Popular Homeschool Styles & Philosophies

 School at Home - Sometimes referred to as The Traditional Approach, this approach to
homeschooling resembles “school at home.” Parents might create a home classroom,
complete with desks, chalkboard, workbooks, and the traditional wall-mounted pencil
sharpener. Parents might teach class each day on a schedule and follow a calendar that
closely aligns with that of public or private schools. Some parents who are new to
homeschooling start off with some aspect of the school at home approach, if only because
that is what they know based on their own educational experience, but often come to relax
their school at home approach as they figure out what style of education and teaching works
best for their child and themselves.

 Waldorf or Waldorf Inspired - A Waldorf approach to homeschooling encourages children
to actively explore their environments, play, and be naturally active and curious at a young
age, and later expose children to myths, artistic work, storytelling, and literature. This
approach emphasizes holistic learning, weaving together arts, humanities and sciences.
Waldorf Founder, Rudolf Steiner believed that the Waldorf approach would educate the
whole child: “head, heart and hands.” Electronics are generally not encouraged, especially
at young ages, and are typically considered to have a negative impact on learning and
development.

 Montessori - Homeschooling with a Montessori approach typical reflects the educational
ideas and model created by physician, Maria Montessori, in the 1800s. This approach
encourages interest learning, choice, movement, collaborative learning and learning in
context, such as taking a field trip to learn about water pollution rather than just discussing it,
while discouraging extrinsic rewards. Some homeschool parents who apply the Montessori
approach set up space in their home to reflect the Montessori Method, such as activity
stations, baskets with knitting supplies or blocks, and pencils/paper/scissors.

 Biblical/Religious - Another approach to homeschooling may be shaped or strongly
influenced by religion. Homeschool assignments might include scripture work,
memorization, dictation, or religious study or work. It is sometimes assumed, although
inaccurately, that all who homeschool do so strictly for religious regions. Religion may be
the inspiration or reason behind homeschooling for some families, however, it is not a
blanket explanation for the homeschooling decision; some homeschool families are
intentionally secular. Some families choose to integrate religious teachings into other
homeschool approaches, such as a Christian Classical Education approach.

 Charlotte Mason - The Charlotte Mason approach looks to the use of living books, rather
than dry textbooks to teach children at home. Charlotte Mason, a British Educator, believed
that children were “not blank slates or empty sacks to be filled with information.” This
homeschooling approach emphasizes learning atmosphere and home environment to shape
the education of the child, discipline of good habits, and life. The Charlotte Mason approach
emphasizes literature, language arts skills, history, science, life experiences, nature,
narration and dictation, knowledge of God, and short lessons.

 Classical Education - This approach to homeschooling, sometimes referred to as the
Socratic Method, Liberal Arts Education, or a Three-Part (Trivium) Education, and
popularized by Susan Wise Bauer author of The Well-Trained Mind, looks to shape learning
into three phases: concrete (K-6th), analytical (7th-8th) and abstract (9th-12th). This three-
part approach to education reinforces learning that corresponds to stages in childhood
development.

 Unit Studies - Another approach to homeschooling is to build lessons around specific units
or topics of interest, studying a particular topic at length, which might be for an afternoon or
for an entire year. For example, a family might choose to use an entire school year to build
lessons around the book ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ studying everything from pioneers
such as Lewis and Clark to how to make homemade candles from local beeswax. Some
homeschoolers create lap-books to complement their unit studies.

 Technology-based education - Another approach to homeschooling may involve using
technology-based curriculum or pre-packaged ‘common core’ curriculum available online or
by DVD/CD. Homeschoolers may use online tutors, take advantage of virtual classes, such
as those offered by K12, teacher-led support classes or curriculum, such as Calvert School
or Laurel Springs, watch YouTube videos, or study math or learn to code at Khan Academy.

 Roadschooling, Worldschooling or Travel-Based Education - Despite the word
‘homeschooling’ many homeschooling families spend much of their time away from home as
part of the homeschool learning experience. For some families, travel is the backbone of
the homeschool experience, using travel experiences, locations, sights, and culture to
inspire and shape the educational experience.

 Eclectic Homeschooling - Sometimes referred to as ‘relaxed’ homeschooling, eclectic
homeschooling is a popular homeschooling method that sometimes resembles a myriad of
approaches–a sort of patchwork quilt to education–to fit the individual child. An Eclectic
approach is somewhat of a custom approach to homeschooling, with a parent choosing
subjects, materials, classes, extra-curricular opportunities, and classes that suit their child’s
or family’s needs and/or interests. A parent may choose to pre-buy curriculum for one
subject, use a more child-led approach to another subject, sign a child up for a class for
another subject, and choose library books to cover another topic.

 Unschooling - Unschooling is another educational method and philosophy, sometimes
considered a subset of homeschooling, that typically encourages child-led interest and child-
initiated learning activities. The term was coined in the 1970s by educator and
homeschooling proponent, John Holt. John Taylor Gatto, author of the book, Dumbing Us
Down, and another proponent of unschooling, makes the case for homeschooling and
unschooling (or free range learning). Within the unschooling approach, there is a full
spectrum of approaches and philosophies to this method of education, ranging from strong
emphasis on learning through curiosity, play, experiences, classes, or books to hands-off
parental involvement, to radical unschooling, which may or may not resemble complete
child-led learning.