Teaching methods vary from homeschool classroom to classroom, and one that is gaining popularity if the Living Books approach. This method is based on the writings of Charlotte Mason, a British educator. Mason was unhappy at the formal education system of her time which treated children as little more than empty containers to be filled up with bits of isolated information. She wanted them to read more than the dull textbooks that she considered inferior material. She wanted to open their minds to new possibilities.
Mason was of the opinion that if children were given good books to read, they would be able to educate themselves in good habits and a good lifestyle. She believed that children should be taught about how to behave and act in real life situations rather than merely generating artificial learning situations in the school classroom. She wanted them to be able to handle themselves in actual situations they faced. This is very much in resonance to most homeschooling families where the learning is never restricted to the classrooms.
After teaching the children basic reading, writing and math skills Mason asked that they be allowed to experience other sources of learning. Living books, as per her, were books that made the theme or topic come alive in a manner that the child could easily relate to it. They made the children think about what they were reading, unlike dull textbooks which seemed to assume that the student had no capacity for individual opinion formation. They demand the active participation of the student.
The homeschool students become active participants in their own learning in the living books approach. They are exposed to real world information rather than a small and simplified version of the topic that is highly distilled. They go out into the world and test the words that they have read. They don’t have to waste time on busy work, but instead can indulge their curiosity and creative thinking. They develop a love of learning and do not always wait on the homeschool teacher to find out more about something that interests them. It is for this reason that the approach is gaining popularity with homeschoolers.
