August 20, 2025 – Methods, Styles, and Philosophies

Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP

Exploring Different Teaching Methods

“If they aren’t learning the way you teach, then teach the way they learn.”

Teaching struggling learners isn’t always straightforward. Despite following recommended methods and curricula, my students in the special education resource room still faced learning challenges. Standard remedial strategies like more practice and repetition weren’t effective. Research by Dr. Karyn Purvis in The Connected Parent notes that while it takes about four hundred repetitions to create a new brain synapse, using playfulness can reduce it to just ten to twenty repetitions. Incorporating humor and playful memory hooks led to significant growth and lasting learning among my students—no special curriculum needed. 

New Teaching Strategies

Spelling with Memory Hooks: When students struggled with spelling, despite being good readers, we used visual memory rather than rote writing. By drawing silly images on tricky letters, students better remembered words and saw notable improvement—often gaining three years’ worth of spelling skills in one year. (See “Spelling Can Be Easy,” The Old Schoolhouse 2020 Spring Edition.)

Reading Skills: For struggling readers, using pictures, stories, and emotions directly tied to phonemes helped bypass inefficient auditory memory. Writing “ir, er, ur” on a bird illustration, for example, helped students recall sounds during reading. (See “The Phonics Whisperer,” The Old Schoolhouse 2020-2021 Winter Edition.) To teach sight words, we made colorful cards with engaging drawings and stories, increasing emotional connection if a word didn’t stick.

Reading Comprehension: For students who could read aloud but not comprehend, I taught them to visualize stories like movies in their mind, modeling the process, and checking understanding after each passage. This strategy also proved effective for teens preparing for standardized tests, especially for math word problems and rules.

After twenty‑plus years working with talented but struggling learners, I’ve found that humor, storytelling, and visual strategies are invaluable tools for retention and confidence. Helping students use their powerful photographic memory supports learning at any age. Though this method requires creative effort by the teacher, seeing your child’s improvement is deeply rewarding. You will quickly become addicted to seeing your child’s newfound confidence in their learning. 

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About the author

Dianne Craft has her master’s degree in special education, is a certified natural health professional, and is considered the leader in Alternative Teaching Strategies by several teaching universities. She developed the Craft “Right Brain” Learning System for bright children who have to work too hard to learn. Hundreds of parents each year successfully use her approach to reduce and eliminate learning glitches: Brain Integration Therapy, Right Brain Teaching Strategies, & Targeted Nutritional Interventions. https://diannecraft.org/

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is the perfect companion to a homeschool curriculum. It will help develop critical thinking, Biblical reasoning, and a rich vocabulary. Face.net/TOSDICT. 800-352-3223

Todd Wilson

What Kind of Bird Are You?

First, I have to apologize for years of frustrating certain types of homeschooling moms. For two decades, I have sent the message of relaxing, enjoying your children, and elevating relationships above everything else. That seemed pretty straightforward to me and my personality type, but I realized a couple of years ago that not all moms have my personality type.

They were the ones who would walk up to me and say things like, “Todd, I want to relax and enjoy my children more. Can you tell me how to do that?”

I didn’t kow how to respond. It was so simple . . . or seemed so simple to me and my personality. But here’s a truth: not all homeschooling moms are the same, but all homeschooling moms can enjoy homeschooling their children and smile. They just have to homeschool according to their personality types.

We broke them down into four distinct personalities:

The Falcon—the focused, give me a goal and I’ll achieve it,  homeschooling mom
The Owl—the thoughtful, I want more than just busy work, homeschooling mom
The Swan—the steady, give me some boxes to check off, homeschooling mom
The Sandpiper—the fun, who cares what we do as long as we’re together, homeschooling mom

Of course, they all have strengths and weaknesses that you need to be aware of. I have Falcons who come to me and say, “I want to be more like a sandpiper.” I have sandpipers who say to me, “I want to be more like a falcon.”

But the truth is you can only be what you are!! But if you are an owl, you can smile and homeschool like an owl.

As a Swan, you can smile and homeschool like a swan.

That’s all I can say right now, but you can take the homeschool personality test right here for free and learn what kind of personality you have, weaknesses you need to be aware of, and how to homeschool just the way you are made.

Go take the test and be real.

Todd

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About the author

Todd Wilson is a dad, granddad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and down to earth realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and churches across the country. As founder of Familyman Ministries and the Smiling Homeschooler, his passion and mission are to remind dads and moms of what’s most important through weekly e-mails, podcasts (The Familyman Show & The Smiling Homeschooler), seminars, and books and products that encourage parents. Todd, and his wife Debbie, still homeschool two of their eight children (six have graduated with four married) in northern Indiana. You can read more at www.familymanweb.com.

Blick is your source for homeschool essentials! Shop affordable, high-quality creative supplies and download FREE lesson plans. Shop at DickBlick.com or by calling (800) 828-4548.

Adam and Dianne Riveiro

“You Do You” 

Can I be transparent with you for a minute? [Adam waits for response] Thanks! I love homeschool conventions. In fact, I’ve written about my transformation from reluctant attendee to enthusiastic participant in a previous THM article. But there’s still one part of the convention experience I struggle with—the exhibitor hall.

“Why?” you ask. “I thought you said you enjoyed it in your column about conventions.” And that’s the thing . . . I do! I just enjoy it a little too much. Here’s what I mean: with every booth Dianne and I visit, I feel the tug to sign up for whatever they’re selling. Each presenter makes a compelling case, and they’re all passionate about their curriculum, service, or program. So by the time we’ve walked the whole room, I’ve nearly convinced myself that we should do . . . everything! I mean, there’s nothing wrong with using ten different curriculums and signing your kids up for twelve different groups, right?

In all honesty, the real issue comes down to this: the question isn’t always what method, style, or philosophy is right, but rather which one is right for you. There’s a big difference. And there can be a lot of persuasive arguments to jump on board with what a vendor, fellow homeschool parent, or social media influencer tells you. But in the end, resist the temptation simply to follow the crowd and (as the kids say) “you do you.” Follow the leadership of the One who truly matters most, and prayerfully ask the Lord to guide you into what your homeschool family should look like. When you do, you can be confident that you’re doing right by your children—not just following the loudest or most persuasive homeschool voice in the room.

-Adam

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About the author

Pastor Adam and Dianne Riveiro live in Easton, Massachusetts, where Adam serves as the pastor of Liberty Baptist Church. Together, they’ve authored several books, including their newest book Ministering to YOUR Children with Special Needs, published by Ready Scribe Publications. Parents to four amazing kids—Bethany, Kaylee, AJ, and Peyton—the Riveiros are deeply committed to helping special needs families discover joy and contentment through Christ.

Sherri Seligson

Overwhelmed by Educational Options? Choose the Best Fit for YOU!

One of the blessings of homeschooling is that we can tailor our children’s education based on individual needs. But how do we do that and what are the different ways to teach? 

Well, there are several teaching philosophies and methods out there, and it can be overwhelming to know what to choose. But all the research I have read and all the homeschool families I have spoken with all point to the same thing: The important choice isn’t necessarily the method . . . it’s the fact that families choose the best option that fits their own unique needs.

Here’s a short summary of educational philosophies and homeschool styles:

The major philosophies include: 

• Essentialism—focusing on traditional academics, such as science, history, and math 
• Progressivism—experiential learning solving real-world problems and utilizing critical thinking which can make learning more personal
• Perennialism—using classical works of literature to learn classic ideas

Let me just say that is not an exhaustive list. There are many more, but these seem to be best aligned with homeschooling. 

And the major homeschooling methods are:

• Traditional—similar in style and experience to public and private schools, using texts and structured curriculum (something most homeschoolers try not to copy)
• Classical—history, logic, and grammar focus, plus persuasive speaking and writing
• Charlotte Mason— using “living books” written in an interesting, narrative style as well as incorporating nature study and child-driven interest
• Montessori—student-led learning, using lots of experiences and hands-on manipulatives
• Unit studies—focusing on a single topic around which all branches of education are centered

There are also methods that use a combination of the above, such as Waldorf, unschooling, and eclectic homeschooling. 

Why list all these? Well, we literally have an abundance of philosophies and methods to choose from to best fit the needs of our children and our families. That is why everyone’s homeschooling journey will look a bit different. And that’s a beautiful thing!

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About the author

Sherri Seligson, M.Ed. is a 21-year veteran homeschool mom, marine biologist and author of Apologia’s science courses, instructional videos, and more. Sherri loves encouraging moms and teaching families the wonders of God’s creation. www.sherriseligson.com; Facebook: SherriSeligsonAuthor; Instagram: sherriseligson 

Can’t choose just one method? You don’t have to! The Eclectic Homeschooling Pathway blends styles like Charlotte Mason, Classical, Unit Studies, and more. Learn how to build a customized approach that fits your child and your family perfectly.