Switching curriculum- Pros/Cons

[3Blessings]

I have so enjoyed reading the posts about which curriculum worked, which didn't, what you used and loved, etc.

 

My question has to do with switching curriculum. I noticed that this happens frequently. I am a newbie so I may need correction, but it seems like all that curriculum switching can be troublesome in and of itself (not to mention costly!).

 

Has anyone just stuck through a curriculum even though it was difficult for their kids? Or was the evidence so compelling that a switch had to happen?

 

What are the pros and cons of switching curriculum?

[MaMa2005]

Constant curriculum hopping can leave some major gaps in a child's education. One of the reasons PS children have gaps is because of textbok approval that rolls around every 3/4 years. Lowest bidder get the deal and often it is not the same the years before.

 

If a curriculum is not working and a real chore to get through, I doubt the your children will be learning much and your attitude probably won't be the best :lol: (BTDT)

 

I had to change a couple of curriculum choices at the beginning of the school year, but then stuck with what I had chosen. I am not changing curriculum this year as everything is working so well

[boscopup]

Yeah, if you're changing all the time, that would certainly be a problem. Some people will change math programs every year, and that creates gaps. Sometimes you need to stop and think if it's the curriculum or are you the teacher missing something (like a learning disability or something).

 

That said, I think as a newbie, you can *expect* to have curriculum that won't work, and I think it's fine to make a change to something that will work. I started homeschooling in January this year. The only subjects I haven't changed are math and composition! :lol:

 

Doing research before I purchased, I usually had it narrowed down to a few that I thought would work for me. I made a decision based on what I thought might be my teaching style (and DS's learning style). Sometimes I was wrong on both accounts. I'm ok with the changes we made. I started at the beginning in each new curriculum, and we just sped through to where he was. No gaps. It's a bit easier for me since he's in first grade though. ;)

 

Next year, I doubt I'll make many (if any) changes, because I'll have a better idea how my son and I work together. We're also "doing the next thing" in curriculum we're already using, so I don't think we'll run into issues such as religious issues or issues with the method my son is supposed to learn by, like we did this year. I needed to make changes to figure out what did work for us. My son could have suffered through (and he didn't complain about any curriculum - I'm the one that thought a change needed to be made), but why? If I was planning to change, it was better to change early to avoid gaps. We're not hopping from this to that to this to that. We usually made one change and that was it. In spelling, it was 2 changes, but that was within the first few weeks of school, and now that we've found a good fit, we're sticking with it (even though I long for a cheaper, less teacher-intensive program - oh well, this one works, and I can afford it, so we'll keep going).

[....]

I think curriculum hopping can be bad, too - especially in math.

 

However, curriculum is a tool for YOU to cover the material you plan to cover. For example...I know exactly what I want my kid to learn during the 3rd grade school year. I have my own scope and sequence for 3rd grade. Whatever I use to cover that material is fine. As long as I feel my 3rd grader mastered the tasks and content I planned in 3rd grade, it's a success.

 

I'm not going to be held prisoner by a brand name on a workbook.

 

This attitude requires lots of research and planning, tho. And I also think this is great before high school, but after high school is a different ballgame.

[mom@shiloh]

I would agree that curriculum hopping is to be done with caution. I think that's why it is accompanied by so much angst!! While I wouldn't encourage it as a general practice, we shouldn't overlook the fact that flexibility is one of the great benefits of home educating.

[Mom0012]

I try different things until I find the right fit. For my son, that means he used a few math programs early on - Rightstart, Singapore, until we hit on his perfect fit -- R&S. We've now completed 5 levels of R&S and are well into the 6th. The same thing happened with my daughter. We tried Horizons, Singapore and Rightstart but moved on to CLE in 2nd grade. That is her perfect fit and I've already bought her math up through 6th grade. We went through a similar process with grammar for each of my kids.

 

I like sticking with the same program, but I think some programs also have a time and a place. Rightstart was a great fit for my daughter through level B, but I knew we needed more written practice once we were well into C. SWR gave both of my kids a great foundation, but I didn't feel like I could continue with the intensity of a program like that for years and years. My daughter has used WWE 1 and 2 and is about 3/4's of the way through WWE 3. At that point, the program became frustrating for both of us, so we are taking a break and using Writing Tales and it's like a breath of fresh air. I still plan to finish WWE 3 with her, but sometimes a change can be good.

 

So, I really think making a change for a solid reason (as long as it isn't too often) can be a positive thing. I reevaluate everything we are using at the end of each school year. It seems like people are more likely to run into trouble when they consistently drop skills-based subjects mid-year or have a "grass is greener" syndrome.

 

Lisa

[1Togo]

We've actually stuck with curriculum that was difficult, and our children lived to tell the tale. At times, we supplemented for better understanding; i.e. math. On a rare occasion, we've dropped something; i.e. usually writing. Sigh. However, I usually don't have the money to buy new curriculum. We forge on.

[RahRah]

I don't like switching, but have found the need to switch a few things along the way in our first real year of homeschool. Mainly it's been because what I chose didn't work well for us once we got started (Saxon Math), or not meaty enough for the level DS can work at (RS4K pre-Level 1 books) or doesn't go into enough depth (RS4K Level 1) for us.

 

I had a hard time getting into the groove with a phonics program and after a number of switches, we finally found one that works for us. I was in the camp thinking it was he was a boy and young, maybe he needs time - while that really could still be what was causing the slow progression this year, I'm not sure, since we switched and switched had to have an effect on its own, slowing the process down....but also finding a program that we like, that's got to be helping too since he's pacing well now.

 

For us, the switches are, I think, more due to being a rookie than grass-is-greener.....we'll see next year as I we start our second year!

[Five More Minutes]

 

That said, I think as a newbie, you can *expect* to have curriculum that won't work, and I think it's fine to make a change to something that will work. I started homeschooling in January this year. The only subjects I haven't changed are math and composition! :lol:

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing that -- it makes me feel better about some of the curriculum changes that I've had to make even though we're so early on in our homeschooling journey!

[Crimson Wife]

If you wait to switch until you've finished a particular grade level, switching doesn't usually cost more than going on to the next level in the original series. It could if you're switching from something cheap to something expensive (say CLE math to Right Start) but it could also save you money if you're switching from something expensive to something cheap.

[SnMomof7]

We haven't done a lot of 'switching'. We've done a lot of adding in after we finish up what we've been working on. Or taking a break to cover something else and then coming back to start again. We do that a lot :).

 

Like most moms, where we've switched the most around is in teaching reading. That can be truly tricky to figure out as a new homeschooler, but I think a lot of it is teacher error. I just didn't know where I was going or how to do it, or what I liked as a teacher (I hate transitional alphabets!) or what my children needed to succeed. Lots of trial and error there.

[Researcher]

We've switched a few times but it was only because the curriculum wasn't working. I prefer not to switch for fear that we will have gaps. Although I do enjoy curriculum shopping, it is for the purpose of supplementation and for fun activities to shake up our routine a bit.

 

In the cases where we did switch, it really made a huge difference and I've never regretted making the move to something that worked for my kids.

[3Blessings]

Some of you had some good ideas. I never considered going back to something, but I suppose there is a place for that, too.