Homeschooling families face many challenges. One of these is determining what method, or homeschooling philosophy, to follow. There are three main views of homeschooling education.
One method of homeschooling is child-led education, also known as "unschooling". The underlying philosophy for this system says that we are natural learners from birth, spending a great deal of our early years touching, tasting, hearing, and seeing the world around us. Unschooling supporters say that taking a child out of this natural learning environment, and placing then in an artificial classroom interrupts the learning process. A child who can go where their wonder leads them retains their natural inquisitiveness and tends to discover more overall.
Some positives: Children are encouraged to be curious; life is a learning experience.
Some negatives: Without formal structure, it can be hard to get a sense if your child is learning some of the basics of schooling. Lack of more formal teaching methods can make it hard for children who need to transition back to public schools.
Some homeschoolers choose a more traditional approach to home education. This often involves using formal divisions of subjects, textbooks, tests, grades and other methods more commonly seen in a classroom setting. Some families use one curriculum for all subjects.
Some positives: Having an idea of what similar-aged children are learning; having some way to measure how well a child is learning a subject; more direction for the adult who is teaching or supervising.
Some negatives: Curriculums and textbooks can be very costly; parents and children can feel pressured to complete every item in the curriculum.
Another option in homeschooling methods is the eclectic approach. This is a mix of everything. A family can take what works for them from any of the different philosophies.
Some positives: Using a variety of sources (internet, library, videos) and curriculums can be more cost effective. Working with different sources can help parents get a better feel for what works for their child.
Some negatives: It may take more time to pull together individual resources; there may be less continuity in quality of materials.
When deciding which way to go, do not panic. There is no one right answer. Each method has strengths and weaknesses. In the end, what matters most are our children and our family. After all, that is why we chose to homeschool.
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