POLL: How do you teach?

[Kathie in VA]

I was just wondering which way most of us tend to homeschool. Do you teach the subject based on what you know or learned (ahead of time) from the curriculum or do you tutor ... ie help your kids understand the material by reading the lesson with them right out of the curriculum and only explain things differently if they need it or if you prefer to do something a different way.

[Daisy]

Depends on the age of the child. With my DD 3rd grader, I'm transitioning her to more independent learning so I tend to faciliate more. With my DS kinder, I'm straight on teaching the material. I rarely use anything. He sits on the floor and plays and we have a conversation. Today he built with legos while I explained what firmament meant and the various days of creation, we counted legos to 100, etc. I find that through about 2nd grade, this approach works best. By late 2nd we were transitioning to more tutoring style.

[Plaid Dad]

Depends on the subject and the materials we have available. My dd much prefers being tutored to being taught (to use your distinction).

[Alana in Canada]

The distinction is difficult for me to understand.
I tend to "teach" with the teacher's manual in my hands! I even showed my son one of the diagrams right in the book today since my blackboard wasn't big enough for me to reproduce it.
To me, that's teaching. I present the material, they pay attention to me.

Tutoring, to me, is: they figure out how to manipulate and organize the material and they bring me in as I'm needed. That won't happen yet for a few years!

[nukeswife]

I definately switch my style up depending on what the subject and the lessons in it.

For Math I definately teach it as that's my strong suit. For Grammar it's what you define as tutoring although I still view it as teaching. For phonics my dd uses a computer based program which I only log in for her, then her ETC which I'm there to help when needed.

For history and science I'm teaching again by presenting the lesson to them. I'm also starting to make my own program up for American history for next year since I didn't like what I was seeing out there.

[8FillTheHeart]

I selected other. I teach, but I wouldn't say w/o curricula. I teach more than their textbooks include, but I do refer to their textbooks so that they can see the examples/definitions, etc in relation to our discussion.

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

and tend to I tutor with content subjects.

[godpoetry]

I chose both because there are some subjects that I can not teach like math, and that I must tutor. I am not a math person, especially as he advances next year to algebra.:rolleyes:

[cricket1178]

I would say I do both. I definitely teach math, and much of LA's. I probably tutor more of the other subjects.

[BizyPenguin]

That's usually how I teach content subjects.

[Luanne]

The only exception would be history (particulary world history) in which my daughter tutors me instead.

[freethinkermom]

I choose tutor, however with ds11 I am more hands off than that. My goal is to teach my children to learn on their own with guidance as to what they should focus on. Ds11 has been firmly in that realm for several years. Ds6 is getting there, but still requires direct tutoring on most subjects. I always make a point to familiarize myself with what they are or will be studying beforehand so we can discuss it.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

We tend to start with a certain curriculum, and I then add to or simplify the explanations given. How much I do this varies by subject and by the age of the child. I expect we'll gradually shift over to more tutoring as the kids get older because I want them to be able to learn on their own.

[Closeacademy]

I think of myself as more of a tutor and guide.

I don't really sit up there with a chalkboard and lecture. I sit with my dc and explore together. When we sit and do written work, I am more of a tutor and I help read directions and such. But our teaching time is more of a story and exploration time where we make discoveries together.:)

[Susan in TX]

I chose "other" because all the curricula I use is "self-instructional" (or I adapt it to make it that way) so I let the curricula do the teaching and the children do the learning, with help from me as needed.

Susan in TX

[Testimony]

Some subjects, I use a curriculum because I really do not know the subject. So, I educate myself by going over the curriculum and then teach it. Other subjects, I know well enough to teach without anything.

Blessings,
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony