“Each student simply moves up a seamless road of knowledge at whatever rate of progress his abilities and study habits permit.” - Art Robinson
Could it be so simple?
For a long time now I have not liked “grade levels.” I even blogged about it a couple years ago. Grade levels mean different things in different schools, among different curricula companies, and even through time. Common Core, which was supposed to unify standards in grade levels throughout the United States, has been rejected by several states and is atrocious with its depleted content.
Old-fashioned, one-room schoolhouses understood the concept of a seamless road of knowledge. Using things such as Ray’s Aritmetic and the McGuffey Readers helped to create some of the most literate, creative, innovative people in history. And yet, we tend to look at these methods as flawed today because the advancements made by those very people have made us egotistical. It’s as if we lay claim to the advancements of previous generations, but believe it was flawed because the lessons we learned from their combined knowledge make us somehow smarter.
Does this mean we don't ever use technology? Of course not, but it is limited. It is a tool. Technological advances are wonderful in so many ways, but they can also be detrimental.
Technology isn't the only area where I have made changes. I have also been adding many "older" books to our reading. The average, bestselling, popular fiction book has only a sixth grade reading level. Popular authors, such as James Patterson and Nora Roberts, have an average of 4.4 grade level. In the sixties, the average bestseller was an eighth grade reading level. Farmers in the 1800s read material such as the Pilgrim’s Progress and The Last of the Mohicans for entertainment. Both of those selections are considered college level material today.
Using older materials, such as the McGuffey Readers, helps to bring in the incredible sentence structures and vocabulary of earlier writings. I have also added many older books in my daughter's reading list, such as The Bobbsey Twins series, Little Britches, and the works of L.M. Montgomery. I don't necessarily think our reading list must all be older books, as there are some more modern books that are wonderful, but I have found a strong appreciation for some of the older works and how they train the brain to think a little more deeply.
If I had to do it all over, I probably would have not stressed so much about the methods or the materials. I would have done what I am doing now... a good math program that has excellent explanations and builds slowly, some grammar, some writing, and a ton of great books. So many subjects can be contained in "living books." Most of the time my girl doesn't even realize she is learning when she is reading a book that grabs her attention. She is caught up in the story. I have added plenty of read-alouds and audiobooks to the list, because this has also proven to be supremely beneficial to the brain.
Many times my children learn through following their own interests. To do this, they must have time to do this. I have noticed that having a set schedule for learning without grade levels, where the child works at their own pace, and the basics are the focus; frees up that time. It also frees up a lot of time to limit screens. When I do so, my child will explore her own interests freely. She will play outside with other children. She will read more, above and beyond what is on the reading list. She delved into horses last year, reading and learning all she could.
I own a lot of materials, acquired after years of homeschooling. I tried this method and that method. I researched philosophies. And, despite tying some of this and some of that, I always come back to some core principles. I want a solid math program and lots of good books, both fiction and nonfiction, that cover a plethora of subjects and topics.
Technology isn't the only area where I have made changes. I have also been adding many "older" books to our reading. The average, bestselling, popular fiction book has only a sixth grade reading level. Popular authors, such as James Patterson and Nora Roberts, have an average of 4.4 grade level. In the sixties, the average bestseller was an eighth grade reading level. Farmers in the 1800s read material such as the Pilgrim’s Progress and The Last of the Mohicans for entertainment. Both of those selections are considered college level material today.
Using older materials, such as the McGuffey Readers, helps to bring in the incredible sentence structures and vocabulary of earlier writings. I have also added many older books in my daughter's reading list, such as The Bobbsey Twins series, Little Britches, and the works of L.M. Montgomery. I don't necessarily think our reading list must all be older books, as there are some more modern books that are wonderful, but I have found a strong appreciation for some of the older works and how they train the brain to think a little more deeply.
If I had to do it all over, I probably would have not stressed so much about the methods or the materials. I would have done what I am doing now... a good math program that has excellent explanations and builds slowly, some grammar, some writing, and a ton of great books. So many subjects can be contained in "living books." Most of the time my girl doesn't even realize she is learning when she is reading a book that grabs her attention. She is caught up in the story. I have added plenty of read-alouds and audiobooks to the list, because this has also proven to be supremely beneficial to the brain.
Many times my children learn through following their own interests. To do this, they must have time to do this. I have noticed that having a set schedule for learning without grade levels, where the child works at their own pace, and the basics are the focus; frees up that time. It also frees up a lot of time to limit screens. When I do so, my child will explore her own interests freely. She will play outside with other children. She will read more, above and beyond what is on the reading list. She delved into horses last year, reading and learning all she could.
I own a lot of materials, acquired after years of homeschooling. I tried this method and that method. I researched philosophies. And, despite tying some of this and some of that, I always come back to some core principles. I want a solid math program and lots of good books, both fiction and nonfiction, that cover a plethora of subjects and topics.
I believe that a person that knows how to extract knowledge from books can do anything. They can teach themselves whatever they need to know about whatever subject they need or desire to know about, delve into the greatest minds of history and science, and go on adventures with the world’s greatest characters. The quote that best exemplifies this is, “A reader lives a thousand lives...”
Education shouldn’t be complicated, and yet people complicate it. Colleges use big words such as pedagogy to give teachers the feeling that they have some special insight into the minds of children. Schools expect children to be on a certain level, and treat them differently if they go outside the bounds of that level. The ones that do best are “gifted” or “advanced.” The ones that struggle are “learning disabled.” Many times, neither is true.
A seamless road of knowledge means that a child begins at one spot, and slowly moves forward, at their own pace. They might move faster or slower in different areas depending on natural proclivities and what is occurring in their lives. But, they are always progressing. There shouldn't be a bunch of stops and restarts. An education that has a bunch of leaps that jump too far too quickly will leave the child lost. A curriculum that is dumbed-down, that keeps the child at a lower level, will never allow him or her to become a self-learner.
I can tell you that, once a child is in the adult world, nearly all learning is self-learning. We have no way of knowing what the future will hold, and trying to prepare our children for the unknown will be difficult. Instead, we should teach them how to learn, how to think for themselves, so that they will have the capabilities to meet the future with confidence.
I can tell you that, once a child is in the adult world, nearly all learning is self-learning. We have no way of knowing what the future will hold, and trying to prepare our children for the unknown will be difficult. Instead, we should teach them how to learn, how to think for themselves, so that they will have the capabilities to meet the future with confidence.
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