Homeschool Philosophies
Curriculum & Philosophies of Education
Curriculum is a course of study, and a course of study where it is determined what should be taught and how it should be taught.
You may want to author the curriculum entirely. You may want to purchase it all outright and use it as intended. You need to know what curriculum is and what to look for in a curriculum. Once you get through the 5 steps to start homeschooling and how to approach getting started, it’s helpful to know educational philosophies.
Two schools of thought
Educational philosophies begin based on two schools of thought.
The first, being that we think curriculum is an outside standard to be met. This is based in the idea that their is one body of knowledge one must learn.
The second, being the thought that curriculum is more malleable in standards. Their standards are an idea, that can then be applied in more than one way.
And if you find yourself in the middle, that’s okay too. I’ll talk about that later on.
Both schools of thought are valid, and both have curriculum companies that cater to them.
Philosophies: School of Thought #1
You’ll see in this first school of thought the philosophies there is 1) an outside standard to meet 2) a preset curriculum to learn. This is not bad, and is easier to track and assess over time.
Traditional Philosophy
This philosophy encompasses what we know as standardized or common core
I am excluding all-in-one curriculums as a category here because not all of them meet this criteria, but several do.
Traditional/Standardized curriculums
Virtual Academies/Private Schools Online
K12 online schools
Individual Subjects
Classical Philosophy
Classical Education methods abide by the trivium more often than not, and include a study of Latin, the classics of literature, and knowledge of the ancient cultures of Greek & Rome.
Curriculum Companies and Co-ops:
Philosophies School of Thought #2
You’ll see that this is the larger group of philosophies - the longer people homeschool the less traditional methods appeal. Again, traditional isn’t bad. Where traditional leads with curriculum, ideas lead this school of thought.
You’ll often see a list of mastery goals and or general ideas that are then flexible in what can be applied to them.
Montessori
Pioneered by Maria Montessori, this method of education focuses on child-led learning but in a guided way. Montessori teachers are highly trained in appropriate activities by age level. They create age appropriate learning experiences for the children they teach.
The Montessori educational methods focuses on:
Respecting the child: allowing for concentration, and child led learning
The absorbent mind: this idea maintains that children absorb from the world around them, and learn from the world around them
Sensitive periods: Montessori teachers are trained to recognize when a child is in a period where they are ready to absorb a skill and provide opportunities to do so
Prepared environments: this is a child ready environment where they can safely explore interests and materials relevant to their interests
Self-Education: Montessori teachers provide the environment and guidance for children to educate themselves
You can probably see after reading this that you can apply these ideas across curriculum or activities in your home
Curriculum & Resources:
Charlotte Mason
Pioneered by Charlotte Mason, this form of education focuses on a set of principles as outline by Mason, and certain activities that complement these principles.
Atmosphere - the surrounding environment, and the ideas we hold as parents
Discipline - Mason was very dedicated to the idea of habits
Life - this is the education/academics portion of Charlotte Mason Philosophy
Narration
Living Books
A feast of ideas - Shakespeare, artists, composers, and more
Curriculum & Resources: So this is the most popular homeschool philosophy BY FAR right now. There’s no shortage of resources.
*Note any asterisks below are curricula that have borrowed ideas from Charlotte Mason, namely “Living Books”
Waldorf
This philosophy of education was pioneered by Rudolf Steiner, who very much believed in cultivating a lifelong love of learning.
He set out to do so by:
creating student opportunities that are age appropriate
using observable phenomena to learn in science, math, and all subjects
Artistic education (music especially) was as important as other curriculum subjects and considered vital
All teaching methods in Waldorf are meant to help a child discover their true potential and how they can use their potential to further the development of humanity
Curriculum & Resources:
