Consider Your Style

What's Your Style?

Next, let's prayerfully consider you as a teacher.

What are the common homeschool teaching approaches from which you can choose?

Which of these best fits you -- and your child?

A thoughtful look of these options now will help you prepare to select your teaching resources.

What are the common homeschool teaching approaches?
What are the common homeschool teaching approaches?
Traditional Textbooks and Workbooks Approach
This is probably the approach we all remember from our school years. You would purchase texts and workbooks and follow supplied teacher's guides.
Correspondence Schools Approach
You would assign and submit student work as directed by a correspondence school in which your child is enrolled.
Computerized or Satellite Instruction
You would assign and monitor instruction provided via purchased computer programs, online programs, or satellite distance learning programs.
Charlotte Mason or Living Books & Life Experiences Approach
You would utilize educational tools such as narration, dictation, and copy work while providing lots of high quality literature and life experiences for your child.
Unit Study Approach
You would design learning units which would integrate multiple subject areas, all based around a common theme.
Classical Approach
You would lead your child through a careful study of history via classical literature, while your child proceeds through three classical learning stages: learning the basics, understanding relationships, and expressing relationships.
Relaxed or Unschooling Approach
You would start with the assumption that all children are natural learners and then give your child the resources to do so.
Eclectic Approach
You would use a blend of several of these approaches.
Which one sounds like you?
Which one would best fit your child's stage & style of learning? Check our links below for more information.
Read veteran homeschool mom Ellyn Davis' descriptions of the various approaches.
Or visit Homeschool Iowa's Homeschooling Styles & Tools web page.

© 2020 Homeschool Iowa & Julie Naberhaus adapted from "The ABC's of Homeschooling in Iowa" by Julie Naberhaus

 

Parents and families
are the first and most important teachers.
If families teach a love of learning,
it can make all the difference in the world to our children.
~Richard W. Riley, Former U.S. Secretary of Education

 
Continue to the next step in Getting Started Homeschooling:
ESTABLISH GOALS