Getting Started with Homeschooling

Practical Considerations for Parents of School-Aged Children

© Beverley Paine

Part 4: Developing a Homeschooling Curriculum

What is a Curriculum?

Curriculum is derived from the Latin 'to run a course' and is an educational program consisting of a collection of learning plans, centered around single themes or goals and reflecting an overall educational philosophy. Consider the curriculum as a 'map', describing how the educational requirements of your children will be met. It encompasses all of the areas normally associated with ‘education’, and any others you feel to be important. The terms ‘learning program’, curriculum’, ‘educational program’ have been used interchangeably in this book.

As a ‘map’ you can constantly refer to your curriculum helps you to ‘stay on track’ and not be distracted by current educational fads or the opinions of others. A well documented and regularly reviewed educational program will assist you to achieve this. Although this takes some time is well worth the effort, and does help to maintain your confidence in yourself as your children’s principle educator.

Children tend to like some structure that responds to their needs, and they like to have an understanding of the purpose of what is happening. This is also true for adults. Once formulated an educational program needs to be flexible and responsive to revision, recycling or discarding, based on actual experience and circumstances.

Your educational program will look very different to other home schooling family’s programs because of the uniqueness of every family and the individuals within them. However, it will contain three basic areas:

Your educational philosophy, that is, your beliefs about education (what education means for your family), and long term goals (how you want your children to ‘turn out);
Your immediate objectives, outlining how and what the children will learn, sometimes referred to as the content and methodology;
And evaluation, which allows for reflection on the processes and outcomes of learning.

In practice these three areas occur simultaneously, and you will find yourself continuously evaluating what is happening, planning adjustments or new challenges, collecting resources, ideas and activities to suit the moment, and reviewing your goals and educational philosophy as a result.

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Excerpt from Getting Started with Homeschooling, Practical Considerations
© Beverley Paine, 1997

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Disclaimer: The information on this page is opinion,
written by someone without legal qualifications.
Always seek qualified legal advice if in any doubt as to your legal position.