Education Styles: Traditional

"The home is the first and most effective place to learn the lessons of life." 

David O. McKay

The Traditional homeschooling style is referred to as "school-at-home". This is often the first style of homeschooling families try because it leans on the educational model that most people are familiar with. This style does give new homeschoolers a sense of security as they figure out routines, learning styles, and teaching methods. Traditional style has a heavy teacher footprint and looks similar to a regular school day. There are distinct books for each subject area and most of the curriculum is written for a classroom setting.

Although the traditional approach is replicating school at home, it does not mean duplicating the amount of time you spend on school to match that of a conventional school day. Working with a pod of students or only one child, the time it takes to teach and practice a topic is significantly less than the time it takes in a classroom. Most school days will last anywhere from 1-4 hours depending on age and breadth of work.

Most homeschoolers who start with a traditional approach gradually shift to other styles as they get a better understanding of what works best for their children. However, many people continue with this style when they need easy record keeping, open and go lessons, or plan to transition back to the classroom.

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Education Styles: Charlotte Mason

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