Homeschooling is not a one-size-fits-all form of education. With the freedom to homeschool, you have choices. Not only what subjects you cover, and the curriculum you use, but also what style or method of homeschooling you determine to be the best fit for your family.
Most homeschool curriculum is geared toward the following seven homeschool styles.
Traditional
Traditional homeschooling as the name implies is the method or style of homeschooling that embodies replicating the traditional public school classroom in a home setting. This can be done using textbooks, workbooks and tests in a very structured manner.
Charlotte Mason
This homeschool style is based on the life work and teachings of British educator & reformer Charlotte Mason. Her teaching philosophy has 20 principles and focuses on narration, quality literature, nature study, music, art and handicrafts.
Ms. Mason believed that “education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life” and she wrote of the importance of using “living books” instead of textbooks.
You can read more about this homeschool style at Purposeful Motherhood
Classical
The classical method focuses on teaching children in a manner that corresponds to how they naturally develop. This style utilizes a three part progression of training the mind called the Trivium.
The stages of the Trivium are:
- Grammar Stage (when children naturally absorb and can recall factual information)
- Dialectic Stage (when children are becoming more analytical and are learning how to argue or defend their point)
- Rhetoric Stage (when the children learn how to use logic and sound reason to form and articulate arguments. This stage builds on the first two stages.
You can learn more about Classical Education at The Well Trained Mind
Eclectic
Eclectic is defined as deriving ideas, styles, or taste from a broad & diverse range of sources. Eclectic homeschoolers generally do not ascribe to one particular methodology. Instead, they create their own curriculum by pulling together resources from more than one of the homeschool styles mentioned in this article.
Think this style is for you? This piece by Misty Bailey is encouraging & helpful.
Montessori
This education method derives its namesake from Maria Montessori (1870-1952), one of Italy’s first female doctors. Her observations of poor children in Rome led her to create a methodology in which children could learn and thrive.
In this homeschool style, the parent prepares the environment for learning, observes the child while they learn and makes adjustments to meed the child’s needs. (Montessori Toddler by Simone Davis, pg 13).
Children are free to learn at their own pace and to repeat “work” as often as they like.
You can learn more about The Montessori Method at Mama’s Happy Hive
Unit Studies
Using the Unit Studies style is like taking a deep dive into a particular subject. For example, studying birds could entail reading books about birds, doing a written or oral report, & constructing a bird’s nest.
Unit Studies approach is a way to incorporate more than one subject into the learning of particular area of interest.
More information on the Unit Studies check out this informative post from Fearless Homeschool
Unschooling
John Holt (1923-1985) was an American author & educator who is attributed to coining the term unschooling. He believed that children learn naturally and that school actually hindered their natural curiosity.
This particular homeschool style has become associated with following the interests of the child. Therefore, no set curriculum is used.
You can find more information about unschooling here.
Are you still uncertain of what style would suit your child best? Are you looking for homeschool support?
Be sure to check out my homeschool coaching business Your Homeschool Helper. Schedule your FREE 20 minute Discovery Call to learn how I can help you homeschool with clarity & confidence.
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