The 7 Types of Homeschooling Methods
One of the best things about being a homeschool parent is the ability to choose how your child learns. The method you select will have an impact on the curriculum you choose and the style of teaching style you use. What are your homeschooling goals? What is your “why”? The answer to these questions will play a big part in which homeschooling method you choose for your family. How flexible is your homeschooling schedule? Do you have any personal, financial or medical issues that will conflict with homeschooling? What are the academic goals you have for your children? I have listed the seven most popular types of homeschooling methods for you to consider.
Classical
The overall goal of Classical Homeschooling is to get your child to think for themself. The approach is three-fold or what they call the Trivium model; concrete learning (the grammar stage), critical learning (the logic stage), and abstract learning (the rhetoric stage). The grammar stage focuses on facts and data and is done in elementary grades while the middle school/junior high grades are geared towards logic and critical thinking. Once your child gets to high school the focus will shift to rhetoric and self-expression. This approach to homeschooling is very heavily immersed in foreign languages such as Greek and Latin. Your child will also do well in public speaking and writing if this is the method that you use in your homeschool.
Charlotte Mason
The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes poetry, fine arts, classical music, crafts, and classical literature. Parents who adopt this method of homeschooling allow their children time to play, be creative and participate in hands-on activities. Children use short lessons so that they don’t get overwhelmed with one particular task. Mason was a big proponent of nature and the use of journaling. She thought children should observe nature. In this homeschooling method, good behavior and character are considered critical for your child’s complete personality development.
Montessori
The Montessori approach started out as a classroom teaching method and still is used in the classroom today. There are many Montessori schools all over the world. Teachers have to be trained in the Montessori approached to work in the schools. Many homeschooling parents took to the idea because they liked what the program was all about. Although the parents are not certified teachers, they can get around that by using the same strategies with their children. Parents can find Montessori resources all over the internet or even make hands-on tactile manipulatives.
Unschooling
This approach has no set curriculum, schedules, or materials. It is the most unstructured of the homeschooling techniques and is usually referred to as child-led schooling. An unschooled approach might be the right fit for you and your family if you are a little skeptical of traditional schooling and you trust your child to know what’s best for him or her. So what does this mean for you, the homeschool parent? According to the website Time4Learning.com, here are several things you can do if you would like to get started with unschooling.
- Studying your state’s homeschool laws to see how unschooling fits in with your state regulations
- Researching what unschooling looks like for many different families in order to help define your own approach
- Talking with your children/teens about unschooling and what your goals are for their education
- Decide if you will integrate any formal curricula into your unschooling approach
- Enjoy the freedom of letting your child take the lead in his/her education!
School at Home
School at Home School at Home is basically recreating public or private school at home. Parents buy boxed curriculum, create a schedule, lesson plans and hit the ground running. Homeschooling this way allows you to ensure that you are meeting all of your State and Federal guidelines plus you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are several reasons parents choose this method of homeschooling: it provides a good starting point and structure. Record keeping is easy and school at home boosts parent confidence tremendously. Let’s face it, homeschooling isn’t easy, so if this works for you, then do it. With that being said, this is the method that many say results in parental burn-out faster than any other type of homeschooling method, so pace yourself and remember to practice self-care.
Unit Studies
Unit Studies are a go-to method of homeschooling for a lot of families. What exactly is a unit study? A good unit study is a way to learn about one particular topic across multiple subject areas. It is a very in-depth study that will broaden your children’s knowledge of the topic they are studying. For example, if your child wants to study the Aztecs, you would get information about that civilization across curriculum ( History, Science, Math, English). As the parent, you can create unit studies from scratch or you can buy them pre-made. I love to use unit studies from Amanda Bennett @ UnitStudy.com or Techie Homeschool Mom. We are currently working on a unit study called Constitution Celebration by Amanda and my students love it. Her products are amazing and I will definitely be purchasing more. I have used several by Techie Homeschool Mom as well.
Eclectic Education Method
The Eclectic Homeschooling method is a combination of several techniques and the method that I fall under. If you can’t decide which style would work best for you or you would like to try more than one, then this might be your method of choice. You don’t have to settle for one technique or teaching strategy. I like this method because I work with so many different students and their learning styles are so varied. This homeschooling method allows for mix-n-match which is great for finding what works best for your child.
Which Method Works Best for Learning Disabilities?
“All children can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way”. This paraphrased quote is my absolute favorite and holds so much truth. To answer the question of which method works best for learning disabilities you need to look at individual children. No one child learns like the next. To determine which method works best is going to take some trial and error. From experience, I can tell you that an Eclectic Method seems to work well because you can pull different styles for various subjects to support your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Studies also show that if you have a child with learning differences the Montessori Method might be something you should look into.
Whatever method you select, the idea is flexibility and a strong interest in your child’s own desires. Use your children’s desire for knowledge to further their education and never let what someone else is doing in their home dictate what you do in yours. Let me know what homeschool method you are using, I would love to hear from you.