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Welcome to My Blog!
Schooling two active boys has never been more... interesting. That's the word I'm looking for!
I love my boys! God has given them the blessing of strong, active bodies and minds. We continually pray the first will remain intact, and the second will remain engaged with Him first, and then the school work. You'll meet my sweet sons, both entirely different, but both loving God to the best of their ability in the way He made them. I lovingly refer to them as my Bell Pepper Boy and my Habanero or Hambone. That should say it all!
This blog is an eclectic mix. The events, conversations, and the thoughts behind it all will be in here.
Every once in a while I'll try to capture something I don't want to forget. I hope you find things you enjoy. Please let me know if you do!
Blessings!
Our Curriculum
- Mystery of History vol. 1
- Saxon 5/4
- Horizons Grade 2
- A Beka Language
- Spelling Power
- Apologia Zoology 1
Books I'm Reading
- The Bible (Isaiah)
- Invitation to the Jesus Life
- Discover Your Child's Learning Style
- The Way They Learn
- Archimedes and the Door of Science
- (all things Trojan at the moment)
Favorite Links
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Road to Classical Home Schooling (Part Deux)
Posted in Curriculum Things
Well, now that I'm on this road, I thought I would explore a bit in terms of defining this style (for myself and those who care). I'm still rather fresh with the information, so much of what I would want to include here would be links to really good websites and resources.
It's not surprising the term "classical" would refer to something of a time gone by. The word itself it nearly self explanatory on that level. What I wanted to use as a reference was the classical-homeschooling.org website. Much of the presentation here is fairly clear. The style focuses mainly on the "trivium," which is defined here. In short, the style is in tune with the development of the child. It's primary focus becomes teaching the student according to the development stage in which they live, while preparing them for the next one coming along. A Christian perspective woven together with this classical approach addresses so much of what we as a family hope to see in our kids.
All of that said, don't forget every quality curriculum is attempting the same basic principle. The curriculum teaches to the student's expected level, while preparing them for the next. It's what prevents us from presenting algebraic equations to our little preschool students. The classical approach tends to focus on the cognitive development in a rather simple three-step format. Assuming you have a child that fits within normal bounds, the three levels of development should roughly apply. Yet, the beauty in home schooling is being able to take into account the gifts, talents, learning styles, and preferences of our students. It becomes a win-win situation for our family. It simply begins at the general developmental guidelines as an approach. (Is that clear as mud?) ;')
Assuming my children are generally fitting within the parameters, I have a student who fits within the Grammar Stage and a student who is likely moving toward the Dialectic. Great! (Uhhhh . . . now what does that mean?) The Grammar Stage is explained a little bit here. The Dialectic Stage is here. Essentially, I have one student who is likely more concrete in nature (possibly due to age and stage, but it may more solidly play into his learning style later). I have another student who is likely moving toward more abstract concepts (again, this could be age and stage, though I tend to think this is more solidly tied to his learning style by now). So, even if I cannot determine for certain where my child fits within the learning style "maze," I can begin to frame something based on the cognitive development as my springboard. For now, I'll just worry about these two stages, since the third one overwhelms me just thinking about it. ;') Feel free to investigate the Rhetoric Stage. Knowing my little mini legal eagles here and now, I'm going to pretend we're not going to that stage right now. *la la la la la* (Yes, I'll just cover my eyes and pretend that link isn't there.) *lol*
Anyway, this was intended to introduce the basic, general concepts involved in classical home schooling. There is so much more to it! To learn more, I can recommend some wonderful resources. Maybe you've read the Trivium Pursuit site provided by the Bluedorns? Are you familiar with The Well-Trained Mind website provided by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer? I'm not saying I follow these particular examples to a T. In fact, the blessing in home schooling is taking what I need and tailoring it to my unique schooling situation. (Hooray for flexibility!)
"Alright, class, what have we learned today?"
I think we've defined the "trivium" as it pertains to the classical approach to education with a little help from our website friends. (This approach in itself is not a method; it is a philosophy of education.)
We've learned the classical approach focuses on the age and stage of development of the student. While these aren't hard and fast, the three stages make a nice general guideline to keep in mind as we select curriculum for our home schooled kids.
We've learned that I now officially know more about the classical approach than I did before, right? *lol*
I hope you're enjoying this little "ride" down the road with me. If not, I apologize. We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming after this little series is done. :') I'm sure Habanero or Bell Pepper will oblige with interesting blog fodder.
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - Untitled Comment
I consider myself eclectic. :-) I have read the Well Trained Mind and liked some of it. I do like lots of good literature.
Like you, I have had to "overcome" my teacher training and become more relaxed and not try to run my home like a school.:-)
I would say I am an "evolving classical." Is there such a thing? :-)