If you are Eclectic..?

[honeymommy4]

How do you know you are covering everything?

 

For example, adding in memorization, which I am not looking forward to, how do I know when to add that? It is not a state requirement.

 

thanks so much!

[hsmom]

I see it as you add it in where you feel necessary. There is not a certain time or place you have to add that in, just where you feel you need to.

 

I am a bit confused by the eclectic. Eclectic is someone who pulls from many different sources instead of one certain way, right? :confused: So in my eyes you just make sure all bases are covered the same way you would if you were classical, school at home etc. Or am I wrong on this one. I am often wrong.:001_smile:

[ChandlerMom]

I think the OP means eclectic vs using one complete curriculum. Is that correct?

 

My impression is few use one boxed curriculum -- a one size fits all is kinda contrary to hsing, :D

 

So the question of "how am I doing" is really one of how to evaluate the child's progress and breadth of learning. To do that, some do standardized testing, have a "pro" evaluate their child, refer to a book like Hirsch's "What an X grader should know..." (which is kinda funny since the premise of knowing X at grade Y is more about efficiency in the ps school system). You'll also see posts here of the "should my Y year old be doing XXX?" :D Honestly, I thiink as you hs you develop a pretty good idea of where your kid is (what they know) and from reading books/forums/standards/scopes and sequences you tend to have a good diea of where they "should" be.

 

I think the issue of what constitutes a thorough education is something each hs'r has to work out for themselves (ok, beyond reading and counting :lol: ). That will depend on your personal views and coves the spectrum from unschooling to classic...eclectic can be anywhere on that spectrum. The CW is that folks tend to move from highly structured to less structured as they gain exp/confidence.

 

But we all need some sort of touch stone or reality check. Mine are still early elementary, but for me my reality check is where they are now, and where ultimately I want them to be (as in by the time they start college). I break that down to a "where can I reasonably expect them to be in 6mo and what do we need to do to get there" then re-evaluate. I know what my kids know and don't know pretty well, so don't feel the need to do testing (not req in my state). I might consider getting an outside eval at late elementary and again at the start of high school. But not now. :)

[momto2Cs]

What I do each year (or more often as needed) is to simply:

 

 

• decide what topics I want to cover with my dc. I look at World Book standards, and at each child's strengths, interests, and weaknesses. I also think of what I want them to know in the long run, whether they are big things (like being mathematically comfortable) or smaller things, like being familiar with American artists.
  
• Once I have a list of what I want to cover this year, I go through and pick the resources I think best fit our needs and learning styles.
  

 

And that's it. I reassess at least once a year, and make adjustments.

[SnMomof7]

You might not want to hear this, but...I don't think you can easily nail this down. In all honesty this has been in a continual state of flux as I learn more about my child, more about our educational philosophy, and more about myself as a teacher. Homeschooling is really a 'learning on the fly' experience for homeschooling parents who may not understand how learning takes place, where the potential 'gap' areas are, and how best to teach before they dive in.

 

At least...this is how it has been for me! I am totally learning how this all goes together FOR US as I go.

[tammyw]

I consider our style more eclectic. I do use the What your "Blank" Grader Should Know" as a guide for myself to ensure we're covering everything.

 

Memorization - my daughter has recently discovered musical theatre, and it seems a perfect way to add in memorization. She has to memorize parts and songs for the shows she is in, plus for the classes she does, and since it's fun, it's a really easy way to get this accomplished! Plus she is gaining so many other wonderful skills :)

[NanceXToo]

We do not do anything formal for "memorization" for the most part (other than working on memorizing times tables and the state capitals, which we started in 4th grade). Once in a while she'll have to memorize a short speech or poem or song to recite for school, but we don't do "memorization" as any sort of formal "subject" or anything. She's in 5th grade now and we've been getting along just fine without worrying about whether we were covering enough memorization. :)

[peacefully]

Well, you can never really cover everything. While the highly "rigorous" and "complete" boxed curriculum packages like to give the impression that they have got it all covered, they don't. The state standards don't cover everything either. I have looked over the boxed packages, our state standards, the Core Knowledge Sequence, WTM, and quite a few other sources. Each has decided to emphasize some things over others or omit certain subjects entirely. Since I happen to be quite eclectic in my approach, I figure, I've done the research, I understand the goals of these different programs, I've compared those goals with my own, and I've got a game plan that I'm comfortable with.

 

For me, it's more important to observe and assess my child's readiness to tackle a new skill or move on to a different topic than it is to go by an arbitrary schedule. If memorization is important to you, I'd just start adding memorization and see how it goes. That would give you a pretty good indication of how soon, how much, how often, etc.

[RootAnn]

You might not want to hear this, but...I don't think you can easily nail this down. In all honesty this has been in a continual state of flux as I learn more about my child, more about our educational philosophy, and more about myself as a teacher. Homeschooling is really a 'learning on the fly' experience for homeschooling parents who may not understand how learning takes place, where the potential 'gap' areas are, and how best to teach before they dive in.

 

Well, you can never really cover everything.

 

:iagree: :iagree:

 

What do you think your child needs to memorize? For me, I like them to know some poems and then there things that just suggest themselves in the course of your normal schoolwork. (Mine memorized states/capitals this year and where they are located. They memorize songs, Latin vocab words, parts of speech, times tables, etc.) The practice/idea of memorization is to help them train their mind to remember things, categorize things, and pull them out on demand. It is very helpful later in school and in life.

 

Hannah Wilson put together a pdf of memory work. I don't remember where I found it, or I'd link it. If you want it, PM me with your email address & I'll send it to you.

[jer2911mom]

A friend of mine gave me some wise advice. She said that there will always be gaps; you can't possibly cover everything. Everyone has gaps in their education.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I try to aim for teaching them how to discover and analyze what they need to know. I remember thinking in college that if I didn't need the piece of paper degree I could just have read what I needed to know. ow many times do you use google in a week? Or find a reference book? Or ask someone's opinion? I'm striving for solid skills and basic content and the ability to discover what they need to know.