What is Your Homeschool Style?

Before you can choose your curriculum, you should take a little time to consider what your values are and what type of educational approach may best suit your family. There are several different styles of homeschooling and many of these fall on a spectrum.

As you read through the following descriptions of seven homeschooling styles, think about what approach will fit the needs of your family and appeal to you as an educator.

Traditional

The traditional method is probably what most people think of when they think about school. It is the closest to the curriculum and style of teaching used in a public or private school setting. Most of the learning is done through reading textbooks or through lectures presented from the teacher, whether online or by the parent. The traditional method also tests knowledge through workbooks and tests, similar to traditional schools. These tests are typically multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer style questions, which place a high value on memorization of facts.

Many of the traditional curricula offerings adhere to formal educational standards used by the public school system, which can make this method more short-term friendly. The student is not having to adjust to a new method of learning and they are using similar standards to their peers in the public school system.

The traditional method is on average the most expensive option. Although, it can be done inexpensively, or even for free. It also takes more time than other options. Because subjects are modeled after a traditional classroom that teaches 30 or more students, you can expect your day to take more than the four hours that most other methods would employ. It is also harder to combine subjects for children across grade levels.

Many companies that offer traditional all-in-one or boxed curriculum will also offer distance learning programs. This could be an online program where the child watches videos and works through the worktext on their own or it could be a screen-free option where the child sends in work to be graded by the company after reading through a textbook and working through the workbook on their own.

Because traditional methods lend themselves to longer days and are not as student-centered as other methods, there tends to be a high burnout rate. That is not to say that there are not people who have used the traditional method for years and loved it.

Classical

The classical method has been around for thousands of years. It was developed by a writer named Martianus Capella during the Middle Ages.

This method uses a three-tiered method, known as the Trivium, to teach children to learn and apply knowledge. The Grammar Stage (ages 6-10) focuses on learning through memorization and repetition. Students develop a strong core knowledge of math, language arts, social studies, and the sciences. The Dialectic Stage (ages 10-12) focuses on analytical reasoning, logic, and debate. The Rhetoric Stage (ages 13-18) focuses on learning how to use persuasive language.

The classical model centers its learning around chronological history. Subjects are tied into a chronological reading plan that allows students to understand how ideas developed over a period of time. Students will read key texts from throughout the history of western civilization, known as the Great Books. There is also a heavy focus on old-world subjects, such as Greek, Latin, logic, and rhetoric.

Classical learning is more flexible than a traditional method; however, it does not provide the flexibility and experiential learning offered by the Charlotte Mason or Unschooling method.

Because the classical method is so popular, there are several homeschool groups available to network with including Classical Conversations.

For more information on the classical method, you may want to check out The Well Trained Mind blog or read The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy Sayers.

Charlotte Mason

The Charlotte Mason educational philosophy is based off of a British educator from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The focus of a Charlotte Mason education is to foster a lifelong love of learning.

In a Charlotte Mason homeschool, the students are exposed to a wide variety of subjects presented in short segments of time throughout the week. Charlotte referred to this as “spreading the feast”. In addition to standard subjects, you will incorporate unique subjects such as Habit Training, Nature Study, Portrait Study, Handicrafts, and Scripture Memory. Although you may be presenting up to 17 different subjects, your days will be shorter than a traditional school method because subjects are presented in short chunks of time (15-45 minutes depending on the age of the child).

Charlotte focused on learning through experiences and “living books,” which are books written in a narrative style by someone with a passion for the material. While living books replace textbooks, narration (both oral and written) and journaling replace multiple choice and fill-in-the blank workbooks.

The Charlotte Mason method is whole-family centered. The teaching parent is learning right alongside their children as you spend your day reading, observing great artwork, listening to composers, and going on nature walks. Many of your subjects will combine all of your children; however, math and language arts are typically done individually.

This method can be very budget friendly. Most Charlotte Mason resources are inexpensive or even free.

For more information about the Charlotte Mason Method, check out Simply Charlotte Mason or read For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.

Unit Study

The unit study method selects a topic and integrates all subjects into that particular topic. This can be a very fun way to learn because it is often hands-on and experiential. It can also help students gain a better understanding of the main subject. It can also make subjects that the student does not typically relish more enjoyable.

Because the focus is only on the theme being taught at the time, there is rarely a big-picture approach. This can lead to knowledge gaps when using a strictly unit study approach.

Unit studies typically work best when partnered with another homeschooling philosophy.

For more information about using unit studies, read Project-Based Homeschooling: Mentoring Self-Directed Learners by Lori Pickert.

Unschooling

The unschooling movement began in the 1970s and 1980s by an educator named John Holt. After working as a private school teacher turned public school consultant, Holt became convinced that he could not reform the school system. Although the students he taught in private schools came from wealthy backgrounds and seemed intelligent, they were not as inquisitive as toddlers he came into contact with. This led Holt to believe that schools deprived children of a love of learning. Holt believed that when exposed to a rich learning environment, children would learn what they were ready to learn, when they were ready to learn it.

The unschooling method is completely child-centered. While reading, writing, and math may be formally taught using this method, everything else is completely interest-led and passion driven. No curriculum is used and there is no testing. Learning is completely up to the child and takes the form of experiential learning.

With unschooling, the parent takes the role of facilitator instead of teacher. You will spend as much time on a topic as the child wishes and dive in as deep to the subject as they wish to go. It is the job of the parent to fuel the interests of the child.

For more information about unschooling check out Unschool Rules or read Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling by John Holt.

Waldorf

The Waldorf education method started in the early 1900s (around the same time as the Charlotte Mason Method) by Austrian educator, Rudolf Steiner. It has gained popularity in the United States in the last couple of decades. This method focuses on training the child’s body, mind, and spirit, not just academic development.

The Waldorf method breaks childhood development down into three stages. These stages are typically seven years in lenghth; however, they vary based on the development of the individual child. The Early Childhood Stage (birth-the onset of permanent teeth) focuses on creative play and hands-on learning. The Elementary Stage (from the onset of permanent teeth until puberty) introduces academic instruction and the use of imagination. The Secondary Stage (puberty onward) focuses on critical thinking and empathy.

The Waldorf approach is non-competitive and no grades are assigned. No textbooks are used for the first several grades. Students are encouraged to create their own books.

A wide variety of subjects are taught in 3-6 week blocks. Subjects are presented in large chunks of time, up to three hours per subject. There is an emphasis on art, music, movement, and nature.

The Waldorf method shuns all screens due to the belief that they stunt a child’s physical and emotional health as well as their creativity.

Because the Waldorf method is fairly new to the homeschooling community, there are not as many Waldorf resources as there are for other teaching methods.

For more information on the Waldorf method, check out the Waldorf Inspired Learning Studio.

Eclectic

As the name implies, the eclectic method is a combination of other methods. Most homeschoolers could be called eclectic if they do not strictly adhere to one of the other main types of homeschooling.

Using an eclectic approach allows you the opportunity to try out different methods for different subjects and different children. You can see what does and does not work for your family without being loyal to one particular style of learning.

What Style is the Best?

There is no single “best” way to homeschool. In order to figure out the “best” for your family, you should think about your goals for your children.

You may decide to use a different method for each subject or child. Your educational philosophy may end up changing over time or be different from what you think to begin with .

I started out a diehard fan of the traditional and classical methods. As I started teaching my children, I realized that they simply did not meet the needs of my family. My children thrive under a more Charlotte Mason approach. While we would probably fit under the branch of Eclectic, I would consider us primarily Charlotte Mason homeschoolers. We use a Charlotte Mason/Unit Study inspired curriculum with a few Charlotte Mason, classical, and traditional style subjects added in.