The Eclectic Teaching Method
Please Pass the Chocolate EclecticLet's take a closer look at the eclectic teaching method... O.K. I'm one of those dessert grazers. You know the type. The one at the holiday party with a tiny slice of every dessert on her plate. I love variety and love tasting new things. Have you ever been to a buffet with row after row of delectable desserts? Chocolate covered strawberries and triple-layer fudge chocolate cake.... Assuming you have no food allergies, can eat anything you want without gaining an ounce, and love sweets, imagine you are standing beside a dessert buffet table that extends out as far as your eyes can see. (I am one of the cursed individuals on a strict health diet, with multiple food allergies, and a low metabolism.. so dream with me awhile.) So you are at this no-calorie dessert buffet, your mouth is watering, and you are about to eat more grams of sugar than you ate in the last year, in the last decade even, knowing you won't gain a single pound; you've piled on my personal favorites (at this moment): coffee-mocha ice-cream, rum cake, strawberry cheescake and a huge chocolate eclair, and then, out of nowhere, a big voice demands: You look down at your five-pound chilled plate, now overflowing and dripping in whip cream and fudge sauce. You panic. "Oh no! I have to put some of this back? Can't I just take one bite of each one?" But it is no use. You have to pick one or have none!
Eclectic teaching and curriculum works like an all-you-can-eat buffet. You are an eclectic teacher if you like to have a little of this and a little of that - borrowing what fits your personal style and comfort level from several different teaching methods. I use an eclectic teaching method, and I also have an eclectic approach to the curriculum I choose. If you are eclectic in your curriculum choices, you might enjoy a Christian Publisher's materials, but find the literature sections are to dulled down and boring for your family. So, you might teach out of the Christian math and spelling books, and purchase novels for your core literature teachings. Let's use the food analogy again to look at eclectic curriculum, because, let's face it, I like food. Consider these three imaginary troops. Troop One Member: He likes to eat out and take out; he is super busy with a part-time job and raising several children, including a toddler; he doesn't have time to plan, and needs everything ready to go. It's pricey to purchase everything ready-made, but there's less stress and more time for more important things. As a member of Troop One, he purchases the all-inclusive, boxed, preplanned curriculum with stacks of workbooks, textbooks, teaching manuals and tests, all neatly compiled and organized. He doesn't have to spend a lot of time planning and can simply follow the guidelines in the teacher's manuals. Troop Two Member: She likes to cook from scratch. She makes her own pie crusts, borrows recipes from friends and relatives, knows all the best places to shop for discounted items. As a member of Troop Two, she borrows and buys used books and materials and builds her own curriculum from the ground up. She loves the freedom to follow her own design and planning. Troop Three Member: A member of troop three is somewhere in between Troop One and Troop Two. She likes to eat out sometimes, she likes to eat in, and she also enjoys a home-cooked meal. Troop Three member purchases some ready-made curriculum, such as workbooks and textbooks, and adds other educational materials based on her and her child's preferences and needs.
In the end, it doesn't matter what troop you are in, or what you put on your plate, as long as it works best for you and your child. If you're a nibbler who likes a lot of variety, you might want to think about eclectic teaching, if not, research more into the many other home school teaching methods (link coming) available. Whatever you decide, happy searching... and while you're looking, please pass me a chocolate eclectic!
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