Which Curricula Style is Best?
04/09/2021 15:10 Filed in: Getting Started | Curriculum
In the sea of curriculum publishers, no two curricula are exactly the same.
You are probably wondering, "What is a curriculum style?" and "Why does it matter?"
In the sea of curriculum publishers, it's important to know that no two curricula are exactly the same. Where curricula tend to differ most is in the way they are designed to work. Each design, or style, has its own strengths and weaknesses, and understanding those will help you to determine which one is best for your family.
To make things a bit easier to understand, let's begin with a basic understanding of curriculum styles.
While there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of curriculum options available they all fall into four basic categories:
•Traditional
•Thematic
•Trivium (classical)
•Technology-Based (digital)
Traditional Curriculum
If you attended a traditional public or private school, you are probably already very familiar with this type of curriculum. Traditional curriculum is comprised of textbooks (reading books) and workbooks (written assignment books), organized by grade level, with each subject contained in a separate book or series of books, such as science, language arts, history, math, etc. Traditional curricula are the most popular, and most families who choose to use traditional curriculum, purchase an entire grade level set especially if they are just starting out.
Features of Traditional Curriculum:
* Curriculum is purchased by grade level.
• Each child has his own set of textbooks/workbooks for each subject.
* Subjects are taught separately, with little or no intentional integration of subject matter.
* Teacher’s manuals/answer keys are available for each subject, and are typically much more pricey than the student books.
* You can usually opt to purchase individual subjects rather than an entire grade level set.
* Workbooks are designed to be consumable, so each child will need his own set.
There are many traditional curriculum publishers, but some of the more popular ones include: A Beka, Bob Jones, Rod & Staff, Alpha Omega, ACE-PACEs.
Pros of Using a Traditional Approach:
* Textbooks and workbooks are typically a very economical and efficient way of teaching many children at once, particularly in a classroom setting.
* All the students in the classroom use the same materials and teaching methods.
* This curricula style can work well for a child who is good at sitting still without distractions, able to complete work independently, and can handle routines well.
* Traditional curriculum are typically very easy to use.
• They don’t require much planning for the teacher.
• They contain a clear Scope and Sequence for each grade level so you know exactly what will be taught.
• Lessons are laid out day by day.
• Teacher’s manuals are designed to demonstrate how to present the information.
• Answer keys make the job of grading student work easier.
* Lesson objectives and expectations are clearly established so the teacher and the child can understand what is expected.
* Tests, quizzes, and grading systems are usually built into the curriculum, so the teacher does not have to design their own assessments.
Cons of Using a Traditional Approach:
* Not easy to tailor for students with different learning styles or special educational needs. * Subjects are taught separately — for example, a student might study Daniel Boone in History and Oceans in Science — with nothing to tie them together to make learning more enjoyable or more memorable.
* Teaching subjects separately takes more time. One of the biggest complaints I hear from moms who use textbooks as their core curricula is that they never get around to teaching science and history because they don’t have time to teach every subject to each of their kids.
* More difficult to teach multiple children in different grade levels. Teaching individual children in separate grade levels requires parents to go back and forth from child to child, teaching each subject individually.
* Not the best learning tool for those who wish to foster “learning as a family,” since students are learning different topics, in separate rooms of the house.
* An expensive option if there are multiple students in various grade levels, since you'd need to purchase separate sets of books for each, along with accompanying teacher’s manuals.
Going back to the clothing analogy from the "How to Choose Curriculum" blog, purchasing Traditional Curriculum is like buying clothing off the rack. The clothing is made for standard sizes, so you find the size (grade level) you need and go.
Thematic Curriculum
Also known as Unit Studies, thematic curriculum integrate various subjects into a common theme, topic, or subject. For example, a unit study may be designed around a particular character trait, such as obedience. Or, the unit study may focus on a particular topic, such as the solar system. Some unit studies are subject-based, such as language arts, literature studies, history, or science.
Some unit studies are designed to be taught in a multi-level setting, with students of different ages or grade levels, using the same curriculum. Other unit studies are organized by grade level.
Examples of Thematic Curriculum include: KONOS Character Curriculum Sunlight
Five-in-a-Row
Tapestry of Grace
Pros of Using a Thematic Curriculum (Unit Study):
• Can be a very effective and efficient way to teach multiple subjects to multiple ages.
• Everyone learns the same topic, and is able to learn together.
• Can be an inexpensive option, if it is designed to be multi-level where only one book is necessary to teach multiple grade levels. Can be more expensive if books are needed for each grade level.
• Most unit studies utilize a variety of resources, such as library books, videos, music, and internet to teach information.
• Topics are taught using hands-on activities and experiments to enhance the learning experience, rather than lecture-based lessons.
• Utilize real “living” books, and primary sources, rather than textbooks as the main source material. Students can acquire much more information from a book, or several books, on a topic than from a textbook that an editor has synthesized the information and prioritized what he felt was most important to include.
• Allow students to explore a topic in greater depth than a textbook allows. For example, a traditional textbook might have a single page dedicated to George Washington. With a unit study, however, students have the opportunity to learn about George Washington using a variety of resources, and with hands-on methodologies.
• Can make learning more exciting and more memorable.
• Lessons are easy to modify, so you can stick with the lesson plan or modify the lessons to suit your students interests or needs.
Cons of Using a Thematic Curriculum (Unit Study):
• Most do not follow a standard “scope & sequence” typical to a public school. All this means is that what might be taught in a certain grade level in a public school might be different than what a student might learn in a particular grade level with a unit study. The scope, or breadth of what is taught, might be similar, but the sequence, or order in which subject matter is taught, may vary. This might make it difficult to take a standardized test for a specific grade level if particular subject matter had not yet been covered. Otherwise, it really doesn't matter what grade level a student learns a particular topic such as oceans, birds, or even civil war since those things don’t build on each other.
• Can be overwhelming if you don’t prepare ahead of time, if you try to do too much, or if you don’t understand how to best utilize the materials.
• Typically require heavier teacher involvement, particularly in the younger elementary grades.
• Can be difficult to use if they are dependent upon specific resource books, especially if those books are rare, out of print, or difficult to find.
Unit Studies are very easy to tailor to individual students, like a custom-made outfit designed just for them.
Classical Trivium Curriculum
The term “”classical” has come to mean different things and can, therefore, be a confusing term. The word trivium can be used to describe the three stages of educational development, and it can also refer to a style of curriculum that utilizes the Trivium in its approach to education.
Classical education, first, describes the three stages of education, referred to as the Trivium. Based on the Trivium, Latin for “the place where three roads meet,” or “three roads of learning” the Classical Trivium comprised the framework for ancient & medieval education.
The Trivium consists of three stages of development:
1. Grammar - (elementary/through age 12) at this stage, children are developing skill in comprehending facts. Elementary-aged children are naturally adept at soaking up information and memorizing facts. The idea is that if children are able to sing or chant something (rote memorization), they will be able to remember the information for a lifetime.
2. Dialectic/Logic - (middle school/early teens) at this stage, students are developing skill in reasoning out relationships between these facts. Children at this age begin to think independently and ask questions, and they have a propensity to become argumentative. They question authority and facts in pursuit of reasons.
3. Rhetoric (high school/late teens) - at this stage, students are developing skill in wise, effective expression and application of the facts and their relationships. They begin to synthesize what they have learned and to creatively express and make practical use of it as they develop persuasive speaking and writing techniques.
Children are natural learners and learn by natural progression through each stage of the Trivium, from the grammar stage to the rhetoric stage. Most educational materials are developed with these three stages of learning in mind.
However, there are curriculum available which call themselves “Classical,” but which are designed to study history chronologically, and repeats every four years: Ancients, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and Modern Times. The goal of each repetition is to gain a better understanding of history at each phase of the Trivium.
Examples of Trivium-Based Curriculum:
Teaching the Trivium (Bluedorns)
Memoria Press
The Pros of Trivium-Based Curriculum:
• Places great emphasis on academic learning
• Can be used with unit studies or with a Charlotte Mason approach
• Utilizes real books instead of textbooks
• Usually has pretty flexible lesson plans
• Some incorporate hands-on learning & independent projects
Cons:
• Can be difficult to teach if children have a wide age gap • As the child progresses to higher grades, it may become necessary to find a classical school to finish their schooling.
•Can be pricey if you need to purchase additional books and resources.
Classical Education is a classic design that has stood the test of time. It is the toga of Greek culture. The t-shirt of today.
Technology-Based Curriculum
Technology-based curriculum is simply those that are available in digital form, such as online, via satellite, or as a software application. Many of these are workbook-based curriculum that are delivered via software or internet
Some brands of Traditional Curriculum can be purchased from individual publishers, while others are available through private or public schools.
Examples of Technology-based curriculum include:
Alpha Omega “Switched on Schoolhouse”
Teaching Textbooks
There are also online private and public schools which use traditional curriculum, such as Monarch, K-12 and Texas Tech University ISD.
Pros of Using Technology-Based Curriculum or Online Schools:
• Provides structure so the student can learn independently
• May be good preparation for future online learning environment
• Online schools give opportunity to learn from another teacher
• Some online schools provide interaction with virtual classmates
• Online charter schools provide seamless transition if placing child in public school at some point
Cons of Using Technology-Based Curriculum:
• Can be pricey
• Software-based curriculum often has an answer-key programmed into them, which may cause frustration if the child does not answer exactly…even if they get the answer correct.
• Internet-based curriculum or classes mean less flexibility, since your child will most likely be on another person’s school schedule. It can also mean that you will not be able to opt out of certain assignments or take more or less time on a particular assignment.
• Online charter school students are subject to state testing.
• Might not be a good choice for students with poor reading or typing skills
• Being dependent on the internet may mean accessibility might be a problem if your WiFi is down, or the electricity goes out.
With Technology-Based curriculum, you can get what you need at the touch of a button.
I hope this article gives you some ideas for the type of curriculum you might want to try.
Don’t be discouraged if you find that it takes a little experimenting. Homeschooling is an adventure as much as it is a learning experience.
If you discover that a curricula is not working for you, don't be afraid to make a change. Finding that you need to change curriculum is not a sign of failure on your part. Even if it's mid-year. Not all curriculum are appropriate for all children, even those within the same family, and there are times when it is absolutely appropriate to shop around for another curriculum when the one you're using no longer works.
Remember, homeschooling is a journey, and the curricula is the vehicle that transports you where you want to go.
Don't settle for an electric car if what you really need is …a bus that flies.
In the sea of curriculum publishers, it's important to know that no two curricula are exactly the same. Where curricula tend to differ most is in the way they are designed to work. Each design, or style, has its own strengths and weaknesses, and understanding those will help you to determine which one is best for your family.
To make things a bit easier to understand, let's begin with a basic understanding of curriculum styles.
While there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of curriculum options available they all fall into four basic categories:
•Traditional
•Thematic
•Trivium (classical)
•Technology-Based (digital)
Traditional Curriculum
If you attended a traditional public or private school, you are probably already very familiar with this type of curriculum. Traditional curriculum is comprised of textbooks (reading books) and workbooks (written assignment books), organized by grade level, with each subject contained in a separate book or series of books, such as science, language arts, history, math, etc. Traditional curricula are the most popular, and most families who choose to use traditional curriculum, purchase an entire grade level set especially if they are just starting out.
Features of Traditional Curriculum:
* Curriculum is purchased by grade level.
• Each child has his own set of textbooks/workbooks for each subject.
* Subjects are taught separately, with little or no intentional integration of subject matter.
* Teacher’s manuals/answer keys are available for each subject, and are typically much more pricey than the student books.
* You can usually opt to purchase individual subjects rather than an entire grade level set.
* Workbooks are designed to be consumable, so each child will need his own set.
There are many traditional curriculum publishers, but some of the more popular ones include: A Beka, Bob Jones, Rod & Staff, Alpha Omega, ACE-PACEs.
Pros of Using a Traditional Approach:
* Textbooks and workbooks are typically a very economical and efficient way of teaching many children at once, particularly in a classroom setting.
* All the students in the classroom use the same materials and teaching methods.
* This curricula style can work well for a child who is good at sitting still without distractions, able to complete work independently, and can handle routines well.
* Traditional curriculum are typically very easy to use.
• They don’t require much planning for the teacher.
• They contain a clear Scope and Sequence for each grade level so you know exactly what will be taught.
• Lessons are laid out day by day.
• Teacher’s manuals are designed to demonstrate how to present the information.
• Answer keys make the job of grading student work easier.
* Lesson objectives and expectations are clearly established so the teacher and the child can understand what is expected.
* Tests, quizzes, and grading systems are usually built into the curriculum, so the teacher does not have to design their own assessments.
Cons of Using a Traditional Approach:
* Not easy to tailor for students with different learning styles or special educational needs. * Subjects are taught separately — for example, a student might study Daniel Boone in History and Oceans in Science — with nothing to tie them together to make learning more enjoyable or more memorable.
* Teaching subjects separately takes more time. One of the biggest complaints I hear from moms who use textbooks as their core curricula is that they never get around to teaching science and history because they don’t have time to teach every subject to each of their kids.
* More difficult to teach multiple children in different grade levels. Teaching individual children in separate grade levels requires parents to go back and forth from child to child, teaching each subject individually.
* Not the best learning tool for those who wish to foster “learning as a family,” since students are learning different topics, in separate rooms of the house.
* An expensive option if there are multiple students in various grade levels, since you'd need to purchase separate sets of books for each, along with accompanying teacher’s manuals.
Going back to the clothing analogy from the "How to Choose Curriculum" blog, purchasing Traditional Curriculum is like buying clothing off the rack. The clothing is made for standard sizes, so you find the size (grade level) you need and go.
Thematic Curriculum
Also known as Unit Studies, thematic curriculum integrate various subjects into a common theme, topic, or subject. For example, a unit study may be designed around a particular character trait, such as obedience. Or, the unit study may focus on a particular topic, such as the solar system. Some unit studies are subject-based, such as language arts, literature studies, history, or science.
Some unit studies are designed to be taught in a multi-level setting, with students of different ages or grade levels, using the same curriculum. Other unit studies are organized by grade level.
Examples of Thematic Curriculum include: KONOS Character Curriculum Sunlight
Five-in-a-Row
Tapestry of Grace
Pros of Using a Thematic Curriculum (Unit Study):
• Can be a very effective and efficient way to teach multiple subjects to multiple ages.
• Everyone learns the same topic, and is able to learn together.
• Can be an inexpensive option, if it is designed to be multi-level where only one book is necessary to teach multiple grade levels. Can be more expensive if books are needed for each grade level.
• Most unit studies utilize a variety of resources, such as library books, videos, music, and internet to teach information.
• Topics are taught using hands-on activities and experiments to enhance the learning experience, rather than lecture-based lessons.
• Utilize real “living” books, and primary sources, rather than textbooks as the main source material. Students can acquire much more information from a book, or several books, on a topic than from a textbook that an editor has synthesized the information and prioritized what he felt was most important to include.
• Allow students to explore a topic in greater depth than a textbook allows. For example, a traditional textbook might have a single page dedicated to George Washington. With a unit study, however, students have the opportunity to learn about George Washington using a variety of resources, and with hands-on methodologies.
• Can make learning more exciting and more memorable.
• Lessons are easy to modify, so you can stick with the lesson plan or modify the lessons to suit your students interests or needs.
Cons of Using a Thematic Curriculum (Unit Study):
• Most do not follow a standard “scope & sequence” typical to a public school. All this means is that what might be taught in a certain grade level in a public school might be different than what a student might learn in a particular grade level with a unit study. The scope, or breadth of what is taught, might be similar, but the sequence, or order in which subject matter is taught, may vary. This might make it difficult to take a standardized test for a specific grade level if particular subject matter had not yet been covered. Otherwise, it really doesn't matter what grade level a student learns a particular topic such as oceans, birds, or even civil war since those things don’t build on each other.
• Can be overwhelming if you don’t prepare ahead of time, if you try to do too much, or if you don’t understand how to best utilize the materials.
• Typically require heavier teacher involvement, particularly in the younger elementary grades.
• Can be difficult to use if they are dependent upon specific resource books, especially if those books are rare, out of print, or difficult to find.
Unit Studies are very easy to tailor to individual students, like a custom-made outfit designed just for them.
Classical Trivium Curriculum
The term “”classical” has come to mean different things and can, therefore, be a confusing term. The word trivium can be used to describe the three stages of educational development, and it can also refer to a style of curriculum that utilizes the Trivium in its approach to education.
Classical education, first, describes the three stages of education, referred to as the Trivium. Based on the Trivium, Latin for “the place where three roads meet,” or “three roads of learning” the Classical Trivium comprised the framework for ancient & medieval education.
The Trivium consists of three stages of development:
1. Grammar - (elementary/through age 12) at this stage, children are developing skill in comprehending facts. Elementary-aged children are naturally adept at soaking up information and memorizing facts. The idea is that if children are able to sing or chant something (rote memorization), they will be able to remember the information for a lifetime.
2. Dialectic/Logic - (middle school/early teens) at this stage, students are developing skill in reasoning out relationships between these facts. Children at this age begin to think independently and ask questions, and they have a propensity to become argumentative. They question authority and facts in pursuit of reasons.
3. Rhetoric (high school/late teens) - at this stage, students are developing skill in wise, effective expression and application of the facts and their relationships. They begin to synthesize what they have learned and to creatively express and make practical use of it as they develop persuasive speaking and writing techniques.
Children are natural learners and learn by natural progression through each stage of the Trivium, from the grammar stage to the rhetoric stage. Most educational materials are developed with these three stages of learning in mind.
However, there are curriculum available which call themselves “Classical,” but which are designed to study history chronologically, and repeats every four years: Ancients, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and Modern Times. The goal of each repetition is to gain a better understanding of history at each phase of the Trivium.
Examples of Trivium-Based Curriculum:
Teaching the Trivium (Bluedorns)
Memoria Press
The Pros of Trivium-Based Curriculum:
• Places great emphasis on academic learning
• Can be used with unit studies or with a Charlotte Mason approach
• Utilizes real books instead of textbooks
• Usually has pretty flexible lesson plans
• Some incorporate hands-on learning & independent projects
Cons:
• Can be difficult to teach if children have a wide age gap • As the child progresses to higher grades, it may become necessary to find a classical school to finish their schooling.
•Can be pricey if you need to purchase additional books and resources.
Classical Education is a classic design that has stood the test of time. It is the toga of Greek culture. The t-shirt of today.
Technology-Based Curriculum
Technology-based curriculum is simply those that are available in digital form, such as online, via satellite, or as a software application. Many of these are workbook-based curriculum that are delivered via software or internet
Some brands of Traditional Curriculum can be purchased from individual publishers, while others are available through private or public schools.
Examples of Technology-based curriculum include:
Alpha Omega “Switched on Schoolhouse”
Teaching Textbooks
There are also online private and public schools which use traditional curriculum, such as Monarch, K-12 and Texas Tech University ISD.
Pros of Using Technology-Based Curriculum or Online Schools:
• Provides structure so the student can learn independently
• May be good preparation for future online learning environment
• Online schools give opportunity to learn from another teacher
• Some online schools provide interaction with virtual classmates
• Online charter schools provide seamless transition if placing child in public school at some point
Cons of Using Technology-Based Curriculum:
• Can be pricey
• Software-based curriculum often has an answer-key programmed into them, which may cause frustration if the child does not answer exactly…even if they get the answer correct.
• Internet-based curriculum or classes mean less flexibility, since your child will most likely be on another person’s school schedule. It can also mean that you will not be able to opt out of certain assignments or take more or less time on a particular assignment.
• Online charter school students are subject to state testing.
• Might not be a good choice for students with poor reading or typing skills
• Being dependent on the internet may mean accessibility might be a problem if your WiFi is down, or the electricity goes out.
With Technology-Based curriculum, you can get what you need at the touch of a button.
I hope this article gives you some ideas for the type of curriculum you might want to try.
Don’t be discouraged if you find that it takes a little experimenting. Homeschooling is an adventure as much as it is a learning experience.
If you discover that a curricula is not working for you, don't be afraid to make a change. Finding that you need to change curriculum is not a sign of failure on your part. Even if it's mid-year. Not all curriculum are appropriate for all children, even those within the same family, and there are times when it is absolutely appropriate to shop around for another curriculum when the one you're using no longer works.
Remember, homeschooling is a journey, and the curricula is the vehicle that transports you where you want to go.
Don't settle for an electric car if what you really need is …a bus that flies.