Homeschooling Methods

Homeschooling will look different in every family!  There are several general categories of homeschooling methods, including but not limited to:

Traditional – following a “school-at-home” style, with a classroom space, set hours, typical textbooks, often an all-in-one curriculum choice

Classical Education – similar to what is used in popular religious Classical Conversations groups, this method follows the three-stage learning model (Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic), and often involves a great deal of memorization and reading of classic works

Charlotte Mason – the method based on this instructor’s model is centered around the idea that we must educate the whole person, and so includes living books, nature study, art and music appreciation, and the careful cultivation of good habits

Montessori – the method based on Maria Montessori’s work follows the student’s choices to explore self-directed learning and play in an atmosphere that is at once free and structured

Unit Studies – a method of studying where one topic becomes the center for all your learning; usually each unit study lasts for several weeks and includes reading topics, vocabulary, history, science, and so on, all centered around the same theme (you may see a unit study on apples, or on the Civil War, or on Architecture and Engineering)

Project Based Learning – a method of learning where the student chooses a large project with real-world roots or applications, and works on all facets of that project for several weeks or months

Unschooling – this philosophy centers around the interests and choices of the child, and is often based around life experiences, passions, and projects, including more formal academics only when the student is ready to choose them

Eclectic – the most common type of modern secular homeschooling; eclectic homeschoolers pick and choose pieces from the other methods.  For example, a student may use a packaged curriculum for math, with the living literature from Charlotte Mason, and a STEM-based large-scale project for science, while unschooling the other subjects.

Tidal – tidal homeschoolers have periods of more intense academic work followed by periods of more relaxed or child-led pursuits – their work ebbs and flows like the tides

Gameschooling – a newer idea in the world of homeschooling is using board and card games to provide the academic material for your students; some families gameschool exclusively while most use it as a supplement to other methods

One of the great things about homeschooling is that we can pick and choose a method (or try different methods over time) based on the needs of our children.  You may find it helpful to spend some time thinking about your child’s learning styles and your own family’s desire for structure or spontaneity as you determine where to start.