Questions For Those Considering Homeschooling - Step 6

If you've been journeying along with these questions, most have been very broad and meant as a resource to help you in creating a vision for you as a homeschooling family. Here, instead of questions, I've listed a summary of homeschooling philosophies for you to consider in light of what you've been discussing with the previous questions.

I know when I began to research the different philosophies, I was inspired from some aspects from each of them. Hands on learning like Montessori? Great books as part of the educational feast spread like Charlotte Mason? Going deeper into interest like Unit Studies? Cultivating a love and passion for learning as an Unschooler?

Homeschool Philosophies can be helpful as resources, but don’t feel pressure to pick the “right” philosophy, or feel constrained by how one philosophy says you must do things. Philosophies are springboards for education, not a tether. Many people change what and how they homeschool depending on where they are on their journey and what season of life they are in. Most people I’ve met don’t fit snugly into one of these boxes, but rather use them as a wealth of ideas. This is a brief summary of popular philosophies, but I encourage you to research each one more, and consider what might be a good fit for your family.

Philosophies:

-Traditional: School at home approach. These families tend to use a curriculum for each subject.

-Classical: A liberal arts education. Focuses on learning in three phases; 1)memorization in the early years through songs, chants, and rhymes. 2) Understanding reason, logic and arguing with wisdom in the middle grades. 3)The third phase focuses on persuasive speaking and effective writing.

-Charlotte Mason: A liberal arts education. Focuses on developing good habits and time in nature during the early years. Then they start short lessons that build as the child ages. Most learning is done through reading quality books and narrating back the readings. Time spend learning crafts, studying the Bible, art and music equally important to other learning.

-Montessori: A child-led learning environment focusing on hands-on learning and developing real world skills. There is a focus on preparing the environment for optimal learning.

-Unit Studies: Hands on learning approach where all subjects are taught through a focused topic. (Ex. Ocean unit: math- learn about measuring temperatures, length of fish. Science- ocean animal life. Geography- locations of 5 oceans. Language arts- write about oceans, spell ocean themed words)

-Eclectic: Uses a blend of multiple methods to create a unique learning experience

-Relaxed: Tend to focus on structure for learning the basics like reading and math while allowing play, reading, real life experience, and pursual of interest to guide all other learning.

-Unschooling: A spectrum where children learn mostly though interest and real life experience. Some families have no expectations and little structure, while other families remain high in expectation and structure. Parents are in role of resourcing the child and introducing ideas without the child being made to complete curriculum. Curriculum,if used, is used as a resource for the child.

Here is a list of resources I was given as I started looking into homeschooling that I found useful, but don't necessarily fit into one of these philosophy:

• YouTube- TedTalk Sir Ken Robinson-Do Schools Kill Creativity

• Mindset by Carol Dweck- this book is not education focused, but focused on what makes adults successful.

• Grit by Angela Duckworth- Similar to Mindset, this book shows research on how ‘grit’ is the key to success

• Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto- This successful teacher offers you the ‘red pill’ on how our modern education system got to where we are today.

• The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart- Encouragement to enjoy and be creative in your homeschooling life.

• Read Aloud Revival Podcast: Encouragement and information about reading to your kids

• Wild and Free Podcast: Encouragement in homeschooling while preserving the wonder of childhood.

• Better Late Than Early by Raymond and Dorothy Moore- The first half of this book reviews education research and demonstrates the benefits of delayed formal education.

• The Unschooled Mind by Howard Gardner- A summary of developmental psychology and how to learn for true knowledge and mastery.

• Awaking Wonder: Opening Your Child's Heart to the Beauty of Learning by Sally Clarkson

Here are some Philosophy specific recommendations that can be a helpful starting place:

Charlotte Mason:

• She has many books she wrote herself about education.

• “For the Children’s Sake” by Susan Schaeffer is a shorter favorite that is informative about a Charlotte Mason education.

• Know and Tell by Karen Glass - Focuses on the art of Narration

Classical:

• The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer- lays out the principles of a classical education

Montessori:

• Maria Montessori is the author of several books on her educational theories

Unschooling:

• Anything by John Holt

• God Schooling by Julie Polanco - Unschooling (but not radical unschooling) from a Christian Perspective.

• Unschooled by Kerry McDonald - provides an overview of unschooling and ample research to support its success, as well as arguing the case against traditional school methods. She gives lots of practical tips on how to implement this method and various pictures of what it might look like. Her philosophy is from a radical unschooling perspective.

• Podcast: Life without School-

There is so much to research here, so take your time. Where do you need to look deeper into to help you along your journey? Consider how ideas from each of these philosophies can assist your family towards your family vision. In the final step we'll create a guide to propel you forward on your journey.