Top Two Homeschooling Trends:

Classical Education and High Tech Education

At first glance, these two topics don't seem to go together. Yet in a way they do, because both are popular trends in home education today. This is what Mike Farris discussed in one of the workshops at the AFHE convention in July, 2000. Mike Farris is the founder and past president of the Home School Legal Defense Association. Currently, he is president and founder of the new Patrick Henry College.

The focus of classical education is to learn about the foundation of Western civilization, and in particular to understand the principles behind the freedoms we enjoy as Christians in America. A classical education includes the study of great literature, history, theology, economics, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. It is taught in several stages.

The ability to read, write, and do basic math operations are required first, of course. This is The Grammar Stage, in which drills and memorization are emphasized. This stage provides a basic knowledge of facts, dates, places, names of things, words, scriptures, etc. Next comes the Dialectic (Reasoning) Stage, during which the child studies the "why" questions. Following this is the Rhetoric Stage, in which the student takes the facts and values he or she has learned, and learns how to communicate them in an articulate manner. For this purpose, the subjects of writing, speech and debate are highly desirable.

Farris says the purpose of high-tech education should be to supplement face-to-face instruction, not replace it. Computers are tools that need to be used wisely. Computers are excellent for word processing, research, and repetitive drills of math and other facts. They are recommended for subjects that are difficult to teach, such as Physics, Euclidian Geometry, and foreign languages. The internet will enable students to take on-line classes taught by famous professors, even Nobel scientists. Computers are useful for learning elective subjects. Computers are also a means of getting on-line help, support, and encouragement. A classical education may even be taught in a high-tech setting.

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