classical Archives - Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Jun 11 2011

Hybrid homeschooling

In a world where most everyone tries to fit in, many homeschoolers stand out. Often in many more ways than one.

So why try to conform to a homeschooling method that isn’t exactly right for you?

Though there exist many teaching models and educational philosophies that families follow, that doesn’t mean each one must always be followed to a “T”. Homeschooling comes with boat loads of flexibility — and that includes permission for families to completely stick to a particular method, or not.

For instance, following a classical approach is wonderful if it matches your way of thinking and the ways that your children enjoy learning. But, let’s face it — what if YOU love the ideas but THEY hate reading?

Or, how about deciding to adopt a virtual approach only to discover that your child really can’t sit that long at the computer? That can be tough.

Or, what if you are enamoured by a method that involves volumes and volumes of journaling and copywork but your child struggles with writing? Tougher still.

It’s OK to adapt a particular approach to your own situation. Every homeschooling method comes with built-in flexibility. Though it may be difficult to spot when just starting out, over time, you’ll come to recognize areas where changing things up a bit seem natural and easy.

Some homeschooling methods, for example, recommend specific products to teach subjects. But choosing another product that works better for a child doesn’t mean the benefits of schooling that way are completely lost.

Other methods, for instance, suggest schedules and activities to do each day. Rest assured that not doing them all won’t spoil the overall effect of adhering to that philosophy.

We sometimes hear homeschooling parents practically apologizing for not doing things exactly right; that is, according to the schedule or guidelines set by the curriculum manufacturer, author of a series, or popular conference speaker advocating a certain method. Sadly, sometimes parents can feel a sense of guilt or inadequacy about not doing things exactly right.

The truth is that it’s alright to deviate if it means great learning, better learning, or just plain-old more enjoyment for the child or the entire family. In fact it’s more than alright — you owe it to your child.

Authors and developers, particularly if they’re homeschoolers themselves, would never advocate doing something if it didn’t seem right for a child. That’s why they typically use the word “suggested” when referring to a schedule or particular way of doing things. Suggested doesn’t mean mandatory.

Hybrid homeschooling applies when families follow a general path relatively closely, but deviate from time to time to better meet their individual needs. This is different from eclectic homeschooling where this kind of thing is planned and expected. Hybrids follow a path or a structure, but mold activities as needed along the way.

And it’s OK.

No apology needed.

Apr 10 2011

Copywork and dictation

There is perhaps no better way to learn good writing than to be exposed to good writing. Through copywork and dictation exercises, students see, hear and copy passages in the natural setting of great books and stories. Over time, students come to learn what good writing consists of, and will pattern their own writing on examples of language, structure, style and other aspects of the models they have come to know. As a side benefit, lessons will also be learned within the context of the literature itself.

Typically, copywork begins at the earliest ages, when children copy words, and then sentences, and then longer passages. Several grades later, children begin writing from dictation, and compare their writing to the original passage for correctness.

Some curriculum products offer copywork and dictation exercises built right in. Learning Language Arts Through Literature and Writing with Ease are two such examples, but there are others as well.

Families can also do copywork and dictation entirely on their own. Passages may be chosen from classical literature, poetry, scripture, history books, science books, or any other source of quality writing.

Although copywork and dictation is valuable for every child, it aligns especially well with the learning philosophies of Charlotte Mason, Classical educators, Ruth Beechick and several others. Easy and inexpensive, the outcomes of using copywork and dictation are unmatched.

Some links and articles related to this topic are provided below. Begin with these, and then find others on your own:

Why do copywork and dictation? by Jessie Wise Bauer

Homeschool Interview with Dr. Ruth Beechick

Copywork and dictation in a Charlotte Mason education

Free E-Books from Project Gutenberg

Mar 16 2011

Classical Education

Classical Education, or the “Classical Method” of homeschooling, is a way of allowing students to use their minds in ways that come most naturally to them. The method, often called the Trivium because of its 3 phases of learning, is thought to mirror the cognitive development of a child’s mind, thus allowing them to learn commensurate with their abilities at every stage.

The Trivium

In the early years, when children are able and eager to soak up facts and information, parents introduce all kinds of facts and information to their students. Because children at this age (roughly the equivalent of grades 1-4) enjoy memorization and learning many new things, classical educators introduce many of the facts (for instance, math facts) upon which later learning will be based. This stage is called the Grammar Phase.

By the time a child matures toward the middle school years (approximately grades 5-8), he is able to ask questions and to see the relationship between ideas. Asking, “why?” and looking at the correlation between events and their resulting effects is characteristic of students at this stage anyhow. Therefore, the classical method takes advantage of this developmental stage by introducing academic subjects requiring this kind of abstract thinking. This is called the Logic Phase.

The last stage of the Trivium, the Rhetoric Phase, is taught during the high school years, when students are finally able to pull together all of the facts and questions they have gathered thus far. Students are encouraged and able to express their own original thoughts by this time and are eager to debate any topic. Classical thinkers capitalize upon this stage of development by encouraging high schoolers to formulate their own ideas and opinions, both orally and in writing. This is possible, trainers believe, in large part because students have been given the right foundation in the earlier years.

Much has been written about the classical method so homeschoolers have a great variety of tools available to help them get started. Start with these, and find others on your own:

The Lost Tools of Learning – seminal writing by Dorothy Sayers

The Well-Trained Mind – books and writings from author and historian Susan Wise Bauer

Classical Conversations – Christian community and training materials

Memoria Press – Christian classical materials and online academy

Classical Homeschooling (old website) with links to new site

Interview with Christine Miller – from TOS Magazine

Feb 21 2011

History the right way

Homeschoolers take many different approaches to teaching history. Some use traditional texts and some homeschool curriculum books. Others choose a unit study approach, honing in on a particular person, a series of events or a specific part of the world.

There is the matter of world-view to consider when buying history resources, too, since authors each impart their own understanding and bias into their writing. It isn’t always easy to select materials, leaving homeschooling moms and dads to preview and select those that offer history in the way they think it should be taught.

Often, the way we teach history is the way we learned it ourselves.

Looking back, I now think that perhaps most important thing when teaching history is being sure that our students understand that history does not happen in a bubble. In fact, historical events do not take place all by themselves. They happen simultaneously all around the world. Plus, events influence one another, too.

The number one goal of any history course must be to make sure that students understand that history did not only happen in one place while the rest of the world stood still.

Though young children aren’t ready yet, students from approximately 5th/6th grade on are able to understand that historical events are sometimes linked together. Kids at that age can find cause and effect relationships. Questioning what they read, this is the age when children can begin developing the logic and thinking skills needed to see history as something that evolves over time – rather than random, independent events that have nothing to do with one another.

A problem with traditional history texts is that they tend to provide both an explanation of events as well as their outcomes. This leaves little to a child’s imagination, and nothing for them to think about afterwards, as the effects (again, seen from the author’s perspective) already appear in the text. That is, the critical thinking is already done for the student, so that the child has nothing left to question or deduce on his own.

Further compounding the problem, traditional texts tend to be written for “American” history courses, “World” history courses, or some other subset of history deemed convenient for traditional classrooms full of many students to study at once. These boundaries draw imaginary lines for students which seem to convey that the events in the text stand alone, while nothing else in history takes place anywhere else in time.

Classical educators have compensated for this problem by studying time periods in history, in all parts of the world, instead of specific historical figures and events. For this reason, these folks tend to avoid traditional history texts altogether. Instead, these clever teachers opt for creating timelines, using good history encyclopedias, and assigning an ever-changing supply of library books and online resources for each new time period and topic being studied.

Knowing that historical events may be depicted slightly differently in each resource, children who learn this way are taught to study multiple sources of information and pull all of the pieces together on their own. This is really the only way that a student can understand all of the variables that may have contributed to events in history and to be able to intelligently discuss the relationships between them all, sometime later on in high school and college. Plus, instead of focusing only on topics within the imaginary boundary, students will learn to see the inter-relationships between them and understand that events in time took place simultaneously in different parts of the world.

It took me a while to understand the importance of learning history in this way. So obvious to me now, I never thought about it much until I began teaching my own children in homeschool. Having studied history in public schools using traditional texts, I grew up looking at history as many of you probably did – as a series of unrelated bits of information that have nothing to do with each another. I learned dates and facts, but never saw the relationship between any of them. I have never fully recovered from the effects of this approach and wanted to make sure that my children were better able to understand history than I was.

To read more about the classical approach to education and teaching history, you should read The Well-Trained Mind, Classical Conversations, this article by Dorothy Sayers, and read any other books and web sites you find on your own. Then, think about your own approach to teaching history at home and whether you feel that your students will graduate with an understanding of the correlation between world events or the limited, cookie-cutter level of mastery as I did.

As with everything homeschooling, do what is right for your and your family. I just wanted you to know my thoughts on this subject.

[Photo: Free Digital]

Jan 28 2011

Popular history products

In lower grades, it can be called Social Studies. In upper grades, we call it History.

How is it taught in homeschool?

Like other subjects, history can be taught any number of ways. It all depends on the goals for the year and the style of homeschooling being used.

Below, you’ll find a list of some of the more commonly used history products found in the homeschooling marketplace*. Start with these to get some ideas and then find some on your own.

Note that history books may be written from a biblical perspective, or not. Choose the approach you like best.

The Mystery of History

KONOS

Sonlight

Tapestry of Grace

Remember that some homeschooling families also use standard school textbooks to teach history. You can read more about homeschooling using texts HERE.

* Note that some social studies/history materials include geography and some do not. Therefore, geography products will be covered in a separate post.