caedmyn Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Seriously, how? I've spent way too many hours already and I STILL can't decide...and this is just for afterschooling for kindergarten! I'm horribly indecisive and there are entirely too many choices! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 It helps to remember that kids are resilient. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Go with the elimination process. Will I realistically use this? Is it too pricey for what you get? Next. Does it fit with my teaching style? No? Next. And so on. Pretty soon you'll have a coveted few left, which you will grade according to ease of use, price, goals, and fit with your child. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 The incredible amount of choices is a blessing and a curse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 There are tons of choices out there! It's overwhelming at times! I do think that choosing gets easier as time goes on because you get a better feel for what kinds of things work for you and for your child. The things I look at: What kind of learner is my child? Does my child thrive on color, or is B&W ok? Does my child like to be doing something with his/her hands all the time (kinesthetic learner)? Does my child love to be read to or love to sing/talk etc... Does my child like discovery oriented things, or would my child prefer to be shown how to do something first? What kind of teacher am I? Do I need a program that is visually appealing just to have the motivation to open it up? Do I want a teacher's manual? Do I want something that is lightly scripted, heavily scripted, not scripted at all? Do I want explicit instruction? Do I want things all planned out for me, or would I like a lighter plan that leaves room for me to adjust things as I please--or no plan at all (eclectic approach)? What excites me about learning? Pictures? Literature? Factual or text books? Computer work? Workbooks? Crafts? Activities? If you can narrow down what you and your child might need from a curriculum, then you can begin to narrow some choices. Try to look at samples online or in person if at all possible. Look at samples from several distributors whenever possible, because they often have different samples up. Finally, take the pressure off. You don't have to find the perfect curriculum. One, it's not out there! Two--you could waste a lot of time and money looking for it. Instead--look for something excellent. It's ok if it has some flaws, as long as those are flaws that won't be overwhelming for you to work around. Give yourself the freedom to fail--to purchase something that absolutely doesn't work for you, or barely works well enough to use but you wouldn't buy it again. Really, it's ok. This is part of your teacher training. And yes, as someone else said, thankfully kids are very resilient! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 For K, go with what is easiest for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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