Does Classical Education Count as “Real” School?
Posted by Diane in Personalized Homeschool Curriculum on August 13th, 2010
Last week, I spent about an hour on the phone with a homeschool friend of mine consulting with her on the fall strategic plan. She recently read Trivium Mastery and desperately wants to give her five children an authentic classical education; however, she is facing one giant obstacle. She is having such trouble letting go of the public school paradigm. Her hubby is an assistant principal in the public high school, so she is somewhat confined by that (it is illuminating that he wanted her to pull the kids out of the system…). My friend is in a pickle because she has inadvertently taught her kids over the years that if they are not using a textbook, participating in a co-op, or paying a professionally educated teacher, it’s not real school. Now that she is trying to shift gears toward an authentic classical education, her older kids are balking.
This grieves me to no end because this public school paradigm imprisons her, her children, and grandchildren if her kids continue the cycle. This is NOT how most educated men and women in the West learned (Do you hear me preaching??). This paradigm is a fairly recent phenomenon. Classical education revolves around ideas – not curricula. Small groups of students casually gathered to study the ideas espoused in oral traditions, scrolls, or books (Moses, Aristotle, Augustine, whomever), and that source formed the foundation for learning. We can do the same, and it will liberate us. We just have to trust the Holy Spirit to give good counsel, act upon that word, and watch our kids blossom. That what I really want to do – encourage Christian parents to throw off the shackles and trust the Loving, Living God to show them the way in this new adventure of classical education. I hope that you find this website a constant encouragement with teaching resources to make your path easier. “Real” school can happen 24/7 with classic kids’ books, and a willing partner like a parent or older sibling to discuss ideas. Cast off the old, and put on the new!
High School Credit: Computer Programming
Posted by Diane in Recommended Homeschool Books on August 10th, 2010
I’ll bet when you hear the word python, you think of the snake instead of classical education, right? Well, now I will always associate python with my son’s first programming experience. Who doesn’t have at least one high school son who shows some interest in video games? My 16 year old son, Connor, has been an aficionado for years, and recently as part of our own post-trivium strategic planning, we decided to let him tackle computer programming. Using this simple text, he learned his first computer language, and as a result, he also earned a full high school credit in technology for the homeschool transcript. This adventure was his first real plunge into supervised independent study. Here’s his book review:
Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners, by Warren and Carter Sande, is the book to go to for an easy jump into programming! It focuses on the language Python, which is definitely not the easiest language out there, but Hello World makes the hard stuff simple and simple stuff simpler. It has had a major effect in how I view programming, and I’m looking forward to learning other languages because of this book.
In essence, “Hello World!” is a book about the basics in programming. It starts off with something easy to understand, and gradually pushes you farther into the deeper and more complex parts of the language. The book is paced very well, and it never left me feeling overwhelmed. Throughout “Hello World” you will find boxes that contain programming lines. These are the exercise boxes, and you have to write out this code, and then check it for typos! This part of the book may seem slightly strenuous in the beginning, but over time you actually start to understand what the language is telling the computer to do, which is a great feeling. These code boxes follow the pattern of the book, starting out small with simple math equations, and ending strong with actual games like Pong.
I only had two complaints with this book: Sometimes the code displayed errors I didn’t know how to fix, and other times I just felt like I was writing out code, not understanding what it was saying. When the code had problems that I hadn’t learned about yet, I couldn’t solve for them, therefore not being able to see my final project (in one of the chapters). These two problems only happened a couple times though, and aren’t a consistent theme.
So, should you buy it, borrow it, or burn it? Buy it! This is a must buy, it’s simple, easy and satisfying. I didn’t know a thing about programming before, but this book showed me a glimpse of what programming can accomplish.
So just to give you an idea of how we did this, Hello World! has 25 chapters, so he completed one chapter a week. When you purchase the text, you’ll get the python software download link which he will install as part of his assignment in the first chapter. I hope you found this homeschool teaching resource helpful, and if you have any questions, just leave a comment below so that I can give it to Connor.
Use Achievement Test Results as Teaching Tools
Posted by Diane in Personalized Homeschool Curriculum on July 23rd, 2010
Teaching tools are scattered all over the internet: spelling word lists, math squares, and even blank book report templates. Search for an item, print it off, and hand it to your home school child to complete, right? Well…right and wrong. “Right” because sometimes you need a “ready-made” teaching tool to accomplish a task. “Wrong” because before you can decide on what tasks your child needs to tackle, you need to assess his skills. Remember that an authentic classical education involves teaching three skills to mastery: language, thought, and communication. Don’t put the cart before the horse. First decide what skills need work, and then decide what tasks (like solving math square puzzles) will help your home school child master the skill. Standardized achievement tests provide a snapshot in time of your child’s progress and needs by:
- demonstrating knowledge
- tracking progress
- highlighting strengths and weaknesses
- clarifying curriculum choices
Standardized tests like the IOWA and Stanford brands typically include questions in the areas of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and reference sources. In developing the test by grade level, professional educators have identified certain basic knowledge or “content standards.” When your homeschool child takes one of these standardized achievement tests, his responses are compared to the correct answers. The resulting report shows (1) the total number of questions in each category, (2) the number of questions your child attempted to answer, (3) the percentage of questions your child answered correctly, and (4) the percentage of questions that all other children answered correctly nationwide.
Handy bar charts and statistics quickly tell the parent what areas need attention. For example, math computation for the 9th grade IOWA test includes line items called integers, decimals/percents, fractions, and algebraic manipulations. Each line item includes a detailed analysis so that the parent can quickly see that the homeschool student has completely mastered fractions but still needs work with decimals. Does the test say that your child scores in the college grade equivalent for a certain category or with a national percentile rank of 95% or higher? If so, this could be one indicator that your child has mastered spelling; you can drop the spelling work and move on to mastering another skill. As a teaching tool, the achievement test results can guide you in planning the tasks that your child needs to tackle in order to master the three skills of the classical trivium.
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Have you completed my parent workshop called “Classical Education 101” yet? This free parent course will give you another teaching tool to help you determine your own child’s skill mastery and come up with a strategic semester plan for teaching the three skills of the classical trivium.
Last Day for $ 40 Off on Perspectives Course
Posted by Diane in Post-Trivium Homeschool | High School on June 30th, 2010
I have the extreme privilege of serving on the host team that will bring a fabulous Christian education course back to Indianapolis this August: Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. If you live in the Indianapolis area, and you have a Christian homeschool teen, you don’t want to miss this opportunity to discover how you and your family fit into God’s amazing purpose for the world.
Since 1974, more than 80,000 believers in North America have experienced the Perspectives course. In 15 lessons, you’ll engage with a range of dynamic speakers who are experts in the field of Christian missions. Weekly readings will help you dig even deeper.
Here’s what one young person had to say about Perspectives on the World Christian Movement:
“It challenges your thinking, moves you to obedience, aligns your heart closer to God’s heart and introduces you to his Big Picture Plan. It has been very impactful on how I approach the upcoming decisions as college nears the end.”
Although Perspectives is intended for the adult laity, it is perfect for the high school junior or senior who is ready for college-level content. And you can even take it for dual credit which looks great on the high school transcript. The textbook is included in the course fee, and the weekly homework is comprised of short answer reflections on the reading. I will be serving as the grading coordinator (and one of the graders), so I would love to answer your questions about this life-changing addition to your teen’s high school Christian education. Contact me, and I’ll get right back to you. Today, June 30, 2010, is the last day to get the $ 40 discount, so go on over and register now. You can register on the first day of class, but you’ll miss the discount.
REGISTER NOW for Indianapolis Perspectives (August 24-December 15, 2010)
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Still not persuaded?
Read what Church leaders and pastors are saying…
Or how about what Christian mission agencies have to say…
Many campus ministries are sold-out on Perspectives…
Finally, take it straight from students and alumni…
High School Transcript: Congressional Award
Posted by Diane in Various Essays for Homeschool Parents on June 1st, 2010
As a homeschooling family with two high school kids, we know that free time is at a premium. Consequently, we have been very intentional about crafting the high school transcript so that (1) the choices we make reflect each child’s unique talents, gifts, and passions and (2) we find activities that we can do together. A friend told me about the Congressional Award a few years ago, and although it is a lot of work, it meets both criteria for a high school transcript winner!
Would you like to learn more about how to use the Congressional Award in making that homeschool high school transcript zing? You can find my article, “From Transcript to Transformation,” on page 16 of the June 2010 issue of Heart of the Matter Online (Focus on High School) which details my experience with the Congressional Award, so go have a look. And here’s my personal recommendation: don’t wait until high school to start accumulating your community service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition hours. A fourteen year old qualifies, so go on and start now.
Even if you are not homeschooling high school yet, you’ll want to visit the Heart of the Matter website because there are tons of helpful homeschooling resources as well as live homeschool conferences which will meet your needs whether you are homeschooling a toddler or a high school teen. In fact, Heart of the Matter is one of my favorite websites for fresh, timely homeschooling resources. Enjoy!
