Philosophies of Homeschooling
Homeschooling in and of itself,
is no guarantee
that a student will develop an entrepreneurial outlook
and think differently
from the rest of the world.
Choosing the right method and
materials
is as important
as making the decision itself.
Generic education often produces generic individuals.
Traditional Textbooks
If you are looking for a traditional textbook setting, Bob Jones and A Beka are the industry's leading textbook companies. Both offer a very structured approach for classrooms from grades K through 12th grade. They also offer support for parents and a weeklong workshop in the summer. These companies work well for parents who want to bring school home.
Unschooling or learning about life as it happens, was made popular by John Holt years ago. It is the opposite philosophy of bringing school home. Unschooling touts individual freedom and following one's heart.
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Charlotte Mason was a 19th century educator who wrote a six volume series of books in which she explained what she did with her students. An entire school has been set up to continue teaching her philosophy and to support parents who enjoy the freedom of her ways. Karen and Dean Andreola brought her principles to America when they republished her six-volume set The Original Homeschooling Series.
To read more about Charlotte Mason from Cindy Rushton, click here.
Classical education is becoming more popular as The Well Trained Mind and other books have been produced defining it. Christine Miller explains it well.
The core of Classical Education is the trivium, which simply put is a teaching model that seeks to tailor the curriculum subject matter to a child’s cognitive development. The trivium emphasizes concrete thinking and memorization of the facts of the subjects in grade school; analytical thinking and understanding of the subjects in middle school; and abstract thinking and articulation of the subjects in high school.
Subjects unique to Classical Education which help accomplish the goals of the trivium are Grammar, the science of language usage; Logic, the science of right thinking; and Rhetoric, the science of verbal and written expression. Classical Christian Education is further characterized by a rich exposure to the history, art, and culture of Western Civilization, including its languages (Latin and Greek), its philosophy and literature (the Great Books of Western Civilization and the Christian tradition), and the development of a Biblical worldview with Theology in its proper place as the Queen of the Sciences.
Unit Studies provide an organized method for moms who enjoy some structure in which studies are integrated in topical units such as butterflies or trains or in units based on character qualities such as courage and humility.
KONOS is a very hands-on program for students through 8th grade.
An integrated approach integrates many subjects into one study. ATIA (Advanced Training Institute of America) is the educational extension of Bill Gothard's ministry,the Institute in Biblical Principles.
Families join this program and all members learn together about major aspects of life from a Biblical perspective.
The Principle Approach is a method of Biblical reasoning which places the principles of God’s Word at the heart of education. Students are taught to think and reason from principles and leading ideas using The Notebook Approach to Research, Reason, Relate, and Record.
The Principle Approach was rediscovered and restored to twentieth century American Christian education by The Foundation for American Christian Education (F.A.C.E.) co-founder, Rosalie Slater, who identified seven principles of American Christian history and government in her foundational book, Teaching and Learning America’s Christian History: The Principle Approach.
To learn more about a Lifestyle of Learning, click here.
