National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance

Classical

Dating from ancient Greece and Rome, this philosophy is based upon the trivium:

grammar (using language)
logic (correct thinking)
rhetoric (verbal and written communication

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home

Charlotte Mason

This style or philosophy, created in the nineteenth century by Mason, emphasizes among other things:

the reading of classic books that engage the mind
narration (retelling what one has learned)
art
music
journaling

Although this approach is not unschooling, CM practitioners do not use workbooks or textbooks.

When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today

Eclectic

This style encourages home schoolers to incorporate bits and pieces of each of the previous teaching methods and create their own unique philosophy.

Montessori

You've probably heard of Montessori schools, but did you know that you can home school using this philosophy? This approach emphasizes:

a child learning through discovery in an educating and stimulating environment.

The Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years

One of the great things about homeschooling is the flexibility it affords to all families This includes the flexibility involved in the many, various teaching styles and philosophies that homeschooling families utilize on a daily basis. Currently there are about nine different types of teaching philosophies, all of which we've highlighted here. Homeschooling parents have several different styles to use in their teaching. They can use these philosophies exclusively or gelled together in whatever way they see fit.

It is important to note no teaching philosophy is better than the next. Certain styles and philosophies mold to some families where they clash with others. For example, some parents may find the school-at-home method conducive to their family because it produces the best results for their children. They enjoy replicating the school environment in their own home --with chalkboard, textbooks, desks, etc., and believe wholeheartedly that a traditional philosophy with a more structured approach is indeed the best for them.

An entirely different family, however, may feel unschooling is their best educational course of action. Instead of replicating a school environment they prefer to allow their children the flexibility and freedom to learn what they want, when they want, and how they think is best. This family is content providing an educationally sound environment at home and knowing that since the tools are available, their children will school themselves to a certain extent. Although there are varying degrees of unschooling, unschooling parents enjoy serving as educational guides as opposed to teachers.

And still another family may utilize elements from both of these philosophies. It all depends on the family and the way that they want to homeschool.

We have provided information about the most popular teaching philosophies out there for homeschoolers as well as book titles and web links for further reading.

Heritage-Based Learning: One of the primary benefits of home schooling African-American children is the opportunity to incorporate a well-rounded, diverse and cultural education into one's home school curriculum. No longer are black children relegated to learning the major hotspots of black history, such as slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement and that's all. You can include in your curriculum as much black history and education as you'd like, and your children will be all the better for it.

Heritage-based learning places a keen emphasis on cultural education, either from a black perspective or from a world view perspective. It is important to note that this learning style does not call for the abandonment of traditional education. In fact, those who utilize a cultural education understand that while a diverse education is important, it cannot stand alone. Traditional education must be taught in the home in conjunction with cultural studies.

Heritage-based learning simply employs a meshing of traditional/Western education with a more cultural education. For example, if you were teaching your child a lesson on George Washington, it would be relevant to incorporate lessons about what America was like for blacks during that time. Who were some of the major black figures during the Revolutionary War? Who were other prominent blacks during the era, such as Phylis Wheatley?

Heritage-based education and learning allows a cultural viewpoint to flourish in your child's education. While your child learns everything she would in traditional public or private schools, the relevance of blacks in history is not diminished or omitted.

School at Home

This approach is most similar to conventional school learning. This teaching style places an emphasis on learning facts and then applying these facts to facilitate a well-rounded education. Textbooks and workbooks are used and the home educator accepts the traditional teacher role. Traditional homeschooling is also called the school-at-home method. Most traditional homeschoolers use a set curriculum and give grades.

Unschooling

This teaching style replaces conventional or traditional educational methods with child-led or experience-based learning. That is, unschoolers allow their child to learn without the aid of traditional educational tools and the parent does not take on the role as a traditional home educator. Unschoolers, instead, allow their child to learn through their own curiosity and independent thinking. Unschoolers adhere to a more natural way of learning.

The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach

Waldorf

This approach is most similar to conventional school learning. This teaching style places an emphasis on learning facts and then applying these facts to facilitate a well-rounded education. Textbooks and workbooks are used and the home educator accepts the traditional teacher role. Traditional homeschooling is also called the school-at-home method. Most traditional homeschoolers use a set curriculum and give grades.

Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out, Vol. 1

Unit Studies

We have found that this approach can be defined many ways, but essentially it is:

allowing the child to study whatever strikes his interest
providing the necessary materials to learn in depth about that topic
relating that topic or unit to other topics to get an integrated education

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Learning Styles