I looked at our copy of 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy last night and I saw the quiz I took back in March of 2006 about approaches in learning.
Here are the 2006 scores:
Eclectic - 69%
Charlotte Mason - 77%
Classical Education - 65%
Unit Study - 11%
Umbrella Program - 86%
Independent Study - 58%
Traditional - 63%
Unschooling - 55%
I was filled with fear about not doing the best job, I was worried that I needed a little hand-holding and I didn't quite understand how to encourage a love of learning just yet.
Here are the scores from my quiz retake with two years of experience, the 2008 scores:
Traditional 40%
Charlotte Mason 100%
Classical 82%
Unit Study 97%
Unschooling 88%
Independent Study 37%
Eclectic 91%
Umbrella Program 40%
It seems I've gained a little confidence since we started out. At first, I wanted someone else to tell us what to study, what to do and now I know I can't stand that most of the time! What is also a shocker is that Unschooling scored higher than Classical! Hmm. So I guess if we wanted to label ourselves, we'd be an Eclectic Charlotte Mason homeschool. This was very interesting and a lot of fun to see, if you have this book- I recommend taking the quiz again to see where you are.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
2006 vs. 2008 Learning Approaches
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7 comments:
HI Jessica,
I remember when you mentioned taking that quiz - way back when I asked you why you choose the classical approach.
I am grateful that you share all of this with your readers. I often feel similar to you in many areas. It is wonderful to see your confidence grow ( I hope mine will).
May I ask about Explode the Code? My daughter is 6 and just finished Hooked On Phonics. She is supposed to be at a 3rd grade level by the end of it - but she is very timid about reading and it seems that many of the concepts are not firmly rooted yet.
I am not sure if it we should just continue to read and expect improvement over time...or try something like Explode the Code to help her feel a little more confident. Any thoughts?
Hope you are having a great day,
Stacy
Stacy,
I hope you get this- about Explode the Code: I would find out what your daughter thinks about her own reading skills. My eyes were opened when I asked Camille why she doesn't read for pleasure.
She said that she couldn't enjoy the story like when I read aloud to her because she has problems reading the actual words. Wow. Okay, so I started considering continuing phonics work with her. I can't say whether Explode the Code is the solution for your dd6 but I can say it's helped us. Camille was reading on level but there are only so many 2nd grade reading level books you can read before getting bored.
Is there a product of HOP for after the level you completed? I would look at that first and then look elsewhere. What exactly does your dd6 need? More phonics instruction? Can she decipher words as she reads, breaking them up into syllables? Fluency takes time, so if that is your only concern just keep having her read aloud to you.
I hope this helps, I'm really not the best person to ask due to my lack of experience. :)
Hope you're doing well,
Jessica
Thanks Jessica.
I appreciate you answering me so quickly!
I just asked my daughter the same question you asked Camille - she said, "It's kind of difficult. And I don't like hanging around reading books, I like playing."
It is not just fluency I'm worried about. She definitely has trouble in other areas.
I'm not sure if HOP has anything else - I didn't like it very much so I don't think I'll go that direction.
The samples I have seen of Explode the Code look great. I've decided to give it a try.
Thanks again.
Stacy
Hey.. I was wondering if you were following any kind of geography study. I saw your post on the US States, and I was wondering if you were still doing that. I'm not sure where to start on the geography thing. We're just doing preschool now, but I'm getting prepared for Kindergarten. Should I start broad and teach him continents and oceans, or just study the US. Does TOG do any kind of world geography? I haven't seen the books yet, but I'm planning to start them in 1st grade.
Thanks,
Amanda
Love the graphs! How I wish I'd kept my scores from that Top 100 Picks quiz...actually, I might have...in a notebook -- but which one?!
Isn't it amazing how many different "approaches" can be appealing/descriptive of one person??
I'm so glad you're growing *and* sharing about it!!
Lee
It is fun to re-take the quiz! But, while I've grown in my confidence in homeschooling, I am still a neo-classical at heart with a little Charlotte thrown in for simple, short lessons. I think where I've grown in the past 4 years is that I now appreciate the grammar level of education -- the opportunity to explore ideas so we can have pegs upon which to hang more information later at a deeper level. I don't have to turn my son into an egyptologist at age 6 LOL! I also am OK now with *not* reading a recommended book -- something that haunted me when we tried TOG in 1st grade. And, I feel very comfortable veering off the ideal history rotation so that we can learn what we want to learn (we're only doing US history for the second 1/2 of 3rd, 4th and maybe even 5th grade). Congratulations on finding your footing!
I just happened across you blog and I plan to take some time and check out you links.
I too thought I was doing "Classical" homeschooling, however, my need to teach myself and digest what I am teaching has made me a sort of unschooling teacher. I end up generalizing what I have learned and then feed it to my children as I see it in the world around me.
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