Conquering the homeschool curriculum confusion: an overview of approaches and methodologies

by Jocelyn James, Canberra NHED Conference

If you are new to home education or wanting to change direction, looking at the curriculum choices these days can be overwhelming. The internet, which can be a lifeline, is also a nemesis.

This workshop will seek to look curriculum questions and talk about the options that are out there today. It will also look at the main approaches to homeschooling and fitting in curriculum choices with learning styles.

Notes:
Have you seen the Bob Jones University ad? Do you feel like your curriculum choices have made an unknown “beast”?(For those who won’t be there, it is a vehicle made up partly as a car, partly as a plane, partly as a jeep)

When I started homeschooling, I was no different to a lot of others and became a curriculum junkie. It followed the latest crazes, spent a lot of money, only to realize that so many of these programs were not “us” or they were competing with eachother. How could I do all the read-alouds from one program plus all the ones from another ? How could my children do a narration on a topic but then be meant to be answering comprehension questions on a similar thing? Which activity should I choose?

If this has been you so far, don’t feel paralysed or overwhelmed. Sometimes you can even feel disappointed with yourself for having spent so much money. I really like what Chris & Ellyn Davis have had to say about this in their book I Saw an Angle in the Marble. They emphasize the importance of seeing these things as lessons for us. Some investigation into new curricula will cost us money we won’t recoup. That’s an investment for the research category – our knowledge of what’s out there.

What have “methodologies” got to do with it?

Attached to this workshop sheet is a helpful summary of the main learning styles. This has been taken from above book. For those reading these notes on my blog, you can look at the Bluedorn’s comparison of different methods:

http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/comparison_approaches.php

Why do I mention this topic?  Each parent and each child has a way they like to learn. Some may be hands-on, needing that stimulation. Others may like the ordered and structured world of workbooks so they can see exactly what they have to do because it’s all laid out in front of them. Some of our children may be socialites, who thrive in group activities, drama roles, unit studies. Still others may “go with the flow”.

Cathy Duffy has put together an extremely helpful book, called 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum .  In this book, you can look at your child’s natural learning tendencies and match these against the programs that are more geared for that sort of learner. Of course, your child can never be put in “one box” but the general guidelines are helpful.

She also mentions an important point – the learning tendencies of the parent. I have bought curriculum that has seemed appealing to me, only to realize that my boys don’t like it. I have an arty, creative bent that has not been passed on to all of my children. In a way, this is wonderful because it makes us have to work with together – our strengths and weaknesses – to bring the best out in each other.

So, do I use these as my filters? Is there flexibility within this?

My husband and I sit down periodically and think about what we want to achieve with homeschooling. It can be helpful to think of each child individually. What are your goals? As we are Christians, part of our goal is raising our children with those values and the faith that we have.

I do look at my children’s learning styles and my own philosophy of education as well. At the end of the day, because I am the main one organizing things, we will go with what I find the easiest to use but also what accommodates their needs as well. It can be a balancing act. That’s where the flexibility comes in. I let them have what they like to use for Maths and Grammar but I will always chart the course for History.

Other helpful questions to keep in mind are: How much time do I want to be spending at this each day? How much bookwork do I want them to do? What particular interests do they have that it would be good to cultivate?

We usually do all our bookwork in morning. Some reading, art and piano is done in the afternoon. Often, they have the whole afternoon off. Charlotte Mason’s words on allowing time for creative play have struck a chord with me (and my boys, funnily enough!)

I would also recommend the following Australian site for help:
 http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/ 

Is any one curriculum going to be “the answer”?

Well, it’s a rhetorical question, isn’t it? Yet, as a beginner, I was searching for “the” Maths program and “the” History program. It has taken some years to realize that these are tools or aids in our education and not to be followed slavishly.

We still use various curricula but now it is a guide. Sometimes, I switch between many different books and ideas and then plan what we are doing from there. It can be like making a meal. If you have never done it before, you follow the recipe religiously. Once it becomes practiced, you will know the general principles, consult the recipe occasionally and improvise for the rest.

Can I justify spending the money on some of the choices I make?

The answer to this will always change. One year, I feel I can justify some expense but then, after I have overcome a hurdle in my confidence or my child’s, I can wonder whether we really needed to get that curriculum to help us through that. Some things are worth trying to put a price tag on. You are already giving of yourself and your time for a closer relationship with your child. If an extra workbook or an answer book aids you with that, it is money well spent.

I sometimes catch myself saying,” I’ll buy that in hardback because I have 4 boys and paying the extra will make it last in the long run.” If you know you are going to keep a book, this approach may be helpful. You are investing and building in your children’s future. I like the fact that my children can access information and knowledge and so many topics so readily at home. That can cultivate a spirit of wonder and investigation.

So, weigh up your choices, talk them over with your spouse, your homeschool support group and your children.

I would strongly recommend taking a lot of notes, researching websites and not buying very much (at full price) in the first year. 

What if I change my mind?

There’s always others who may want to buy something from you if you change your mind and secondhand boards are great places to pick up curriculum in the first place. That way, you can try something without paying full price!

You may want to look at this board and I’m one of the moderators:
http://homeschoolads.proboards51.com/index.cgi

As mentioned before, switching curricula is a common practice. Someone cheekily asked one day how many history programs we all had on our shelves at home. Slightly embarrassed, I had to say “Six!” and then added, “But I use them all!”

Well, I don’t use them all. I have sold about three but I didn’t do that until I had been homeschooling for 5 years. It can take a while to work out which direction you are heading in. I was hanging onto some of those programs until we had worked out what our direction would be for now.

Finding “my little patch”

I have found that I don’t need teacher’s manuals with step-by-step instructions. My boys love workbooks, especially for Maths. I like integrating subjects so we use History to cover Art/Craft, Geography, literature and science & invention. All my boys seem to love it when I read aloud to them and they like me to do some of the more hands-on things with them.

Time and a lot of prayer have seen us find a rough place to be. The road is not perfect and there may well be a few deviations coming up. The best thing is knowing we are facing that together and we can cope with the changes when they come.

Posted on on June 12th, 2007