Common Teaching Approach Part
1
The following section is an overview of Common
Teaching Approach is produced by “The Elijah Company”.
This section is included here with their permission.
Visit their Web site at
Elijah Company.
Please note:
This information is provided for educational
purposes only. It does not constitute
professional advice, nor does it guarantee
results.
Reprinted
from the 2001 Elijah Company catalog. For a
free copy of this catalog, contact:
The Elijah Company
1053 Eldridge Loop
Crossville, TN 38571
1-888-235-4524
The Traditional Approach
In
the Traditional Approach, graded textbooks or
workbooks follow a scope and sequence that covers each
subject in 180 daily increments over a span of 12
years. Teacher's manuals, tests, and record keeping
materials are usually available that correspond to
each of the texts. Textbook curricula assume you will
run your home school like an institutional school.
Worktext programs present textbooks in consumable
workbook format. The student learns his lesson, is
given assignments, and is tested all in the workbook.
The worktexts include tests or checkpoints to ensure
that the material in each section is mastered before
the student moves on to the next. Worktexts also allow
more independent study and require minimal teacher
preparation time and supervision.
Video programs are also available that are actual
classrooms on video. The child follows along with the
video as if he or she were attending an actual
classroom, and uses the accompanying textbooks or
workbooks.
Traditional curricula are also available on computer.
Many satellite schools as well as universities now
offer computer courses on CD or through the Internet.
Most of the textbook and worktext programs used in
private Christian schools are available to home
schoolers. They each share a distinct doctrinal
perspective, and usually contain strong elements of
essentialism.
Some
questions to ask yourself before trying the
traditional, texbook approach are listed below. Yes
answers indicate this approach may work for you and
your child:
-
Did
my child perform well in a school classroom?
-
Does
my child like to complete assignments and to have
defined goals?
-
Is
my child academically oriented?
-
Will
my child complete assigned tasks with a minimum of
prodding from me?
-
Am
I the kind of person who will follow through with
the lesson plans and pace of the course of
instruction?
Some
additional questions to ask before using the workbook
approach with your child:
-
Does
my child read well and have good reading
comprehension skills?
-
Can
my child work well independently?
-
Can
my child learn without a lot of variety to the
teaching materials?
Strengths
of the Textbook/Worktext Approach:
-
Everything
is laid out for ease of use
-
Follows
a standardized scope and sequence
-
Has
definite milestones of accomplishment
-
Testing
and assigning grades is easy to do
Weaknesses
of the Textbook/Worktext Approach:
-
Is
geared to the "generic" child. Does not
take into account individual learning styles,
strengths and weaknesses, or interests
-
Assumes
that there is a body of information that comprises
an education and that this information can be
broken down into daily increments
-
Treats
children's minds like containers to be filled with
information
-
Focuses
on transmitting information through artificial
learning experiences
-
Is
teacher-directed and chalkboard oriented
-
Different
aged students study different materials
-
Expensive
when teaching multiple children
-
Discourages
original, independent thinking
-
Has
a high "burn out" rate
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