Homeschool Styles
In our first post of the “How to Choose the Best Christian Curriculum” Series, we talked about how to determine your children’s learning styles. Today we are going to talk about How to Determine Your Homeschool Philosophy.
After determining your child’s learning style, the next thing to take into consideration when choosing homeschooling curriculum is your homeschool style. Your homeschool style is basically your philosophy of education, which is going to determine HOW you homeschool your children.
You can think of your homeschool style as your style of teaching. Everyone’s style of teaching is going to be different based off their own personal ideals and experiences. One way to quickly determine your homeschool style is by following this simple flow-chart that I created.
Since creating this chart a few years ago, I would now put Traditional schooling in the same box as School at Home – not Classical. I also would not categorize Unit Studies as a child-led approach to learning, as it’s more parent-led than child-led. It was originally created as a fun, easy way to know a general direction of which way to go, not an all-out definitive guide!
While this flowchart I created is a fun way to determine your homeschool style, a more accurate way to determine your personal homeschool philosophy is by taking the Homeschool Philosophy Quiz.
Keep in mind, though, that even the Homeschool Philosophy Quiz may not be an accurate depiction of what will for sure work well for you and your family. The first time I took the Homeschool Philosophy Quiz, I scored highest in the Classical homeschool style.
After choosing a very Classical curriculum, I realized that even though my philosophy matches a Classical style of education, the amount of time and dedication it took was more than I was able and willing to do. So what I discovered was that it was a good theory for me and my family, but it didn’t work well in application.
I needed something more simple and with less preparation. So, while the homeschool philosophy quiz did give me a great place to start, it didn’t give me a direct end-point. It was simply the first step toward learning more about our family and our own educational journey together.
I kept my own experience in mind while creating the above chart, so it may be a little biased. I do think that combining your results from the above chart with your results from the quiz and taking both into consideration can definitely be helpful, though!
You can print the above chart to keep in your folder/binder with your children’s learning styles, too, if you’d like!
Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason was a British educator in the 1800’s. She has PNEU schools which follow her model for education. She believed that children should have focused learning (anything that causes the need for concentration) for short bursts of time that are broken up with less strenuous learning activities (like walking through nature, art, poetry time, etc.). Even high schoolers are encouraged not to sit still for focused learning more than 45 minutes at a time without a break to learn in other ways.
Information is typically taught through living books and literature rather than through memorization of dates from textbooks. There is a very high emphasis on spending time in nature and journaling the things you discover (often by drawing pictures or other forms of art) as well as habit training and character training from a Biblical perspective.
While there is a strong focus on Biblical character, not all the books recommended are always written from a Biblical worldview, so the parent would still need to be diligent about knowing what material is being presented. You can expect a Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool to take less time than a Traditional or Classical approach to homeschooling, but more time than a Unit Study or Unschooling approach to school.
A Charlotte Mason style of teaching is a beautiful style of teaching, but many would say that it lacks in the area of written language development. This issue is easily rectified by adding in a few resources to focus on language arts and writing if that becomes a concern for you. She has a 6 Volume Set called The Education Series (linked below) that she has written for you to learn more.
If you scored highly for a Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling, here is a short list of resources you may be interested in looking into to get started. These resources will help you understand more about Charlotte Mason and her style of teaching.
The Education Series by Charlotte Mason:
- Volume 1: Home Education
- Volume 2: Parent’s & Children
- Volume 3: School Education
- Volume 4: Ourselves
- Volume 5: Formation of Character
- Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education
You may also be interested in looking into:
- The Charlotte Mason Topics Series by Deborah Taylor-Hough
- A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-To Manual by Catherine Levison
Classical
A classical style of education focuses on using Great Books (classics) to teach. History and other subjects are learned progressively and chronologically in the order it happened. There is a high focus on literature. This is the method that was used in Ancient Greece.
Teaching occurs on what’s called a “Trivium,” which means that there are three levels to learning. The lower levels focus on learning data/facts, the middle levels focus on critical thinking and logic, and the higher levels focus on self-expression and rhetoric. Typically, a classical education will chronologically move forward through history.
The pros of this homeschool style are that it is very thorough, encourages critical thinking skills and self-expression of those thoughts, and there is little worry for gaps in education. The biggest cons are the amount of time it could take to execute each day, and that the content of the books may not always reflect a Christian worldview, as the focus is on whether or not a book is a “classic” vs whether or not it portrays good character.
You can expect a classical style of teaching to take more time than most other homeschool styles.
Resources for a Classical Homeschool:
- The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise-Bauer
- The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of Classical Education by Leigh A. Bortins
Eclectic
The Eclectic style of homeschooling uses a mixture of homeschooling methods, styles, and resources to teach based on the desires and needs of their family. The focus is more on what the family’s current needs are than following a specific style of homeschooling. Most homeschooling families are eclectic in their methods and materials, as they tailor-fit their homeschooling endeavors to meet their family’s specific needs.
Many families mix and match curriculum between different children or even different subjects. I tend to be more of an eclectic homeschooler, mixing different philosophies and curriculum styles based on what works for us as a family. I also tend to get bored easily, so I’m always mixing it up!
We don’t use an all-in-one curriculum package, but we choose different options for each subject based on what we believe is going to work best for us. Some families even choose different things for each student to personalize their child’s education even further. This is a little too far for me and way too much to keep track of – but with an eclectic style of homeschooling there are no boundaries!
Choosing an eclectic style of homeschooling gives me the freedom to do whatever I think will work best in our homeschool. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes, not being tied down to one homeschool style can leave you overwhelmed with too many options!
The amount of time an Eclectic style of homeschooling will take will vary based on the resources chosen by that family.
Traditional/School-at-Home
A traditional school approach to school is to use textbooks, lectures and worksheets, as is typical in the public school model in America. This method uses traditional resources similar to what they would use in school, but typically the parent is still the one leading the education. This would be like asking the school to take all of their books home and homeschooling using those materials.
There are some online programs that will teach, etc, which are typically considered private schools. Online schools that are government funded, like K-12, are considered public school even though they are completed at home on the computer. Both of these options would be considered a traditional approach to school.
Some people highly prefer to use traditional methods of teaching because it’s what they know and think of when they think of education. Choosing to stick to a traditional style of schooling can be very limiting and time-consuming, but some families find it beneficial for their own personal reasons and preferences.
You can expect a Traditional method of homeschooling to take longer than most other homeschool styles.
Unit Studies
Unit Studies are topical studies that typically include every subject into the study in a way that everything will tie together. The purpose is to make lasting and meaningful connections by studying one topic in-depth.
There are often many hands-on activities and projects, movie suggestions, games, and other resources to teach. Unit Studies can be considered a tool to use to dig deeper into a topic, or can be an entire style of homeschooling if done consistently.
Unit studies are great for science and history because it is a very engaging way of learning where the child is fully immersed in the subject being taught. Adding in literature, language arts, and other subjects into the study isn’t that difficult, either! Just find literature options that will go right along with what you’re already learning!
Using unit studies can be a great way to dive deeper into any topic. As a homeschool style, some are worried that it will leave gaps in their children’s education. Many believe that as long as you are progressively moving forward in math, reading, and writing, though, that there’s nothing to worry about.
You can expect a unit studies approach to homeschooling to take less time than a Traditional, Classical, or Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool would typically take.
Resources for Unit Studies
- How to Create Your Own Unit Study in 5 Easy Steps (with free planning page)
Montessori
A Montessori style of homeschooling is a child-led approach to homeschooling where the parent facilitates a particular environment for learning and helps to assist the child with following their interests. The only sure way to get a Montessori education is to be trained as a Montessori teacher, however there are some curricula options now being offered to assist homeschooling parents with teaching in this way.
One of the major cons to homeschooling in this way would be the amount of time and money that may need to be spent in order to learn how to properly facilitate a Montessori education, and to buy the materials needed to create a truly enriching environment for your children to thrive in.
One of the pros is that this is a time-tested and trusted way to educate your children, especially in their younger years, and it’s widely known. The older your children get, however, the more difficult it is to find materials to support your effort to teach them in this way. I believe that Dr. Montessori’s beliefs would be considered humanistic.
Resources for a Montessori Homeschool
- Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook: A Short Guide to Her Ideas and Materials by Dr. Maria Montessori
- Montessori: A Modern Approach: The Classic Introduction to Montessori for Parents and Teachers by Paula Polk Lillard
- The Montessori Toddler: A Parent’s Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being by Simone Davies
Unschooling & Relaxed Homeschooling
Unschooling is a child-led style of homeschooling where the parent’s goal is to foster a love of learning by encouraging their children to follow their own interests. People are natural learners and are naturally curious.
A desire to learn can be fostered by not forcing learning to take place, but instead encouraging learning to happen naturally. The parent’s role is to facilitate and assist their child in reaching their personal goals and pursuing their own interests.
Typically, unschoolers try to only progress in reading, writing, and arithmetic and all other studies are child-led. A new sector of unschoolers, called Radical Unschoolers, has emerged. These homeschoolers allow their child to be in complete control of their own education.
You can typically expect a very relaxed and non-stringent environment overall with Unschooling or Relaxed styles of homeschooling. This applies to time restraints also – you can expect an Unschooling style of homeschooling to take less time than most other homeschool styles.
Unschooling Resources
- Learning All The Time by John Holt
- Christian Unschooling: Growing Your Children in the Freedom of Christ by Elissa Wahl & Teri Brown
- The Unhurried Homeschooler: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling by Durenda Wilson
- Unschooling Rules by Clark Aldrich
- God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn by Julie Polanco
- Project-Based Homeschooling: Mentoring Self-Directed Learners by Lori Pickert
- The Unschooling Unmanual by multiple authors
- Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto
Unschooling Curriculum Options:
- The idea of having a curriculum for unschooling is kind of against the entire philosophy of unschooling as a homeschooling method. There is however one curriculum that encourages a child-led or interest-led approach to homeschooling called Funschooling.
Free Unschooling Options:
Resources for Less Common Homeschool Styles
Thomas Jefferson Education
A Thomas-Jefferson Education style boasts that it will create the next generation of leaders. This model is an attempt to try to recreate the way the early Americans would have been taught in their own homes.
Resources for a Thomas-Jefferson Education
- A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century by Oliver DeMille
- Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens, and Every Adult Who Wants to Change the World by Oliver DeMille
Literature-Based
Literature-based homeschooling just means that instead of using textbooks, your children read engaging books about those time periods and events. Many of the curricula options already listed are literature-based studies, but just in case that’s what you’re interested in, I wanted to list some of them here also.
Resources for Reading Aloud & Literature-Based Studies
- Honey for a Child’s Heart Updated and Expanded: The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life by Gladys & Mark Hunt
- The Read Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie
Curricula Options:
- Sonlight
- Heart of Dakota
- My Father’s World
- Ambleside Online
- Five in a Row
- The Robinson Curriculum
- Train Up A Child
- Konos
- Living Books Curriculum
Other Homeschool Styles:
There are tons of other ways that people choose to homeschool because every family is different! Here are a few more to look into if none of the above really piques your interest.
- Reggio-Inspired
- Waldorf
- Wild + Free
- Wildschooling
- Roadschooling
- Worldschooling
- Family Style/One-Room-Schoolhouse Style
What Now?
Now that you’ve determined your homeschool style, the next step is to start doing some research on some curricula options that may work for your particular situation. Stay tuned for our next post in the “How to Choose the Best Christian Curriculum” Series, where we will be talking about how to narrow down your options.
The next post in this series will discuss how to start your research, where to go to do that research, and some lists of curriculum options for each of those homeschool styles (except unschooling, because having a curriculum goes against the whole theory!).
See you there!
Other Posts in This Series
#1 – How to Determine Your Child’s Learning Style
#2 – How to Determine Your Homeschool Style (this post)
#3 – How to Narrow Down Your Homeschool Curriculum Choices
#4 – How to Choose the Best Christian Curriculum
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