Develop Your Approach

When we think of traditional education, we tend to envision a professor standing behind a lectern delivering the day's notes as they apply to the topic at hand. There is a set scope and sequence. Each day includes a pre-planned lesson and topics to be discussed. The pace is set by the curriculum used. Typically there is a text to follow and some type of workbook where blanks will be filled in to make sure the information is retained. Bringing the traditional method home would look about the same, sans lectern - unless mom is REALLY into it!

These days, traditional methods come in a variety of packaging. One variation on traditional methods is the worktext. A worktext is what it sounds like: a workbook combined with a text resulting in one consumable volume. Worktexts tend to require less teacher instruction and allow the student to work more independently. While still working within a set scope and sequence, the student can move along at his or her own pace. Worktexts can be very useful when teaching multiple children or children who are ahead of or behind the curve.

Computer-based educational programs are popping up everywhere. One Christian publisher has a complete line of computer-based materials with safe Internet connections, multi-media presentations, automatic grading, and recordkeeping. Education has certainly come a long way!

Textbooks, workbooks and worktexts can be of value. Can YOU imagine teaching Algebra without one?! If you are new to homeschooling, traditional materials may sound like exactly what you need. When we use traditional methods we feel secure that we are "covering everything" since the lessons generally follow a predictable scope and sequence, thus erasing fears of learning gaps. There are usually teacher manuals available (many times directed at homeschool moms in particular) that contain not only answers, but useful teaching tips, explanations and directed activities. In some cases the lesson plans are "scripted," meaning the materials tell mom exactly how to teach the lesson right down to exactly what to say. Scripted lessons can provide a boost of confidence when tackling subjects that weren't our personal favorite. There is no shortage of quality traditional materials available from Christian publishers.

While all of this sounds good, we have to keep our goals in mind! There are myriad ways of using traditional materials. But using traditional materials within a traditional framework may not achieve your homeschool goals. Rather than become a slave to these materials, use them as your tools. Incorporate them into YOUR scope and sequence rather than worrying about your child "falling behind." Here are a few other ideas to keep in mind when using traditional materials:

Feel free to modify. Just because you use traditional materials doesn't mean you have to use them in a traditional way! Take advantage of the one-on-one learning approach home education provides and let the materials serve the child. Does the publisher's pace go too fast? Slow down! Has your child already mastered a concept? Skip it! Was the program written for the classroom? Feel free to skip the "homework" unless your child needs the extra practice. And don't worry if your child doesn't neatly fit into one "grade level" in all skill areas!

Feel free to enrich. Nothing will turn off the most ardent learner faster than a steady diet of NOTHING but textbooks, workbooks and worktexts! As you continue to explore other methods, borrow ideas that appeal and implement them into the program. Most traditional methods can be enlivened by incorporating rich literature, research activities, writing projects and hands-on activities. Keep the textbook in its role as reference material and your focus on the child!

Feel free to mix and match. Don't feel you have to purchase an entire line of curriculum from only one publisher. Look at a publisher's line of materials with a critical eye, selecting those items that fit and rejecting those that don't. If you feel no child should leave home without Latin and your preferred publisher doesn't offer it - add on another publisher's Latin materials! If you feel your preferred publisher doesn't approach spelling in a way that fits your child, supplement with a different approach or another product.

Further Reading

• Overview of Publishers with Comprehensive Curriculum in the Christian Homeschool Market
  Reviews of the major publishers from Cathy Duffy.
• What About Prepared Curriculum
  This article by Barb Shelton should help you keep your perspective when using traditional materials! "We have somehow gotten this view that 'education' is filling our kids' minds with facts and information. While that certainly enters into the picture, it is NOT what true education is. Education is teaching them to think, cooperating with God in preparing them 'for the works He prepared for them to walk in,' allowing time for the stuff God breathed in them to come to life, and character building... There is still a place, I believe, for using a some prepared curriculum when first starting out, and then maybe later on for selected subjects, like math and English, especially at the high school level. But I have seen so many homeschoolers use it for their entire curriculum, and I have never seen one bit of 'good fruit' come from it – especially not the fruit the parents themselves were striving and hoping for."