Homeschool philosophies are the jumping-off point for your homeschool journey. As a homeschool parent, exploring the different homeschool philosophies gives you a place to land your educational decisions and focus on what is important to your family.
With so many options in curriculum choices for your children, knowing how you want them to learn will eliminate all of the options you don’t need to be overwhelmed with.
This article continues with the last three of the most popular homeschool philosophies. If you missed the first article, you can find that HERE.
Unschool Philosophy
Unschooling has been a form of education for over 100 years. Before formal schooling unschooling was living on a farm. Parents passed on the knowledge of how to be a farmer, how to grow crops, and how to have livestock. Unschooling was passing on that knowledge to the next generation.
Today unschooling is a method that eliminates formal textbook learning. As a parent, you are passing on how to do everyday tasks while doing them in your home. Unschooling requires, very little in the way of curriculum. The method focuses on living life and being connected to the things that your children desire to do.
An important part of unschooling is being connected with your children. Knowing their desires, knowing what they are interested in, and then forming their education around those interests. For example, if you have a child who has a really deep love of history, then you are going to engineer their educational pursuits to that love.
I listened to a podcast last week about a mother, and one of her children was very interested in airplanes and flying. So, they went to the local airport and asked them about lessons, and what age her son could take lessons. They directed him on how to do that. By the time the child graduated from high school, he had his pilot’s license.
Unschooling has been misrepresented in the homeschool world over the last few years. Many people have taken unschooling to mean not schooling at all or taking a very lax approach to educating children. This could not be further from the truth. For more, read this article HERE.
Disadvantages
Potential disadvantages of unschooling would be that parents don’t see growth instantly. Because it’s interest-based and it’s, the child is directing a lot of it, parents won’t practice with many call a well-rounded education. A child may excel in one particular area. Parents may have a 10-year-old who’s doing high school work in a particular subject, yet, in another subject, they may be doing first-, second-, or third-grade work.
Advantages
Focusing your child’s attention on the work they enjoy can have its advantages. By eliminating busy work, you are fostering a love of learning in your child. You are giving them the tools to learn anything that want to learn.
To learn more about Unschooling we recommend the following
Montessori Method of Education
The Montessori philosophy was developed by an Italian physician, doctor Maria Montessori, over 100 years ago. The method fosters rigorous self-motivated growth, and, it follows the developmental, cognitive, emotional, social, and physical abilities of the child. Montessori education is similar to the unschooling method.
Montessori allows students to guide their educational pursuits. Knowledgeable teachers oversee the activities of students as they learn and explore. Students follow their curiosity at their curiosity at their own pace, taking the time they need to fully understand concepts, and then meet individualized learning goals.
Students are free in the classroom or at home to ask questions, probe very deeply, and make connections with what they’re learning. In the younger years, Montessori students use manipulatives.
Disadvantages
One of the biggest disadvantages of the Montessori method for families is the expense of purchasing manipulatives, etc. Implementation of the Montessori method can be challenging for parents, especially if you’re not familiar, with the the full scope of the Montessori method.
Advantages
However, the advantages are that the Montessori nurtures order, concentration, and independence. Children become active seekers of knowledge.
Some books to be familiar with as the parent, if you’re going to delve into this method are
World Schooling
World schooling is the intentional act of viewing the world as one’s classroom. In its simplest form, world schooling is the act of intentionally learning from the world. World schooling combines multi-age and experiential learning with travel and or cultural experiences to facilitate learning and discovery.
Families don’t have to go around the world to be world schoolers. Parents can choose a culture, and do a deep dive into that culture. Students are immersed in a cultural experience. They food, art, language, and geography.
As a Christian parent, you would need to be intentional about bringing your Christian worldview to the forefront as you learn about other cultures and religions. Christian missionary biographies are a wonderful resource for World School families. Find great Christian biographies HERE.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of the World School method is the cost of travel. Families who use this method without traveling and are in less diverse areas of the country have a hard time connecting with people of other cultures.
Advantages
The advantage of World Schooling is that it is fun and highly engaging. It is experiential. Children learn in diverse social environments and are likely to develop a deep sense of empathy for others.
For families can travel, their children learn adaptability. Students are exposed to diverse languages and have the opportunity to experience many wonderful cultural events firsthand.
