9 Educational Philosophies Defined (UPDATED!) Jamie C. Martin Simple Homeschool

9 Educational Philosophies Defined (UPDATED!) ~
Written by Jamie C. Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and Introverted Moms

Hi friends! I’m here again with another installment in my new Simple Homeschool series, in which I’m updating past content to keep it fresh and useful for all of you.

This post was one of the most popular back in the early days of Simple Homeschool; it gives a helpful overview to the many educational philosophies out there.

Originally this was Part I of a two-part series. As part of my update, I merged them and added several updated links to help you learn more about any method that strikes you as interesting.

Feel free to pin it or bookmark so you can come back to it anytime – enjoy!

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When I first started to research homeschooling, I didn’t even realize there was more than one way to “do” education. Growing up in the traditional system, like most of us, I assumed that homeschooling meant duplicating that system at home.

Imagine my surprise (& joy) as I discovered the plethora of educational methods and philosophies out there. That’s when I realized how amazing a home education could be – so many possibilities and options existed that could be tailored for each child!

The downside of having so many choices is wading your way through the information. If you’ve recently felt overwhelmed by all that’s out there, this article is just what you need.

Here are nine educational philosophies defined to get you started.

9 Educational Philosophies Defined

1. The Traditional Method Defined

This is what it sounds like–taking the classroom model and translating it into your home. Typically this method revolves around textbooks, worksheets, and tests to determine if your child is mastering the material.

Some children love plowing through a workbook and thrive on it. For those who don’t, you can always use these sparingly or on a child’s own terms. We have a shelf of workbooks that our elementary-aged children can work in if and when the mood strikes them.

Many families may use the traditional method in one subject, like math, while using different methods for other subjects. Large families may find it helpful to use some textbooks if it provides an easier way to follow up with several children.

2. The Unit Study Method Defined

The unit study method seeks to combine several subjects under one unifying theme.

If your son loves trains, you would use that subject to look for books about trains (literature), write about trains (English/handwriting), study the history of trains (history), develop word problems about the speed of trains (math), and so on.

Photo by woodley wonderworks

A homeschooling mom or dad can compile a unit study on any subject that interests a child, but some publishers take the hard work out of unit studies by putting packages together on a variety of topics.

Unit studies often incorporate multi-sensory approaches to a subject, making it ideal for kinesthetic learners. The downside is that these lessons may require extra preparation time on behalf of the parent.

3. The Charlotte Mason Method Defined

Charlotte Mason pioneered amazing educational changes in Great Britain. Living in the late 1800’s, she revolutionized the educational system at that time – aiming to prove that children of any class had the ability to learn and enjoy it.

Her methods have seen a resurgence within homeschoolers of our generation–a wonderful thing as her teachings offer much to families and children.

Key aspects of her philosophy include nature study, short lessons, narration, real “living” books as opposed to textbooks, and the development of good habits.

4. The Unschooling Method Defined

The word “unschooling” may sound frightening, especially if you are new to homeschooling.

Terms with essentially the same definition, but that may be less intimidating include delight-directed education, relaxed homeschooling, or interest-led learning.

Photo by Jesse Millan

Unschooling advocates believe that children are born with a natural curiosity and love of learning, and that this desire to learn will continue to grow and develop if it isn’t stifled.

This method of education isn’t about neglect – many households pursue an intentional type of unschooling lifestyle and find that it brings joy to their families.

Even if you believe you must cover the “basics” in certain subjects, you can still implement part of this philosophy by allowing your children as much freedom as possible in other educational areas.

As a mom who went from thinking unschooling was the most outrageous, scary concept I’d ever heard of–to a mom who loves relaxed homeschooling and implemented it as much as possible, I encourage you to check out the following links.

5. The Classical Method Defined

Classical education has its roots in classic civilizations–much of it based on ideas with a Roman or Greek foundation.

The classical method focuses on the Trivium–three distinct stages children work through as they develop. Young children begin with the grammar stage, proceed through the logic/dialectic stage, and graduate to the rhetoric stage close to adulthood.

Key aspects of this philosophy include the importance of reading and discussing classic, living books and the study of classical languages like Latin or Greek.

6. The Literature-Based Method Defined

Oh! My babies!!

Literature-based homeschooling families use high-quality literature as the backbone of their curriculum. Many of the philosophies we’ve covered address the importance of using living books as a vital part of the educational experience.

Serious literature-based schooling advocates take it a step further and try to accomplish as many subjects as possible within the outline of a good story, believing this helps a child’s mind assimilate information.

Many companies publish reading lists by grade and age level. Other literature-based publishers organize the entire curriculum for you – making it easy to purchase and have delivered to your door an entire school year’s worth of learning and reading.

7. The Montessori Method Defined

This educational method was developed by Maria Montessori (1870-1952), an Italian physician. In a Montessori setting, older and younger children learn alongside one another, which gives it a natural crossover to a homeschool setting.

Teachers give guidance and support, while providing access to a large array of learning materials. Children choose their activities and learn through seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and movement. Knowledge is internalized in a natural, self-paced way.

8. The Leadership Education Method Defined

Leadership Education has become more widely known as a homeschooling philosophy. Also called Thomas Jefferson Education or TJEd, it centers around the idea that children learn differently in different stages of life.

Drawing on the work of Jean Piaget and other educational philosophers, three main phases of childhood learning are defined and implemented: Core, Love of Learning, and Scholar.

Because this is more of a philosophy than a method, it’s easy to adapt many of the Leadership Education principles into any curriculum you may use. TJEd is one of the philosophies that resonated with me the most and characterized much of our family’s homeschool!

9. The Eclectic Method Defined

Few homeschooling families fit within the constraints of one method or philosophy, and that is one of the strengths of home education!

As I shared in this post on our journey, my family merged inspiration and ideas from Charlotte Mason, Literature-Based, Leadership Education, and Interest-Led Learning/Unschooling.

Don’t be afraid to pick and choose. The beauty truly unfolds as you find and discover what works for you and your children.

And as homeschooling parents, we get to watch the whole process. What an amazing privilege!

Is having these educational philosophies defined a help? Which of these methods have you implemented in your homeschool? If you’re just getting started, do any of these philosophies resonate with you?

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your type needs most!

9 Educational Philosophies Defined (UPDATED!) ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool and Introverted Moms Hi friends! I’m here again with another installment in my new Simple Homeschool series, in which I’m updating past content to keep it fresh and useful for all of you. This post was one of the most … Read More methods & philosophies, charlotte mason, classical, jamie, leadership education, literature, montessori, oak meadow, sonlight, sonlight literature, then and now, unit study, unschooling Simple Homeschool

9 Educational Philosophies Defined (UPDATED!) Jamie C. Martin Simple Homeschool

9 Educational Philosophies Defined

1. The Traditional Method Defined

Further Reading:

2. The Unit Study Method Defined

Further Reading:

3. The Charlotte Mason Method Defined

Further Reading:

4. The Unschooling Method Defined

Further Reading:

5. The Classical Method Defined

Further Reading:

6. The Literature-Based Method Defined

Further Reading:

7. The Montessori Method Defined

Further Reading:

8. The Leadership Education Method Defined

Further Reading:

9. The Eclectic Method Defined

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