Homeschool Terminology

Step one of homeschooling is understanding and researching terminology. Sometimes, you can be standing there talking to a group of homeschoolers and you hear words that you don't understand and you might be afraid to ask. If you have one you are unsure of, contact me and I will put it up here.

Classical Education- It's a language intensive program that focuses on history, literature, writing and reading in a chronological manner. It focuses on critical thinking skills and creating a desire for knowledge and at the same time, teaching the student how to seek it out. It takes the 4 time periods, the Ancients, the Early Renaissance, Late Renaissance to Early Modern, Early Modern to present day, and leads a student into thoroughly studying each time period, taking care to correlate all the subject material to that time period. For instance, when studying the ancients, Science would be centered on plants, animals and the human body, studying the beginning of time and the make up of these subject materials. In the second time period, where great discoveries were found in the universe, you study earth and sky. During the 3rd time period where Scientists were making great discoveries in the chemistry area, science would be focused on chemistry. In the fourth time period, the child will study Physics. This four time period rotation happens 3 different times in a student's career at their own grade level, thus making it much easier in 11th grade to understand Beowulf in it's original text because at least on 2 other occasions, the child has studied it in an abridged version. Doing school this way allows the student to delve deeply into a subject such as chemistry for an entire year instead of just scratching the surface each year for a chapter or two in a text  book. It's hands on, all year, composing, experimenting, understanding the vocabulary that relates, hypothesizing and reporting. It is rigorous, but I find it to be very flexible to make it as intense as you feel the child is able or less intense if they can not handle the full schedule.

Traditional Education- This is where a teacher teaches an already set program with goals that are set by the administration for the child to reach before the end of the school year. Typically, there are tests that have to be passed in order for the child to move on to the next grade level. They are measured against each other through these tests rather than measured against themselves and the progress they have made from year to year. There is lots of workbook work, texts that cover a wide variety of subject material each year and it lacks in giving a child a deeper understanding on the material and many times, ignores the learning style of the child, sometimes truly leaving the child behind. Many kids can thrive in this type of schooling, but the desire for learning can easily be squelched through it as well.

Unschooling- Also known as Child Led Learning, Organic, Eclectic, Self Directed, or Natural learning. This is when the education is placed in the interest of the child. Rather than being teacher oriented where the student plays the receptive role, the student leads the education process based on their needs, interests, learning styles, and abilities. Traditionally, a teacher would take the lead role in a child's education, setting the course and content, but through child led learning, the student has a strong voice in what is taught and when. Since learning is a natural process and takes place before any official class is taken, Unschooling allows for the student to continue in their original way of learning. Let me notate here that this does not mean the parent never chooses to use a curriculum, but rather decides based on the child's needs and desires. They are not concerned with scope and sequence as much as whether the child is progressing in what they love. This is my understanding of the process and through my limited research on the topic, it seems to be a highly controversial method. However, I have a feeling that unschoolers are greatly misunderstood by the masses.

Homeschool Co-Op- This is where homeschoolers work together to provide group education on various subjects.  Usually, it is parent led, but there are certainly many that have accredited teachers who are hired or volunteer to teach. Some co-ops are free, some are tuition based and can look like and function much like a school.  Many require that you as a parent volunteer in some way to keep the co-op running in order for your child to attend. They can meet in one building all of the time or move from house to house. If a homeschooler needs help teaching Latin or Biology, co-ops can be of great assistance.

Charter School- A charter school is a publicly and possibly privately funded school that does not function entirely under the same regulations that a public school would. They can offer a more intense focus on a subject such as the arts. There is no tuition fee for these schools as they are non profit, so they may have long waiting lists to boot. They can be run by the government, corporations, charities, parents or administrators.

Narration- This is when a child who is unable to write with proficiency, recalls orally what they have learned so that the parent or teacher can write it down for them. It can be used in the earlier grades until writing has become comfortable or in the older years if the child exhibits learning disorders. Either way, comprehension is successfully being diagnosed.

Dictation- This is done when the child can write with proficiency and the parent or teacher reads a sentence or group of sentences to the child in order for them to copy it down.

Trivium- This is the lower of the two divisions of the 7 liberal arts in the Middle Ages. It consists of Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric. Typically taught, the  Grammar stage begins with  the early years through 4th grade, the Logic stage beginning in 5th grade continuing through 8th grade and then the Rhetoric stage beginning in 9th grade and continuing through the 12th grade.

Year Round Schooling- This is when a family chooses to participate in learning activities throughout the entire year and forgoes long breaks in the summer. The thought behind this is that it enables the child to retain information learned,  keeping them from needing to spend the first couple months of fall reviewing material they shouldn't have forgotten thus maximizing the learning process.

Lap Books- This is a project that can be done by any age and cover any topic. It is created within a folder with pictures, drawings, small paragraphs and more. For example, one could be studying The Universe and create a folder for each planet. When they are finished, you can combine them together to make one big book or "lap book". Many homeschoolers like to do these at the end of their unit studies or along side any topic they might see their child take a strong interest in. You can purchase already made kits or design your own. It can be simple or lavish. There are many examples online to help get you started. Just have fun with it!

Work Boxes- This is an organizational tool used by homeschoolers. My understanding is that it can also work really well with children who have special needs, as well as aid families in need of organizing their day and area. It can be done with small totes, shoe boxes, hanging files, cereal boxes or anything your mind can dream up. Basically, each child has a set of holders that are numbered according to priority. Each lesson is placed within that box and the child is directed by a labeling system to each one. Here is a workbox website that I found to be a great resource for pictures and examples.

Biblical World View- Also known as a Biblical Perspective and a Christian World View. A person's world view is how they view truth. So, to add the word 'Biblical' in front of it, just means they view life and the world through the perspective of the Bible and take it for what it says. An example would be that they believe in a literal 24 hour day/6 day creation. Therefore, the idea of the Gap-Theory would not hold any weight. Curriculum choices would support those fundamental beliefs.

Principle Approach- I found a very well put definition that I could not compete with, so it is pasted below
from a yahoo group.

"The Principle Approach has been called 'reflective teaching and learning.' It is America’s historic method of Biblical reasoning which places the Truths (or principles) of God’s Word at the heart of education. Each subject is predicated upon God’s Biblical principles and students are taught to think and reason from principles and leading ideas using The Notebook Approach to Research, Reason, Relate, and Record."
from the F.A.C.E. website.

This group, which upholds protestant Christianity, is dedicated to educating and mentoring those families who have braved home education and are looking to instill God's Word as the Heart of their homes and homeschools. Through discipleship, we can lead our children to become faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ! This discipleship is done through gently teaching our children, line upon line, precept upon precept-developing principles that will lead to conviction that stands on the solid rock of God's Word!

The philosophy and methods we utilize are based on the Principle Approach, developed by Verna Hall and Rosalie Slater and carried on by the Foundation for American Christian Education. They have trained many Master Teachers who have written their own excellent resources to help us apply PA. However, this approach is not based on a specific curriculum as its foundation. It's application is individual.

This approach to education requires the parent (teacher) to also become a student, renewing their mind to see God and principles from His Word in all of life and learning, in order to teach their children (students) through a lifestyle based on and forming a Biblical life and world view.

Notebooking- Notebooking is a way for a child to recall, interpret, retell and remember what he or she has learned. Using a notebook or binder, the child can create his own or be given guidelines to take him on this educational journey. It might include influential people, important dates, wars, major cities and their history, political events, discoveries, fun facts etc...It can be organized in various ways and can depict drawings, clip art, paintings and photographs. It is a retelling of what the child has discovered along his learning career. It will allow him or her to become the teacher and expert at what they have studied. Looking back in the years to come will not only reinforce what he or she learned previously, but bring about happy feelings as they take a walk down memory lane.

Thomas Jefferson Education- This is a method of education based on a book written by Dr. Oliver Van DeMille. It teaches the methods of the 18th century teacher, George Wythe, who was the personal mentor for 20 of the founding fathers and known as the "Teacher of Liberty". The goal is to educate "the leaders of tomorrow" and then go out and be world changers. This form of education refutes the "conveyor belt" education produced through public schools and instead encourages a family centered learning time, dealing with reading and journaling the classics. It can be used with child led learning or with children who tend to be self motivated learners.