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Product Review Last Revised February 28, 2009 |
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by Lori Coeman published by Mott Media, L.L.C.; 29 pages, paperback 
This is a companion resource to my book, How To Teach So They Can Learn. In some ways, it is a “prequel” to the learning styles book because it deals with the first part of the sailing analogy used in the book – the destination. It gives parents the information they need to chart their homeschooling course.
I put this booklet together directly from my consultations. When I meet with families to design a curriculum that fits their children’s learning style, it doesn’t take long before they realize that the right curriculum is also based on their goals, reasons for homeschooling, and what they want their homeschooling to accomplish. Yet I find many of them have not had a chance to think through these issues. Some don’t even know where to begin. That’s the purpose of this booklet. It explains in easy-to-understand language how to form a purpose statement (or family mission statement), the different philosophies of education, elements of worldview, setting long-term goals, and common teaching approaches used in homeschooling. I use open-ended questions to guide you through the process of writing down your thoughts on these issues. Do you have to know the answers to these questions to homeschool? No, but they will make it much easier for you to choose curriculum, decide what activities to do, and help you stay on course. If you’re like me, you probably jumped right into homeschooling because certain circumstances left you no other choice. Or perhaps you knew down in your heart that this was God’s plan for your family. But few of us have consciously thought about what we’re trying to do. We just do it! Then in the midst of time pressures and day-to-day activities, we try to sort through the curriculum catalogs and the myriad of activities and enrichment classes available. We can feel as if we’re pulled in ten different directions at once. Everything sounds good, but we know we can’t do it all. Having a written statement of our goals and vision helps us to avoid this stress and stay true to God’s calling for our homeschooling. Incidentally, the last several pages are a comparison chart of the different approaches to homeschooling across a variety of criteria such as ease of planning, flexibility, cost, and teacher-involvement. Lori Coeman KEY WORD: homeschool, homeschooling, home school, navigation, navigating, waters, Coeman, Coleman, goal, purpose, vision, approach, getting started, planning
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