Becoming a better teacher vs Using a "better" curriculum

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I have been mulling this over throughout the year (my first "official" year of HSing).

For me, I began thinking I wanted a certain type of curriculum- scripted, scheduled, and planned, so that I would not risk creating "gaps" and in order to help me in my combination disorganized-perfectionist personality. :-)

What I discovered is that I hate these curricula. The programs I have found that I like are those that have provided me, either explicitly or not, with teacher training, so that I am a more competent teacher, and LESS dependent on any curriculum.

I wanted to start this thread to ask the question- What books or curricula have been the best teacher training resources for you, so that you can teach better WITHOUT pre-planned lessons and assignments?

 

I am still learning, but here are those things that have given me the most confidence and freedom as a teacher:

 

- Education Unboxed videos

- Doing a half year of Right Start to learn "the Right Start way", but then abandoning it once I got the idea

- Singapore HIGs

 

- The Writer's Jungle by Bravewriter

- SWB's lectures on writing

 

- Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding

 

What about you?  What are your thought on investing in teacher training rather than curricula, and what resources do you recommend for this?

[8filltheheart]

I think you have reached the right question in a single yr that some teachers never even think to ask. :)

 

As far as investing in teaching training, I don't have an answer for you. For me it came down to trusting in myself to know how to talk to my kids and learning to ask the right questions. Spending time learning about Socratic dialogue and understanding that kids don't need to give the right answer right away meant understanding the true value of thinking vs. being constantly "instructed."

[briansmama]

I've learned so much more reading about educational theory than through curricula. For us, I've found these resources to be incredibly helpful:

Enki Education materials

Project-Based Homeschooling

Life Learning magazine

Books on unschooling (though we are not unschoolers)

The Well Trained Mind (especially wrt writing)

 

A dear friend was just telling me about a book about teaching reading through children's literature. It sounded fabulous, and she's learning so much about how to approach reading instruction with her children, though it is not a curriculum or a sequential outline. I'll have to ask her for the titla again because it sounded exactly like what you are describing.

[briansmama]

Oh, how could I forget Why Students Hate School and Why Einstein Never Used Flash Cards? Both have really depended my understanding of how to teach my children better.

[MinivanMom]

I never went the scripted route. I have always gravitated toward simple curriculum . . . curriculum that teaches the most skills with a strong conceptual foundation, but without all the bells & whistles or busywork. I can make almost any curriculum work, though, as long as I know I'm using it as a tool for teaching versus thinking that I'm teaching that particular curriculum. I was a public school teacher prior to having children and nothing has laid a better foundation than training in the Socratic method. Once you think that way, then it's a very natural way to speak and interact with your children in a learning environment. I have grown most as a homeschooling teacher through reading. I couldn't begin to share all the books, articles, and thoughts posted by more experienced homeschooling mothers that have shaped me through the years. I greatly appreciate the articles on education theory and research that are regularly posted here. Some books that have shaped me as a teacher include:

 

The Read Aloud Handbook

The Hurried Child

Einstein Never Used Flashcards

Punished by Rewards

Teach Your Own

For the Children's Sake

The Well-Trained Mind

Why Our Children Can't Read and What We Can Do About It

The Singapore Model Method for Learning Mathematics (& other Singapore IG's & materials)

Teaching Writing: Balancing Process & Product

Nurture Shock (especially the section addressing current research on motivation)

The Trouble with Boys

A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children

[Amy Jo]

MEP Math + Liping Ma's Elementary Math book + living math blogs & posts

BFSU + Handbook of Nature Study (the how-to/intro section is very helpful)

SWR / WRTR (Yes, I've read both)

Lingua Latina + Linney's Latin Class + First Form Latin (aka a lot of self-teaching time, sadly very spread out)

Because of the Latin study, grammar is starting to make sense - loving my newly purchased English Grammar for Students of Latin to tie things together.

 

Charlotte Mason's books, The Core, WTM and LCC are education books I've read

Circe podcasts/blog, Cindy's blog at ordo-amoris and Linda Fay's website at Charlotte Mason Help have been inspirational & helpful

 

Dabbling in the Greek alphabet taught me humility when I was trying to teach my eldest to read. So did doing a written narration when I was trying to teach them oral narrations. And doing their handwriting pages with my left hand helped me to be encouraging and to be happy with small steps.

 

I had (in the past) great ideas to read through the higher levels of AO, and the WEM, etc. But now I've come to the conclusion that staying in step with my eldest (dyslexic so we do most of his books together) is enough. So I'm in 5th grade for content subjects, (re)learning with him ...

 

It's a great question - and I am looking forward to many more years of learning.

[angela in ohio]

I think you have reached the right question in a single yr that some teachers never even think to ask. :)

 

Exactly :)

 

I'm not even sure I could list out everything I've learned from. Some random thoughts:

 

The Seven Laws of Teaching

Classical education books... Wilson, Bauer, Bluedorn, Joseph

Talks from the Veritas Press and CIRCE conferences

TWSS from IEW

Reading about education in history and historical fiction

Bloom's Taxonomy

Lots of reading about memorization/grammar, logic skills, and rhetoric

How to Read a Book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Teaching the Classics

Conference talks by Tom Clark, Martin Cothran, etc.

A college course in educational theory

 

A lot of what has made me independent and effective as a homeschool mom teacher has been actual content knowledge (you can learn more about how important that is in the Seven Laws of Teaching.)

 

Really, just understanding the process has been helpful: the need to break things down into the grammar, logic, and rhetoric of a subject; then assessing the child to find where they are at in the process of mastering the subject; then loosely planning a path and resources to get there. The more times I conquer this process either myself or with a student/child, the easier it becomes.

 

Dh has been in grad school off and on for much of my homeschooling journey, and discussing concepts he brings home from his courses (metacognition, for example) has been very helpful.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

You know, I forgot to mention the BOOKS I've read.  John Holt being a HUGE influence, even though we are not unschoolers at all.  Just finishing up Why Kids Hate School and loved it, etc.

 

For those who have mentioned studying the Socratic Method, what are some resources you could recommend?  This is not something I have read on much, even though I'm familiar with the idea.

[Soror]

As I'm working on this myself, thank you for the thread. I find that I let myself get distracted trying to focus on so many aspects that I don't make as much progress as I'd like. I'm still not near as learned in phonics and such as I'd like, although I've made significant progress. I have tons to learn about writing and grammar still. Like Angela mentioned I need more general content knowledge and just exposure to the classics. I've read about classical method and socratic dialogue but I still know so little. I am happy with my progress in attitude and patience, although it has been hard-won, with a 7 month old that has decided to stop napping it is in desperate need.

 

I have a much better idea of our goals. I can see the progression much more clearly, although there is still much to be filled in as well. I'm also learning so much humility in learning all that I don't know , which is a definite help to me personally. A seemingly trifle thing perhaps is the realization that I need to be much more explicit than I realized.

[quark]

I think you have reached the right question in a single yr that some teachers never even think to ask. :)

 

As far as investing in teaching training, I don't have an answer for you. For me it came down to trusting in myself to know how to talk to my kids and learning to ask the right questions. Spending time learning about Socratic dialogue and understanding that kids don't need to give the right answer right away meant understanding the true value of thinking vs. being constantly "instructed."

 

Gotta agree with 8! :)

 

Not sure if I am answering the question but I will give it a try. For me, it has really boiled down to 3 things. I have a few methodology books at home, WTM 3rd ed. included, but really, the books are just tools. Just part of the picture. The 3 things that have worked are:

1. teaching my son to teach himself...teaching him it's okay to ask questions anytime, to seek answers, to question those answers, to remember that there are always different sides to a question and its answer etc. I did this out of need, not really realizing what I was doing and it has worked wonderfully.

2. teaching what I love...no matter how much I try I can't teach him something that I have no interest in. It just won't work. But give me something I love to teach and it's effortless. Passion for the subject is important imho. (Now you guys know why I need to outsource so much)...this also means that I can use mediocre curriculum as a jumping point if needed (if I am pressed for time and $$ for example) because I know that I can swing with it, flesh it out and make it magical when I need to.

3. following my gut...the teacher training books can double underline and double bold some important teaching formula but if I don't believe in it, if I know deep inside that it's poppycock for my particular kid, I just can't apply it.

 

ETA: And oh, how could I forget?

4. Having an open mind...knowing that I need to learn so much myself, being humble about it, and role modeling it for my son...when he sees me pursuing knowledge for myself he is similarly inspired. Still working on this...So I think the best teacher is himself/ herself not afraid to be a learner first?

 

ETA, sigh now I am on a roll...so if all this is OT and not related to what you are asking OP, please forgive me.

5. I think you also need time. Lots of time. You need to be kind to yourself and realize you are learning all the time. Even the best teachers can be better. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them.

Much of it isn't relevant to homeschooling, but I like the book "Teach like a Champion", because it gets me thinking about the craft of teaching.  Not curriculum, but the nitty-gritty of actual teaching.  BTW, this is a really great question, and much more difficult and interesting than chasing after the latest curricular materials.

[freeindeed]

Oak Meadow Heart of Learning

For The Children's Sake

The Well Trained Mind

Sonlight IG's (although we no longer use SL)

Teaching Tips and Techniques (included in The Weaver Curriculum)

Five in a Row manuals

[Farrar]

I came into homeschooling thinking this way - that it was best to really understand how to teach something and that lessons you create yourself are something you really own and therefore can carry out better.  I still think that's true and I think we always have to be pushing ourselves to learn to teach better and to learn our subjects in a deeper way, but I have had to learn that if you try to do that for absolutely everything, you end up reinventing the wheel.  Sometimes scripted is okay.

[8filltheheart]

I tried to think of some specific info that would be helpful.

 

I spent a lot of time contemplating the Four hallmarks of Jesuit pedagogy: Prelection, reflection, active learning, repetition and how I could adapt those methodologies in my homeschool.   I have modified prelection to mean that I am well-prepared for what needs to be taught so that I can see the big picture.

http://web.archive.org/web/20100414225419/http://school.jhssac.org/faculty/cheneym/documents/Section_13__FOUR_HALLMARKS_OF_JESUIT_EDUCATION.pdf

Learning how to implement Bloom's Taxonomy in lessons.   There are some great links available if you search the forums.

 

Ditto to Socratic dialogue.  

[alef]

Oh, how could I forget Why Students Hate School and Why Einstein Never Used Flash Cards? Both have really depended my understanding of how to teach my children better.

 

Both of those books have impacted the way I view teaching my children.

[lllll]

..

[Mrs. A]

Much of what I would say had already been mentioned, but here are two that have not:

 

Nurtured by Love by Shinichi Suzuki

The Private Eye ( http://the-private-eye.com/index.html )

 

[Guest CoralMoore]

Well, I also think that emphasis should be givven on teacher's training rather than focusing on curriculum. It will help teachers in teaching students in an attractive and interactive way so that students can learn more and with interest.

[Momof3littles]

I've been thinking about this a lot too. I feel like some curricula have really helped me grow even though they fall into the curriculum category. For example, MCT materials.

 

I attended the RFWP conference last weekend, and I really loved Shelagh Gallagher's talks. I wish I have more access to strategies like her Concept Development. Perhaps these things are taught to education majors, but I have never taken an education class in my life. I loved that her ideas left me feeling like I had some tangible frameworks to use across the curriculum, no matter the child's age. When I sat in on her talks, I was thinking that she really nailed some of what I think many in the homeschool community have a hunger for but can't find. Maybe that isn't really as prevalent as I think it is, but I do think many of us want skills like that vs. a specific curriculum. Maybe it is out there and I just don't know all of the places to look for it! I know I want more of those skills for sure, and I think many here are looking for the same. If only we could have more conventions, podcasts, videos, etc. along those lines vs lifestyle issues and parenting topics that I have zero interest in.

 

Using the MCT Island level materials with 3 kids in a very small co-op class made me realize how deep those kids were reaching with the exercises we were doing. The output wasn't huge, but the quality and depth was amazing. I loved seeing them generate their similes using the stems from Building Language. That got me interested in buying The Private Eye, because I love the idea of kids coming up with these unique, non-cliched analogies as a jumping off point for writing, science, you name it. I like having these tools to help our kids learn to come up with unique things to communicate in their art, writing, etc. and again, you are teaching a skill that can last through adulthood.

 

I need to check out some of the books on Socratic discussion. I imagine there are some materials catered to gifted kids that might get into that type of thing as well, and would be perfectly relevant to kids who are not gifted. Books catering to teaching gifted kids might get more into the Socratic method and other ways to get kids to dig deeper into the material they are studying. If anyone has any suggestions along those lines, I'm all ears.

 

eta: As HS educators, are we doing a good job of conveying what we are looking for? I guess that's rhetorical, but there are times I feel like publishers or authors really get what we are looking for. When I was at RFWP, I felt like that at a lot of the talks. But I want *more* of that, kwim? I want people to give me strategies I can apply through many grades. I want to be able to impart these strategies to my kids so that they can carry them through their lifetime. Most HS conferences have topics that are not really of interest to me or what I'm looking for on the deepest levels. I know there are many in the Hive looking for the same thing. I so. wish. we could have more of the RFWP and similar conferences and materials. I do read a lot about education more broadly, but I really think many of us are looking to be better teachers of all subjects.

[Hunter]

I wish I'd learned what I learned from just a few books, but unfortunately it's been lots and lots of them; a nugget here and a nugget there. Here are a few that I learned more than a single nugget from.

 

Early math: Simply Charlotte Mason Mathematics and How to Tutor

 

Handwriting: Writing Road to Reading 6th and Delightful Handwriting and How to Tutor

 

Writing: Dictation Resource Book and Write On! and Writer's Express

 

Content: reading the journal entries in The Complete Home Learning Source Book about making homemade workbooks, and how to just talk to students from the ORIGINAL Doubleday hardback What Your _ Grader Needs to Know series. And from an e-mail, I learned how to use too complex texts, with lower level students. Just pick a title/main topic and then pick 3 subtopics/details to cover. No matter how complex the text, just settle on a main topic and 3 details. Concentrate on a solid 3 topic lesson and not all of what is in the text.

 

 

 

[CyndiLJ]

What a terrific question, and one rarely asked or talked about!  How I wish homeschool conventions would have seminars on how to teach rather than lifestyle choices or curricula!!

 

We are beginning year 5, and as I look back, I can see this is what I did:

 

1)  I started the opposite of many, I went very eclectic the first couple of years, then felt I had the confidence to use more textbooky things to guide me...but only because I no longer felt I had to be "married" to the content.  I use them as jumping off points, as "spines" if you will, and it works well for us. I know others use other books as their "spines" but because I have grown competent at going in different directions, I can use any good text as a spine, and textbooks usually survey things rather well, or at least give me a good starting point.  My Eclectic Years were necessary as past of my own Deschooling Process.

 

2)  Believe it or not, I learned how to teach...in part...from volunteering in public school!!  There are some TERRIFIC teachers in public school, whose methods WORK, but whose environment chokes them.  The years we had in public school (5 years) were very important for my own development as a home educator, because I watched and learned.  I watched what didn't work, and saw what did work.  Our early years in public ed were invaluable, as they also helped me realize the tremendous difference in group learning versus one on one learning.

 

3)  I created a Mission Statement, if you will, that first few weeks.  When I have moved off course, re-reading it reminds me of what our goals are, and it quiets the voice in me when I read other homeschooler's posts!!  We had very specific reasons for homeschooling, very specific goals we wanted to reach.  I have blown off course several times over the past 4 years, but thankfully, having that document served as a strong reminder and helps me every single time .  In it I included what we felt were the most important things to teach our kids, both in subject content and character traits.  That helps me teach and keep me on course.  It  may be the single best thing I have as a tool.

 

4)  I read everything about home education.  I mean, everything.  I read about every method, learning styles, etc.  If it said "homeschool" or "home education", I read it.  I gained a sense of what felt right to me, and what didn't. I educated myself and continue to.

 

5)  As we went along, and I stumbled upon curricula that really seemed to excite and engage my kids, I studied how it was presented, and then tried to take that style to other curricula as I used it.  For example, my kids are completely turned on by Connect the Thoughts and the way material is presented in it.  They love being asked their opinions about what they have read, and I found that they naturally loved Socratic style of teaching.  Now, I didn't go become an expert at it, but I also discovered that was more my natural style of teaching anyway!  It was a perfect marriage, and so I carry that knowledge forward when working with materials that aren't really laid out that way, but knowing that helps me tweak it.

 

6)  My kids are my best instructors.  Their responses tell me instantly if something I am doing works or not.  I don't let them dictate things to me, but I do tailor things to them so that it is a good fit.

 

7)  I don't ignore that it also has to be a good fit for my own style, and I recognized that if I hated it, or found i cumbersome or awkward to teach with, I would do a horrible job at it.

 

8) I don't obsess after reading things  :laugh: I take it for what it is, use what works, and toss the rest out.  It is so easy to get caught up in "Such and such book says..." or even "On the Hive, so and so says..." and take it all as gospel.  Well, when they are teaching MY kids and can say those same things, then I might listen as if it were the Word of God, otherwise, I filter it through my own understanding of what works and what doesn't.

 

9)  That being said, and regardless of what books I have read, I have often found my best advice right here on these forums.  

 

Learning to teach with our without curricula means having confidence in what you are doing, and seeing any curriculum as a guide, not a contract to be held to!

[Sobeknofret]

I used to be a university instructor, so my problem isn't learning to teach necessarily, although I do keep learning about teaching, it's trying to learn the material in ways that will be approachable by a 9 year old!

[NASDAQ]

Watch videos of Sigfried Engleman teaching.

 

Teach like a Champion is pretty useful.

 

Parker/Baldridge's math text books.

 

[Farrar]

1)  I started the opposite of many, I went very eclectic the first couple of years, then felt I had the confidence to use more textbooky things to guide me...but only because I no longer felt I had to be "married" to the content.  I use them as jumping off points, as "spines" if you will, and it works well for us. I know others use other books as their "spines" but because I have grown competent at going in different directions, I can use any good text as a spine, and textbooks usually survey things rather well, or at least give me a good starting point.  My Eclectic Years were necessary as past of my own Deschooling Process.

 

This is similar to how I came at it as well.  I wonder if this is some fundamental division of homeschoolers.  Some people begin with as much purchased, structured curricula as possible and then jump off from there once they get confident and others begin open ended, with a mix of things, lots of resource guides and ideas and slowly feel their way into what works for themselves and their families.

 

When I was teaching professionally, I *could* create all my curricula myself.  It has taken me having to teach everything under the sun to realize that sometimes more structured resources are better.  And then, from that, to begin to realize that they have something to teach me about teaching.  I like not being married to them.  I never, for example, question whether I'm doing a curriculum "right" - if it's working, then of course I'm doing it right.

[Kalmia]

Just a quick question. Do the posters who mentioned Why Kids Hate School referring to the one by Steven Jones which has no reviews, no "look inside," and no informational blurb on Amazon? Or are they referring to Why Students Don't Like School by Daniel T. Whittingham which is a fabulous book that has been the subject of at least one thread on the WTM? I ask because for a time I was referring to the latter, which I liked, as the former, which I haven't read.

 

I agree with the posters that said increasing your content knowledge and using the Socratic method will result in more effective teaching. I know that Teaching the Classics DVD seminar and workbook give a brief introduction to the Socratic method, but there are sure to be other sources.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Just a quick question. Do the posters who mentioned Why Kids Hate School referring to the one by Steven Jones which has no reviews, no "look inside," and no informational blurb on Amazon? Or are they referring to Why Students Don't Like School by Daniel T. Whittingham which is a fabulous book that has been the subject of at least one thread on the WTM? I ask because for a time I was referring to the latter, which I liked, as the former, which I haven't read.

 

I agree with the posters that said increasing your content knowledge and using the Socratic method will result in more effective teaching. I know that Teaching the Classics DVD seminar and workbook give a brief introduction to the Socratic method, but there are sure to be other sources.

 

The Whittingham book- I mis-remembered the title.  It's a wonderufl book!

[briansmama]

Just a quick question. Do the posters who mentioned Why Kids Hate School referring to the one by Steven Jones which has no reviews, no "look inside," and no informational blurb on Amazon? Or are they referring to Why Students Don't Like School by Daniel T. Whittingham which is a fabulous book that has been the subject of at least one thread on the WTM? I ask because for a time I was referring to the latter, which I liked, as the former, which I haven't read.

 

I agree with the posters that said increasing your content knowledge and using the Socratic method will result in more effective teaching. I know that Teaching the Classics DVD seminar and workbook give a brief introduction to the Socratic method, but there are sure to be other sources.

You're right! I butchered the title in my pp. I just checked my Audible library and it's listed as Why Don't Students Like School." I wish the author would have gone with another title.

[sagira]

I'm entering my sixth (!) year of homeschooling. So far the following have been invaluable to me in my journey as a teacher:

 

Home Education

When Children Love to Learn

Books Children Love

Teaching Children: A Curriculum Guide to What Children Need to Know at Each Level Through Grade Six

A Charlotte Mason Companion

Ambleside Schools International videos

Well Trained Mind videos on YouTube

The Well Trained Mind

www.tanglewoodeducation.com - the website that I turned to again and again in the first three years I was homeschooling

 

and..

 

last but not least, this forum! This forum has been and continues to be an incredible resource.

 

I'm also noticing as I'm maturing as a teacher/tutor, that the curriculum doesn't matter as much as actually teaching it. This is what Hunter has been telling us all along, of course. I appreciate that.

[Stellalarella]

 

 

9)  That being said, and regardless of what books I have read, I have often found my best advice right here on these forums.  

 

 

Yeppers. 

 

Also, I've really benefited from SWB's audio lectures from the PHP website.  Liping Ma's book on teaching math was also quie helpful.  This summer I've been bowled over with excitement about "Practice Perfect," "Teach LIke a Champion," and "Why Students Don't Like School," to reiterate what several others have also mentioned.

 

I think using scripted curriculums has made me a much, much better teacher because I was guided into understanding the knowledge base as my students were learning.  I do have 6 kids to practice on, though.....so I don't feel tied to the curriculum by the time I've done it 3 times...

 

Another thing, I have two kids that make me feel like a terrible teacher, if you know what I mean.  And I have two little kids that have learned so fast and so effortlessly that I must be the world's most fabulous teacher, right?  yeah, right.  And I have two kids who are much older and I'm pretty nervous about starting high school....

[Nancy Ann]

Even good teachers in the classroom setting have a pre planned set curriculum.  I think education is both teaching and choosing quality materials. The teaching aspect of homeschooling really depends on the parent doing the teaching. The best thing to do is to discover what sort of teacher you are, what keeps you motivated, what helps you to get school done. There are days and even years where sometimes school just has to get done and all our ideals can get thrown out the window.

 

There is no one way to be a teacher and the great thing with home education is that we have freedom to discover who we are as teachers and how our children learn best.

 

I started out homeschooling doing everything from scratch, pulling together lessons, piecing together curriculum because I felt our homeschool should look absolutely nothing like a classroom. Than I started to get a bit burned out, it was soo much work and this was just for one child! So, I went to a boxed curriculum and than lost all flexibility. Now, 13 years later I sort of do both. Some subjects we do more freestyle and leave lots of flexibility and some subjects we just get the work done.

 

I did go through a period where I spent many hours studying different methods and teaching styles but, in the end it did not really help me get school done. I find being very selective on quality curriculum has the best results. My teaching has developed naturally over the years by just the practice of educating at home, using different curricula, and teaching different children.  

 

There are numerous curriculum choices out there that give more flexibility than a pre planned schedule. We love Life of Fred for math!! I love using this as our main and than supplementing here and there if we have to. Adding in math games and stuff like that. Science is also a great subject for flexibility.