’t have to happen at a desk; take your learning on a trip to a park or travel the world. It doesn’t have to happen between the months of September and May; research year round or quarterly schedules. Structure your days with a time table or utilize block scheduling. Consider each child's learning style and add visual aids, music, or full body movement to involve your students. No two schools, families, or children are the same. Give yourself grace while you figure out what works best for your homeschool!

Contributed by:

Abby @familystylelearning