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Teaching Methods, Organization, Planning, etc.


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Ha! I forgot to change my smart aleck title before I hit post. For those who missed it it was "Who am I? And other pressing questions about life..."

 

With the awesome thread going on about organizing one's life and having time to "do it all" AND have free time, I've been thinking about how that translates in my life and areas that I need to gain control of. Since this is the Education forum these are the areas that I hope to conquer in this realm. I know I've asked some of this a little bit before in a different way, but I'm still spinning so it hasn't "clicked" yet - and I can't seem to search my old threads, so that's not much help either. :glare:

 

1)Planning, 1a) Organizing, 2) Schooling, 2a) Teaching.

 

I've had these somewhat disjointed questions and thoughts swirling around in my head for quite some time now. I will try to put them in to words. I'm hoping in the process of trying to do that, the questions will actually become clear to me! It is possible that they belong in separate posts, but I'm trying to simplify my "resources" here and have them all centrally located.

 

1) Planning. Specifically Lesson Planning and Organizing. Do you have any links from long ago where some wonderful WTM soul took the time to spell out step by step what that looks like. Or is anybody interested in typing something up? Barney - style. Pretend I'm in Pre-K and need actual step-by-step instructions.

 

Here is an example of how it goes for me now: Step One: Open the book. Step two: Look in the book. Step three: Get overwhelmed and close the book. Step Four: Let's watch Beakman's World for science class today. :D

 

1a) Part 2 of Planning: Organizing. Supplies for activities (ie: Science, SOTW, etc.) Do you just add what is needed to weekly errands? Plan one monthly "school supplies" shopping trip? Buy it all at one time at the beginning of the year? Have you tried different methods and hit on one that works best for you?

 

2) Schooling. All I know about school, I learned AT school. As in brick & mortar school. I'd really like to get away from "school at home" and more toward "homeschool". I'm not very good at being "fun Mom" on consistent basis, especially with my glaring lack in being able to lesson plan! Perhaps if I had the plans, I could implement them easier. Day 1-3) Math book, Day 4) Fun Math games to reinforce book work (I WISH I was this organized) Anyway, I'm not saying that it all has to be fun and games all the time, but since being on these boards I've seen people mention several times how they don't do "school at home", they homeschool. If you are one of these homeschoolers - what does that look like in your house? How are you less like school and more like _________________? (Fill in the blank)

 

2a) Teaching. I've seen passing mention of "the old days on WTM" when discussions were about teaching. How to be a teacher, how to find and recognize your child's strengths and expand on those while still trying to shore up the weak areas, etc. Again, any ancient links would be appreciated.

 

I'm sorry if some of those questions are a little fuzzy. Like I said, they've been swirling and I've been trying to distill them a little better, but this is the best I've got at this time. Any and all help is appreciated. In addition to answers, I want Links, lots and lots of links! I know someone out there has the answers to all of these questions hoarded into their subscribed threads list. I just know it! :coolgleamA:

 

Anyway, if you got this far - Thanks for looking!

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I'm an organizing junkie, but I also honestly believe simpler is better. I don't spend hours planning and my style of school is pretty structured but pretty much runs itself. My goal is to have academics done early each day so the kids and myself have plenty of free time. I'll try to lay out my planning style.

 

I have a master school binder. It's divided into these sections: Calendar, Schedule, Supply list, ideas/programs, printables. There are also these sections for each of my chilldren: Curriculum planner, progress report.

 

Okay each section-

1) Calendar- pretty self explanatory.

2)Schedule- Daily schedule and schedules for outside classes and clubs go here. We stick to a schedule for our school days. It's a must for us. Here's mine for one of my kids:

Language arts (1 to 1 1/2 hours)

Mon-Fri

-FFL

-ETC

-30 minutes reading

M/W/F

-Spelling Workout

T/TH

-Think, Draw, Write

Math

M/W/F (45 minutes)

-Miquon

-Drills or computer math games

T/TH

-Miquon

-Math board games

History (30 - 60 min)

M: Reading/Discussion

T: Notebooking

W: Documentary or game

TH: Map Work/timeline

F: Research day

Science (30 - 60 min)

M: Reading and discussion

T: Notebooking

W/TH: Experiment, museum or documentaries

F: Research day

Art (30 to 45 min)

M/T: Art workbook project

 

All the stuff I use is pretty much open and go. I do review our upcoming history and science tasks once monthly and print worksheets, notebooking pages and gather any missing supplies for the month.

 

3) Supply List

This contains an inventory of the curriculum I have on hand that we aren't yet using as well as supply surpluses. I also have an ongoing wish/want/need list in here.

 

4) Ideas/Programs

I keep any awesome things I stumble across that I'm not sure when we'll need them here. I also keep the stuff for the programs the boys are in here, like Book It, library reading clubs, etc.

 

5) Printables

Worksheets, notebooking pages, printable aspects of science projects, timeline characters and maps -- they all go here but only the ones we will be using within the next month. Those we won't need for awhile go over to the idea section.

 

6) Student curriculum planner

I have a list of all the curriculum we are using for the year. I also have a list of the highlights I want to make sure we hit in each subject for the year (not a full scope and sequence). I also keep a tentative curriculum plan for the next couple years, which I do for two main reasons. If something happens to me, DH knows where to pick up if he chooses to continue homeschooling. Also, I buy much of our curriculum at garage sales and thrift stores, so this gives me an idea of what to keep an eye out for. If the plan changes, I'm not out much (usually I can sell it and get my investment back).

 

7) Student progress reports

We aren't required to keep these. I keep them for a record if something happens to me or if the kids have to go back to school, for quick reference to verify things we've covered, and to help keep us on track for hitting all the goals of the curriculum plan. I simply write a short paragraph each month (the same day I do worksheets and supply lists) for each kid. I put down the highlights of what we covered in each subject, any cool experiments or projects, and the monthly book list.

 

That's it. That's my binder in full. It evolved slowly with my first son but by the time I was schooling my second it was as it is now. (Except the supply list, I added that recently.) I sit down for an hour or two each spring and reevaluate the upcoming year's curriculum plan and tweak it as necessary, then update the list of curriculum I need to get before fall. I sit down again right before we start our year and review it for any last minute changes and tweak our schedule a bit. Otherwise, it takes me about 30 minutes a month to maintain our rhythm.

 

My kids have their own binders for filing their work and it's their responsibility to do so properly and promptly. I check work as they finish it. Well, DS 12 checks much of his own work, except for writing assignments. I just verify that he didn't fudge any answers to finish early.

 

One last thing about our schedule. Friday is our research day instead of Monday for one major reason. The boys mainly are checking out history and science books. They then tend to look through those books all weekend, which means there is a lively discussion on Monday. I've found it helps those subjects virtually teach themselves.

 

 

Sorry for the novel, but I hope there is something useful in there for someone!

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I put my focus into being prepared to teach, and then I am a "do the next thing" type of homeschooler. Here is a real questions for you. It is easy to see so many really cool, organized, intense systems here on the board. Do *you* really *want* to emulate them? (not being snarky at all). If yes, I am sure they can teach you. But if no, there are other ways to make good education happen.

 

I don't remember the ages of your children, but here are some ideas for what I do with my 12 and 9 year old.

 

My education: For my 12 year old, I spend 5 hours every weekend studying math, science, and WWS for the following week. I am available for discussion from the point of view of a fellow learner. I listen to audio books of the classics for 10 hours per week, so we can discuss them. Then, during the school holidays, I read books on *how* to teach. See this thread: http://forums.welltr...#entry3621335Ă¯Â¿Â½Ă¯Â¿Â½ This is my teacher training time. My upcoming project is learning about the Cambridge exam testing system, so that I can guide his study better. Also, I will be educating myself as a guidance councillor from the point of view of preparing for university entrance. I think that to teach well, you need to know the material and know some methods to teach it. JMHO

 

Teaching: I spend 1 to 1.5 hours each day with my 12 year old, working through difficult material. Discussing literature, discussing how to take notes in Chemistry, listening to him explain how he proved a very difficult geometry problem, talking him through WWS, etc. This is special time. I NEVER miss it. He wants to interact and to feel part of a learning community. I decide what to discuss on the day, on the fly. I adapt to what he needs help with depending on the previous day. The other 4 hours per day he works independently.

 

Materials: I hate really hate all that running around for materials thing. So I just don't do it. You know, you really don't have to. No crafts, no art materials, no science labs, etc. Instead, I outsource art for the school holidays (3 weeks per year), I do a science fair project each year for an 8 week intensive http://forums.welltr...ntific-inquiry/ , and we have lots of activities each week so that school is not dull (swimming, sailing, violin quartet, etc).

 

Scheduling: For a 12 year old, I do schedule. Before the year starts, I schedule each subject separately. How many chapters divided by how many weeks yields the number of weeks per chapter. I lay out a rough weekly schedule, and we try to keep to it. We are not religious about it. If something comes up, or the material is more difficult than expected, then we adjust. That is what homeschooling is about -- adapting to the needs of the child. In general, we meet 75% of my goals each year, and that is actually plenty.

 

I do things slightly differently for my 9 year old.

 

Scheduling: well, I have no schedule. None. I choose the curriculum I think at the beginning of the year will be appropriate, and then we work through it. If it is too easy, we collapse it and move on, if it is too hard, we work many weeks to master it. There is absolutely. no. way. I could schedule the younger years. How in the world can I know what they can achieve? I adapt every. single. day. I think about his emotional and physical state on the day (enough sleep? busy week? great-grandmother died? etc) and lay out the work on the fly that morning. He works for two 1.5 hours blocks (plus an extra few hours for reading). I always make sure that he does his writing and math, and then I try to get in spelling, grammar, and mandarin. And finally if there is time, we will work on his chemistry. He keeps track of how many "subject" he does every day, and tries to get up to 12 (I separate out LA into 5 categories, math into 2, etc.). My husband does history at night without much of a schedule. Here is a post where I discuss it: Post 15 on this thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/422222-ever-desire-a-more-relaxed-approach-to-homeschool/page__hl__lewelma#entry4303543

 

Materials: same as above. I hate it, so I don't do it.

 

My education: luckily I have already taught this before, so I don't do much. But the first time around I read books on how to teach primary school math, how to teach reading, etc.

 

I don't know if any of this is helpful since you are asking for information on organizing. I just thought that you should know that there are others out here that homeschool effectively, but do not do massive organization.

 

Ruth in NZ

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Thank you so much Joshin. I will definitely be ruminating on that binder idea - and of course tweaking and deciding what works for me and what doesn't.

 

Thank you Lewelma, I wouldn't say that I want to emulate any one person's organization system exactly. But it's less about organizing STUFF (I rock at organizing physical objects!) as it is organizing... my mind? maybe. Your post on what you do is incredibly helpful. Teaching myself how to be a teacher - check. Organizing for the week - check. See right now, I don't even do that! I don't even organize before we start the morning of. (I used to be a little better, but I couldn't seem to find what worked or stick with any one system be it evening before, morning of, Sunday evening, ya know? Something was missing or maybe I just got lazy.)

 

Our day would run so much smoother if I knew which subjects we are working on for the day, even. As it is, it's just a mish-mash of whatever I feel like for the day. I've tried setting up a rotating schedule, but something always seems to throw us off. Math is mostly non-negotiable, but not always. The rest is, like I said - it depends on what I feel like for that day. I need to get the rest of school under control before I can even imagine doing a literature study, for example. I have Teaching the Classics and have started teaching myself, but haven't gone anywhere with it.

 

As far as activities and crafts go - that is my forte - IF I have the stuff here to do it when the mood strikes or book says to do it. I have a lot of stuff, just not usually the specific stuff needed for a given activity. Not that we do a ton of them, but I'd like to do SOME of them. I'm a scrapbooker, DIYer, woodworker, etc. at heart. :) What I hate - having to be out of the house at a set time each day or week, etc. Therefore - we don't do many outside activities. We have weekly park day, then bi-weekly(ish) informal science/social studies co-op.

 

Thank you for the writing link. I will learn about writing, and also learn about what you did to learned about writing, so I can maybe transfer some of that "how to" into whatever I may need it for.

 

I didn't click on your science link today... I have it saved - I've read through it a couple times now. This IS one thing that I do hope to emulate, eventually. :D I did teach the very basics of the scientific method at our science co-op last week. Our question - do lemons sink, or float? Like I said, very basic - but it's a step in the right direction, I hope - and a step up from watching The Magic School Bus or Beakman.

 

Anyway. Thanks again!

 

I think that as I teach myself to be a better teacher, the rest will start to fall in to place. Once I find that "sweet spot" of learning, teaching, having fun, and feeling like I accomplished what I set out to accomplish for the day, then the rest may start to fall in to place a lot easier. So that is probably my main focus on what I am looking for with this thread - Information for me to figure out What kind of teacher I am, or want to be. I am NOT a natural teacher, at all. That I do know. Ie: I don't even like to bake or cook with my kids when I'm "working" I want to be left alone. I do it, but it does not come naturally to me to include them, kwim? Some people are great natural teacher/kid people, and I want to be like them when I grow up. :laugh:

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One thing stands out from your post - how you evaluate what to do each day. For my 9 year old, it is a mish mash of what *they* want to work on or should work on. You have stated that is is whatever *you* feel like for the day. I think that homeschooling is about adapting for both the student and the teacher, so there is nothing wrong with doing what *you* feel like. But perhaps all you need to change, is how you evaluate what needs to happen every day. Look to see what would benefit your *kids.*

 

As for self-education. I have found that I need to have a set, non-negotiable time to get the study done. 5 hours on Sunday afternoon from noon to 5 every weekend. This work is to prepare me for the upcoming week. I learn the material and preview the curriculum. I do it when my kids have "woods club" with the neighborhood kids. During the holidays, I set aside 3 hours every day for 6 weeks for my summer study. I choose 1 or 2 topics to really improve in. I keep records, sticker charts, anything to motivate me. I have to promise myself that I will use my time wisely. And I remind my children every day that I have this study time and I expect them to do something without me. It is *my* time.

 

I think it is critical that you work with your own personal strengths. I don't like cooking with kids either. I tried unschooling for the first 2 years of homeschooling, and *hated* it. I need a plan. But I don't need a strict plan. More like we will work from half of the 10 books I have each day for 3 hours total. Then I wing it. Personally, I like doing tidy stuff - discussions, complex thinking, computer research. I don't like anything messy - so I outsource it or do it outside!

 

Here is my "schedule"

Block 1 for younger: 1.5 hours: older does math and mandarin independently, younger with me. We always do math first and when he gets tired, I read to him a bit and then we do spelling, grammar, mandarin or whatever we can squeeze in

Time with older: I work with 12 year old on whatever seems needed while younger reads fiction, nonfiction, and does math drill.

Block 2 for younger: 1.5 hours: older does science and WWS independently; younger does writing and whatever else he has time for - chemistry, art, poetry etc. I just ask what he wants.

Afternoon: activities and tutors on most days.

Evening: DH does history, kids do violin and read before bed for 1 hour

 

So I do have a schedule, but it is really not strict.

 

I agree that you need to find what style of teacher you are. But be careful not to go hunting for the perfect homeschool. It does not exist. Work with your strengths; outsource or drop your weaknesses. Instead of worrying, spend time on self improvement.

 

 

Ruth in NZ

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I keep our language arts, bible and math books all in one part of our bookshelf. We do those every day, in whatever order seems to make the most sense. I haven't really had to worry about the teaching aspect as much because I've mostly chosen super idiot proof curriculae.

 

Next to those books I have a few fun projects (file folder games, this month we do Jesse tree stuff, etc). If the kids have attention span leftover or I know we're going somewhere they'll have to wait quietly then we do that stuff. We also aim to read the history & animal encyclopedias, our chapter books and books they've checked out. I read those most days.

 

We also do cc and I have a tri-fold display that keeps all that simple.

 

I like the above binder ideas as my kids get older, though I imagine I might still just pick the programs we'll do and work through them at our own pace. It would have helped to have a binder last month when my mom had the boys for a week because I had surgery. Smart people on here.

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I'm coming back from a life-induced board break, and now I have time to kill. I could write some ridiculously long posts on this, I'm warning you now. :D

 

I've been doing this a long time. I don't have links to old threads, but I was here for them. Yes, the focus was more on how to become a great homeschooler than how to look like one on Pinterest or a blog. :D Part of it was that we discussed great ideas here, so there was constant learning for *us*. I think it is key to find a source from which you are learning frequently, be it books, magazines, discussions with dh or a smart friend, lecture series, etc. To be the best teacher, you must be a student yourself, so that you can be constantly reminded of what it is like.

 

You mention fun. Instead of inserting fun, I taught my dc to have joy in learning and in what we do all day together. I think that is the shift where you get to homeschooling versus schooling at home. I don't think it has anything to do with method. I've known people who did A Beka from the box, straight up, whose dc had an insatiable curiosity. I've also seen "super-fun" relaxed, unschooly types whose dc drudged through anything they did and had to be bribed to learn. I think it is the culture you establish in your home. I could do a whole thing on how to do that, but I'll leave it at that here in the interest of space.

 

I can't help with fancy organizing schemes and such, because we don't do it. From the outside, to the new breed of homeschooler online, my homeschool probably looks abysmal. :D My dc don't do the same subjects at the same time each day, we don't have bulletin boards themed to the seasons, there are no extremely-planned units, etc. My dc learn and they digest and produce, with my guidance. We focus on the process, not the product, so there are few blog-ready photo ops.

 

My focus instead is on learning material myself and on organizing our course of study to achieve objectives *in* the students (building a series of skills.) I have to go teach my little guy who is just finishing his piano lesson, but I can come back later and talk about what that looks like for a week, or a year, here if anyone is interested. Not sure if it's what you are looking for, because I can't tell you how to organize cool file folders or such (well, I could, but I don't think it's that important.) I'm more likely to teel you to have less stuff than how to organize it. :D

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So, Angela, will you "...do a whole thing..." on how to establish a learning culture in your home? I have high hopes that with the board split into education and general chat we can engage in more of these types of conversations. Will you indulge? I'd love love love to hear what you have to say. And of course I want to hear more about how you organize your course of study.

 

(OP, if you'd prefer I start a new thread so as not to hijack, let me know and I will be glad do so!)

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I used to think that detailed lesson plans, day to day list-making blah blah blah would be the best way tom homeschool. I found that it is just not for me.

 

I sit down on Sunday evening or monday morning and make my oldest a checklist of the week's assignments, mostly so she won't nag me all week while I'm working with the other kids.

 

For my other kids, before we started our state virtual school this fall, our typical homeschool week was Basics every day (Basics being Math, Bible, Handwriting, Spelling, English, youngers, some sort of phonics, olders reading every day) We did science and history 2-3 days a week, usually alternating days. For time consuming or messy projects, I preferred to spend a single afternoon a week working on all of them for the week (usually Fridays so that they could remember the tie-in to the lessons) because I hated getting all the mess out and cleaning them up daily. This also gave me a few days to pick up needed supplies for projects.

 

As far as learning environment.....We have a rich learning environment, I think here on our farm. There's so much to do and see and talk about. But I think you don't have to live on large bits of land to have a learning environment. I have gone to the library and brought back stacks of interesting books. Not just from the kids area, my kids like to look at the pictures in adult books. I strew them around, opened to interesting pages and my kids check them out. (I usually don't even suggest that they look at it. They generally notice it on their own) We plant flowers and start seeds each year. We watch the birds and have a bird poster in the kitchen, planting sunflowers and coneflowers for the birds to eat. We climb trees and look at birds nests. We don't knock the annoying sparrow's nests off our porch so the kids can watch them grow. We talk about good books, I will share poems with the kids that I enjoyed, just to get their reactions. We listen to music that's not all one genre and look up biographies of the composers. We build things and bring our kids into household repairs. We sew things and talk about fibers and the origins of them and what they are good for. We look at art.

 

I think alot of it goes back to how the parents look at learning. My dh and I are still learning so much. If we have a question, we search out the answer for it. My dh explained to me the difference between 2 cycle and 4 cycle engines the other day. I asked him how he knew and he said " I looked it up awhile back when I was looking for a new weedeater." We try to do our own home and car repairs whenever possible. I believe if kids see parents going "Why does that...." and "I wonder how we could...." "How do those things go together?" they will emulate that.

 

We don;t do tons of extra "school" projects, but our lives are pretty full of interesting things to do.

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I'm coming back from a life-induced board break, and now I have time to kill. I could write some ridiculously long posts on this, I'm warning you now. :D

 

I've been doing this a long time. I don't have links to old threads, but I was here for them. Yes, the focus was more on how to become a great homeschooler than how to look like one on Pinterest or a blog. :D Part of it was that we discussed great ideas here, so there was constant learning for *us*. I think it is key to find a source from which you are learning frequently, be it books, magazines, discussions with dh or a smart friend, lecture series, etc. To be the best teacher, you must be a student yourself, so that you can be constantly reminded of what it is like.

 

You mention fun. Instead of inserting fun, I taught my dc to have joy in learning and in what we do all day together. I think that is the shift where you get to homeschooling versus schooling at home. I don't think it has anything to do with method. I've known people who did A Beka from the box, straight up, whose dc had an insatiable curiosity. I've also seen "super-fun" relaxed, unschooly types whose dc drudged through anything they did and had to be bribed to learn. I think it is the culture you establish in your home. I could do a whole thing on how to do that, but I'll leave it at that here in the interest of space.

 

I can't help with fancy organizing schemes and such, because we don't do it. From the outside, to the new breed of homeschooler online, my homeschool probably looks abysmal. :D My dc don't do the same subjects at the same time each day, we don't have bulletin boards themed to the seasons, there are no extremely-planned units, etc. My dc learn and they digest and produce, with my guidance. We focus on the process, not the product, so there are few blog-ready photo ops.

 

My focus instead is on learning material myself and on organizing our course of study to achieve objectives *in* the students (building a series of skills.) I have to go teach my little guy who is just finishing his piano lesson, but I can come back later and talk about what that looks like for a week, or a year, here if anyone is interested. Not sure if it's what you are looking for, because I can't tell you how to organize cool file folders or such (well, I could, but I don't think it's that important.) I'm more likely to teel you to have less stuff than how to organize it. :D

 

 

Yes, please, to the bolded above! I would love to read it! The longer the post, the better :D.

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I'm coming back from a life-induced board break, and now I have time to kill. I could write some ridiculously long posts on this, I'm warning you now. :D

 

I've been doing this a long time. I don't have links to old threads, but I was here for them. Yes, the focus was more on how to become a great homeschooler than how to look like one on Pinterest or a blog. :D Part of it was that we discussed great ideas here, so there was constant learning for *us*. I think it is key to find a source from which you are learning frequently, be it books, magazines, discussions with dh or a smart friend, lecture series, etc. To be the best teacher, you must be a student yourself, so that you can be constantly reminded of what it is like.

 

You mention fun. Instead of inserting fun, I taught my dc to have joy in learning and in what we do all day together. I think that is the shift where you get to homeschooling versus schooling at home. I don't think it has anything to do with method. I've known people who did A Beka from the box, straight up, whose dc had an insatiable curiosity. I've also seen "super-fun" relaxed, unschooly types whose dc drudged through anything they did and had to be bribed to learn. I think it is the culture you establish in your home. I could do a whole thing on how to do that, but I'll leave it at that here in the interest of space.

 

I can't help with fancy organizing schemes and such, because we don't do it. From the outside, to the new breed of homeschooler online, my homeschool probably looks abysmal. :D My dc don't do the same subjects at the same time each day, we don't have bulletin boards themed to the seasons, there are no extremely-planned units, etc. My dc learn and they digest and produce, with my guidance. We focus on the process, not the product, so there are few blog-ready photo ops.

 

My focus instead is on learning material myself and on organizing our course of study to achieve objectives *in* the students (building a series of skills.) I have to go teach my little guy who is just finishing his piano lesson, but I can come back later and talk about what that looks like for a week, or a year, here if anyone is interested. Not sure if it's what you are looking for, because I can't tell you how to organize cool file folders or such (well, I could, but I don't think it's that important.) I'm more likely to teel you to have less stuff than how to organize it. :D

 

Please don't leave it at that! :D Please come back.

 

So, Angela, will you "...do a whole thing..." on how to establish a learning culture in your home? I have high hopes that with the board split into education and general chat we can engage in more of these types of conversations. Will you indulge? I'd love love love to hear what you have to say. And of course I want to hear more about how you organize your course of study.

 

:iagree:

 

ETA: I would like to go on record as saying that I think that the linking of old threads is certainly helpful. But, many times when I read an old thread, I just feel like an outsider looking in on the lives of the old-timers, gleaning wisdom but unable (and sometimes unworthy) to participate in the conversation. I really think we need to be having new, fresh conversations about these old ideas. Many times, reading past threads is more overwhelming and intimidating than it is invigorating and inspiring.

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1) Planning: Each summer I sit down with all our curricula. I go through each one listing on paper the number of lessons, chapters, units, etc. Our state requires 180 days, so that 36 weeks of school. I divide each of the above numbers by 36 to see how much needs to be done each week to finish by the end of the year. I make excel spread sheets for each semester listing subjects across the top and weeks (1-18, 19-36) along with planned dates down the left side. On each week's row, I list which lesson numbers, pages, chapter number, etc., that needs to be completed that week. I also briefly look through each teacher's manual or book flagging things that look interesting to me or important so that I won't miss it during the year. For my ds, I file everything that can be torn out or taken apart into 36 weekly folders. Dd doesn't have much of that, but I use subject binders for all her paper work.

 

Each weekend during the year, I take my lesson planning sheet and sit down with their books to plan our week. I have my own design weekly check-off lists for each child. I look at our calendar for the week to see if we have things out of the house (dr. appts, classes, etc.). Then I plan our week putting the most work on the days we are home all day long. For ds, I use an 8 pocket organizer to file all his work for the week. I posted about it in this thread, post #31.

 

1a) Supplies: I try to look through the materials while I'm doing my planning to make a general list of stuff we'll use often. I purchase this during the summer; however, I still look through more of the details on the weekend and purchase special stuff weekly.

 

2) School: I feel that most of our school work still feels like school, but I definitely try to make sure there are some fun things. It's easier for younger kids than older because high school is a lot more work that you don't have control over what credits they get to study. I lead a book club for ds in which we read the books at home, then get together and discuss some literary elements/analysis type stuff. We usually try to incorporate food or crafts themed with the book. Then we watch the movie of the book. I am teaching IEW's SWI-A in a co-op and ds does life skills class there, too. I'm teaching Biology labs for dd and some friends. I try to make all those classes fun and educational, too.

 

At home, I find that if I plan something with others (projects, crafts, etc.), I put more into it and the kids have more fun. I was having a friend's student come once a week for geography, science, health, and art, but his dad is very sick and the boy has gone back to school. I'm inviting other friends to come in next semester for a continent a month study (once a month).

 

3) Teaching: I feel that it's difficult to "teach" in a traditional way to one child. It feels like discussion to me. Math seems more like regular teaching because of presenting new methods or ways to do something. Grammar can be like that, too. History and science usually end up just reading, doing anything on paper that their curriculum includes, and discussing/reviewing for tests. I think the kids could have some better teachers if they were in school. I know I'm limited to my experience, knowledge, and ways. That's why we are looking at dual enrollment for dd next year. She will probably only do 1 or 2 classes, but I think she will benefit from the experience. I've always tried to have them be involved in other classes outside of our home when the opportunity presented itself.

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Yes, the focus was more on how to become a great homeschooler than how to look like one on Pinterest or a blog. :D

 

My dc learn and they digest and produce, with my guidance. We focus on the process, not the product, so there are few blog-ready photo ops.

 

I must admit I found this a little condescending. I blog about homeschooling as a way to keep a record for myself and any family and friends who are interested in what we are doing. I also use Pinterest extensively to keep track of supplemental activities and units that I think would enhance whatever we are learning at the moment. I don't think the plethora of blogging homeschool moms do it so that they can appear to be something they are not. And, I'm always ready with the camera, especially for projects and activities for which I have prepared. It's not a photo op, it's a photo of our planned activity.

 

:bigear: I still havent found my groove and with all the tragedies I have suffered through this year things havent gotten done. I would love to come back from Christmas break with a focus and a plan.

 

I am sorry that you have had a rough time. I hope things ease up for you.

 

fraidycat- I really think everyone has to experiment and adapt procedures for themselves. What works for one person may not work for another. At first, my older son really wanted a "school at home" situation, because he was used to the schedule he had at school. He wanted to know when recess would be, when math would be, etc. We are a tad more relaxed now, but both my boys flourish with a "school at home" mentality. That is in no way an indication that we do not value the process of learning. To me, the point of any education is to learn how to learn, and to enjoy doing so along the way. Some kids need more direction than others in how to go about learning.

 

I have also found that I do better, and procrastinate much less if I am well organized. I started out kind of winging my schedule, but now I'm pretty set in my ways of planning and organizing. My sister looks at my lesson plans and admires them, but then she tells me she could never do it that way, and proceeds to do things completely differently than I do, with amazing results. Her kids are awesome little learners who soak up knowledge and pursue it on their own.

 

Here's how I do things:

Basically, I'm thinking about the next year all throughout the current year. I'm gathering information, researching curricula, pinning things to Pinterest, making a list of library books to check out, etc. Anything that seems doable or interesting goes into my "file" to look at when I plan out the year. Once I've decided on a final curriculum for each subject, I purchase the texts, workbooks, etc. Then, I block out a time for serious yearly planning. It takes me probably 12-18 hours to plan. I take each subject individually and go through the entire curriculum and break it down into chunks of daily work. So, for example, for our physics study this year, I went through the text, the lab book and the other books and experiments that I wanted to do, and I wrote down on blank paper:

 

Day 1: Read Introduction in text and make a vocabulary card

Day 2: Read Chapter 1 and discuss definitions

Day 3: Do Experiment 1 in lab book- Make list of materials for schedule!

Day 4: Do follow up questions in lab book, pg. 5

 

and so on throughout the whole book, program, etc. I included any field trip ideas, projects, library books to read, etc. I do this for every single subject. For subjects that I intend to work on every day, I plan 160 days worth of work in each subject, which allows plenty of room for a project to run over, or to do an extra project or field trip, or to skip that subject for a day if necessary. If I only plan to do a subject 2-3 days a week, I plan for fewer days.

 

Then, I take all my individual subjects which have been broken down into single day assignments, and put them in a 3-ring tab divided binder.

 

From that binder, I make my Lesson Plan book. I have a template on Excel with each day of the week and each subject under that day. I have my calendar open, and I start with week 1. I fill in a day's assignment under Monday/Math, Monday/LA, Monday/History, etc. As I enter an assignment on my Excel sheet, I mark it off in my 3-ring binder. I proceed like that until the week is full. If I have my calendar out, I can see what other activities we have scheduled, and adjust my day plan accordingly. If we have a book club meeting, for example, I won't schedule a language arts assignment that day. If they have theatre class in the afternoon, I'll only schedule enough work for the morning.

 

I do four weeks at a time like this. Then I print out each week individually, and put each week in another 3-ring binder. Then, I put a pocket folder insert behind each week. Then, I go through all the assignments and make copies, pull out worksheets, get maps, etc., and put them in the pocket folder behind the printed schedule of the week's assignments. That way, every thing is ready to go for every assignment. If I need to gather materials for an experiment or project, I've already written it in red at the top of my schedule, so I know that I need to prepare that part in advance. If a project falls on a Monday, I may include the prep time on my Friday lesson plan.

 

Well, that's my planning and organizing. Gotta go take ds1 to Hebrew school.

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So, Angela, will you "...do a whole thing..." on how to establish a learning culture in your home? I have high hopes that with the board split into education and general chat we can engage in more of these types of conversations. Will you indulge? I'd love love love to hear what you have to say. And of course I want to hear more about how you organize your course of study. (OP, if you'd prefer I start a new thread so as not to hijack, let me know and I will be glad do so!)

 

No need for a new thread. That is exactly what I'm looking for. Like I said in the OP, I didn't really know what exactly I wanted to ask or how to ask it, but it had something to do with making school better around here. The wonderful responders here are helping me to flesh it out. I love it!

 

Angela, welcome back! I just yesterday found your Latin thread. It is GOLDEN! I'd love to "hear" anything you've got to say.

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Back from dropping the kid off, and have a few thoughts about schooling and teaching.

 

My kids function better with more structure. When they're not in a routine, they get whiney and crabby. So, I keep to a basic routine. And, I plan some fun into our schedule. I try to make some fun activities correspond to our lessons, like going to a museum or a play. Some activities are just plain fun- like laser tag or sledding. I think the curricula I've chosen is engaging enough for my kids that it doesn't seem like drudgery, and that it inspires them to extrapolate, to think ahead, to imagine, etc.

 

I also plan theme weeks, usually 4 per year. This year we were supposed to have a Civil War week, but that got derailed by my surgery. We have Holiday Week coming up. We will also have Games Week and Mechanics Week (My brother is going to teach them hands on mechanics. I'm very excited about this one!) This gives us a break from our routine and something to look forward to.

 

I have a schedule. We all like to stick to the schedule. However, I'm not anal about keeping strictly to the schedule. If something is taking a little longer to grasp than I thought, well, we just keep doing it for a few more days or weeks, whatever it takes. I have no qualms about just crossing something off the schedule if I no longer feel it is essential, either. I feel it's better for them to actually understand what they're doing than to get through some preconceived notion of a lesson plan that I've made up. I'd rather they have the big picture rather than having performed a series of small assignments. So, that's how I teach. I have a big picture in mind, and I break it down into small chunks of daily activity and hope that in the end, the pieces have all come together to form that big picture. To me, it's not important which books they read, as long as they know how to glean important information from those books. It's not important that they do every single worksheet in their math books, as long as they understand the concept those worksheets are reviewing.

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Warning: this is not a fresh viewpoint, lol. These are suggestions as an old boardie from the old, old days and a retired hs'er. :D First, there's no way I'm going to criticize anyone for hoarding old posts, books, or curriculum reviews. I've been there done that. BUT...once you reach saturation level....stop, take a break, go on retreat, and think about you, your child/children, your family. What's important to you? Where do you want to be when you close the books on your last day of home school?

 

Then, go back through all the resources you've collected. Chose what resonates, walk away from the rest, and don't look back. There will be transtion points along the way that will give you a chance to redirect if you want/need to.

  • Plans? Wonderful things to have, but be flexible. The world won't end if you don't execute everything perfectly. Buy special software, use a spreadheet, buy a notebook, get a binder to keep track of your plans--whatever works best for you.
  • Keep formal records--not just for legal or admissions requirements but also for you--for those moments when you panic. Or when life gets complicated and you're home schooling in the midst of chaos those records will help you calm down; it's proof that you did.do.something! Do keep a backup in case of fire, storm, etc.
  • Keep informal records; blog, scrapbook, a box of projects or whatever mix appeals to you. Choose something that will help you share what you've done with family and friends.
  • Organizing? Invest in whatever tools work for you and your budget--shelves, bins, carts, desk organizers.
  • Schooling? Keep one eye on your goals as a teacher, but the other needs to be looking for feedback from the student. Try to see things from your child's p.o.v. Your dc are seeing this for the first time, and even though you know what's further down the road academically, they can't see that far ahead.
  • Time management: As far as possible, guard your time jealously and keep school time for school--do the other stuff at other times. And, yes, I do know how hard it is.
  • Teaching? Meet your students where they are and invite them to come along and learn new things together. Any teaching technique/strategy that doesn't incorporate that probably won't work.
  • Stuff? Find a balance between not enough and too much. I am a firm believer that you need multiple resources for each subject--but not so many that you're overwhelmed. Choose quality over quantity. Don't choose totally based on your child's needs; you will teach them better if the materials work for you, too.
  • Academic priorities? Excellence, persistence, and steady progress in acquiring basic skills in the 3 R's. Everything else builds on that foundation When life gets difficult and if you can do only three things for that day, or for a season, choose those. If your budget is limited focus on the must-have basics and improvise the rest.
  • Nature walks and a nature journal can be a framework for all kinds of different things--they're science and a whole lot more.
  • Don't lose the satisfaction of doing important things well by trying to do everything.

 

We had many good times, but our home school days were far from perfect. Sometimes my son wasn't motivated. Sometimes I couldn't face yet another essay waiting for grading in my folder or grading a math test. Our high school years were bracketed by unhappy situations, and the years in between were punctuated with family disasters, but we muddled through. I'd do it again, but it wasn't easy.

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You mention fun. Instead of inserting fun, I taught my dc to have joy in learning and in what we do all day together. I think that is the shift where you get to homeschooling versus schooling at home. I don't think it has anything to do with method. I've known people who did A Beka from the box, straight up, whose dc had an insatiable curiosity. I've also seen "super-fun" relaxed, unschooly types whose dc drudged through anything they did and had to be bribed to learn. I think it is the culture you establish in your home. I could do a whole thing on how to do that, but I'll leave it at that here in the interest of space.

 

Yes please! :D

 

My focus instead is on learning material myself and on organizing our course of study to achieve objectives *in* the students (building a series of skills.) I have to go teach my little guy who is just finishing his piano lesson, but I can come back later and talk about what that looks like for a week, or a year, here if anyone is interested. Not sure if it's what you are looking for, because I can't tell you how to organize cool file folders or such (well, I could, but I don't think it's that important.) I'm more likely to teel you to have less stuff than how to organize it. :D

 

:lurk5: I would love to hear you talk about this. One of my biggest struggles is with goal setting. I know I need to transition away from goals that sound like "Finish Singapore 4A and 4B this year" to something more concrete and skill-based, but I really, truly cannot see how to do that.

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I really admire those who can take a few hours weekly to plan and prepare for the upcoming week. I keep looking at our life and wondering if I can/should do that, but it's not in the cards right now. By the time we get to middle school, though, I'll need to and hopefully I'll be in a place where I can.

 

Right now, I have a passel of small and needy ones. It's not realistic to dedicate a focused hour on one student with a 2yo (who doesn't nap) and a nursing infant. We all read and talk and live and do and read and read. For this school year when I was pregnant and now have a newborn, I knew I'd really need a plan that didn't require much upkeep or resetting. Our basic school day consists of math (MUS, do the next thing), Circle Time (I set up our memory work binders during the summer so it's all grab-and-go), and Independent Work. For independent work for my 2nd and 4th graders (both fluent readers), I wrote out their checklist on the whiteboard and it hasn't changed in 6 months. It's unconventional, but it's been working swimmingly for us at this phase. I wrote the detailed outline here: Homeschool Hours: Independent Work

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Here's my 2 cents:

 

1) Planning - I love, love, love to plan. I used to bury myself in it, neglecting my children. I'd have fun researching tons and tons curriculum while the house went to the dogs. Then when I was finally done with my masterpiece, I was so burned out on it, I couldn't stand it anymore! I never, ever, ever implemented the plans more than a few weeks. Very disheartening. So I did two things in response to this little quirk of mine: first, instead of planning I just focus on making resources available to my kids and secondly, while I would line up possible read alouds to everyone, I let content subjects (like history and science, etc) take care of themselves until we hit high school. So we were very unschoolish that way. For the skills based things, like handwriting, composition, math, Latin, I just looked for programs that were open and go and then I just took the 'do the next thing' approach. So over the years I settled into certain curricula that just worked for us: MCP math up until 5th or 6th and then on to Saxon 8/7 for 7th grade and Algebra I for 8th. Copy work for spelling, handwriting, grammar, vocabulary. I wound up really loving SWB's Writing with Ease, after many false starts with other programs. I supplemented spelling with posting spelling rules on our fridge or kitchen cabinet, also did this with vocabulary (English from Roots Up). For grammar when the kids got older I would have casual mini-units using Rex Barks for diagramming. We sit around the lunch table, read sentences and then take turns diagraming them on our portable white board. For Latin, I tried many programs, the most recently successful is Latin for Children.

 

All that has changed now by the way, because both my youngest two are doing Aquinas Learning as their curriculum, but that is new this year. Btw, I love Aquinas Learning!

 

2) Organizing - I try to get most of my supplies/books during the summer. The kids each have a cubby in our dining room credenza where they keep their books. I have a bookshelf in the kitchen where I put TMs and read alouds for the semester/term/year.

 

3) For schooling - we just have a loose daily routine. At some point we sit down at the breakfast table and I read aloud, then we do copy work, math and Latin in some way shape or form, after that we kind of weave other educational stuff in between activities, personal pursuits, errands, chores, play, etc.

 

4) Teaching is the most important thing, I think in this whole endeavor. Moms are teaching all the time, really, all through the day, either formally or informally. I think engaging your kids in conversations is the number one way they learn and why homeschool kids are so smart! I think a good conversation about a subject that lasts 5 minutes is worth 15 pages of a workbook! Teaching is communicating knowledge to someone in an engaging way. I like to read about methods for teaching. Right now my very favorite shot in the arm, teaching-wise are the audio lectures at the Circe Institute.

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\I would love to hear you talk about this. One of my biggest struggles is with goal setting. I know I need to transition away from goals that sound like "Finish Singapore 4A and 4B this year" to something more concrete and skill-based, but I really, truly cannot see how to do that.

 

I schedule my goals in a similar fashion. I look to the book to help me define the concrete skills I want my child to master. For example, my goal would be to finish Math U See Beta. I look at the book to see that it is working heavily on multiplication. My skill goal is then for my child to master multiplication of 0 through 12. I might also throw in some other goals, such as mastering measurement in units of inches, feet, and miles.

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Teaching is communicating knowledge to someone in an engaging way. I like to read about methods for teaching. Right now my very favorite shot in the arm, teaching-wise are the audio lectures at the Circe Institute.

 

Love those, too! Society for Classical Learning has some free lectures by the same and similar people, too. 7 Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory is a good, short read, too, and in the public domain now.

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Imagine that emoticon with the big listening ears right here.

 

 

I'd really love to hear more, especially in regards to the teaching aspect of the question--how to teach, how to become a better teacher, etc. and also the concept of goal setting independent of curricula. I also set goals based on finishing certain books or programs, and could use a little explanation of how to think about it differently.

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This is fantastic!! I am loving the discussion. I have found that we seem to be at a sweet spot in our schooling. I've found materials I love and the children love, I feel like each day we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. I do see that I could be education myself more and perhaps being a little more intentional in making sure certain things get done. I need a good checklist, but that is about as far as I need to take planning. I get sucked down the rabbit hole of list making and planning way too easily.

 

Again, thanks for the well timed words!!

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