July 9, 2005 8:31 AM
Homeschooling: What works
I just came across this blog this morning:
The Duchy of Burgundy Carrots
Wherein we comment on the world's follies, which we will fix when we take it over.
It is so cool to get feedback from experienced homeschoolers - not moms/teachers but grownups who were homeschooled.
Some of the Queen of Carrots' wisdom:
All homeschooling parents will happily talk for hours on the things that worked or didn't work--from their perspective as the teacher. Soon I will join their ranks. But before I do, I want to reflect on the things that worked from my perspective as a student. That is, what things, looking back, can I now see resulted in learning or good character? And what things shut down learning and turned me into a student bureaucrat?Didn't work: 95% of textbooks and workbooks, when used as designed
Worked: Lots of books lying around the house and lots of time to read themSometimes I think my mom's most effective homeschooling method was filling the house with books and then taking a nap. (Since she had narcolepsy, she did the latter pretty often.) Given free rein and mostly quality books to read, we really did gravitate towards book that exposed us to new ideas, and we really did remember what we read. Forced to complete the mind-numbingly boring questions at the end of a section, our brains shut off altogether.There were cases when textbooks and workbooks worked. A lot of history and literature textbooks, especially high school level, were read for their own sake, as long as we could avoid those dreaded questions. (I don't recall ever reading a science textbook for fun, but we had many far more interesting science books around to read.) And there were a few cases where a text I got to select myself, or one that hit on a particular interest, was actually worth working through a page at a time. But those were definitely the exception.
To read the rest, go here. Note this soon-to-be mother of two has been blogging for almost two years!
Hail to the Queen!
Posted in Homeschooling | Permalink
Comments
Barbra - I like your blog! I will definately be back to search through for wisdom, especially about homeschooling. This was an interesting perspective to read - I wonder how much of it depends on the child's learning style? I bought my 3 year old a big preschool book and she LOVES it. She will sit and work through it alone for a literal houe. I am not expecting my other children to be that way!
Posted by: Annie | July 9, 2005 9:52 PM
I know what you mean, Annie. Kids ARE all different. Some of my kids loved their workbooks and were motivated by the feeling of accomplishment they got. When I was homeschooling, I tended to be very academic with textbooks, tests and everything -even sentence diagramming, in which I'm a firm believer. But we also had tons of books and videos around for learning. So I was intrigued by the Queen's comments.
My kids have been in school the last three years, but my 12 year old is coming home for school this year. I'm excited about getting back into that part of my life!
Anyone who reads Annie's comment here should go to her site to read her response to Adrian Warnock's challenge - I loved it.
Posted by: barbaracurtis | July 9, 2005 10:46 PM
I dunno. . .I'm all for fun and all that, but there is something to be said for learning to work, too. You know, learning to tackle a job and enjoy it, regardless of whether it's particularly attractive or not. Which is not to say we should deliberately make our work as dreary as possible. In life, our work, whether it is getting up with baby at 3 a.m., taking in the vacuum for repair, or disciplining your teenager, is rarely fun and inviting. However with the proper attitude and motivation there can be enjoyment in it.
If we only give our homeschooled kids "work" that they enjoy, will they ever learn to "work?"
Posted by: Monika | July 9, 2005 11:15 PM
Thanks for linking to me!
I'm actually very concerned about children learning to work well--I just haven't seen much long-term good come from standing over them making them do stuff that doesn't have any connection to their real life. Mostly it seems to teach them to work when someone is watching, which is not what I hope for them. I've seen more good come out of taking over household responsibilities, and being encouraged to complete projects they've started--even though they've grown to be a lot more work.
I have heard there are kids who really like workbooks, so I'm not ruling out the possibility. I just won't insist too much on it.
Posted by: Queen of Carrots | July 11, 2005 6:33 AM
