|
|
Article:
Choosing The Right Homeschooling Curriculum
by James Monahan
A curriculum is not just a set of books, but a plan for achieving the goals
that you and your children have established.
There are many factors to consider when choosing a homeschooling curriculum.
First of all, the parent must keep in mind that children progress as they
get older. As they age, their interest, strength, and weaknesses vary and
change.
Logistics within the household can also change. The financial position and
needs of the family may also vary widely during the years of homeschooling.
Another thing that must be kept in mind is that every child is different.
Therefore, a curriculum that works for one child may not necessarily work
for another. A curriculum may not even work for a child for every year.
As difficult as it may seem, choosing the right curriculum is a must. There
are many kinds of curriculum available out there.
Sometimes it is tempting to get something just because it is new or just
because it looks promising even though we know that many things don't work.
That's why a careful evaluation of the homeschool and of the children is
needed before and after purchasing a curriculum.
It is important to acquire as much information as possible about the
available curricula before buying. Always keep your goals in mind as you
purchase and after you've had a chance to use the new teaching tool.
Before anything else, ask yourself the real reason why you are
homeschooling. Maybe it's to provide a more challenging academic environment
for your child. Maybe you want to ensure that your religious or moral
principles are passed on.
Or maybe it's to offer your child a richer learning environment than a
structured classroom education provides. The answers to these questions will
also help you narrow down your choices.
Before purchasing a curriculum you need to have proper knowledge of your
teaching style, your child(ren)'s learning style(s), the teaching approach
taken by each curriculum and of course your budget.
It is also important to consider the different learning and teaching styles.
There are basically three types of learners: the visual learner, the
auditory learner, and the tactile learner.
Children process information through sight, sound, or touch. Determine which
kind is your child to make your choice of curriculum easier. You will also
discover that you tend to communicate information most comfortably in one of
those three ways.
Below are some additional guidelines in choosing the right curriculum:
Many schools contain curricular materials and teacher training materials.
Pay a visit to one of your local schools and browse through their materials
to help in your purchase decision.
Look for curriculum retailers that cater to homeschoolers.
Ask the members of your local support group if you could look through the
materials that they use.
Search curriculum vendors on the web. Some provide information, such as a
picture, the number of pages, and the price. A few provide an overview along
with the table of contents.
Ask curriculum vendors for catalogs. These will give you pictures and prices
but not much else.
Visit your local college or university bookstore near the beginning of the
semester and have a look around.
Look through an encyclopedia under mathematics and science and their
subtopics, to get an idea of the topics involved in math and science
subjects.
James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of
http://www.CurriculumHub.com
and writes expert articles about curriculum..
Another article you might find useful:
* Home Schooling and Aspergers>>>
*
Notice -click
hobbyscience is not responsible for links to third party sites and accepts no responsibility
for their content. No connection or association between hobbyscience
and the linked sites or their owners should be presumed.
|
|
