HomeSimultaneous Multi-level Teaching
SCENE 1
Picture the scene: A home-schooling mother is trying to teach history at the same time to her four children aged 4, 6, 8 and 10 years respectively. To her four year old she says: “Today we are learning about old cars.” To her six year old she says: “Today we are learning about the French Revolution.” To her eight year old she says: “Today we are learning about World War II.” To her ten year old she says: “Today we are learning about Ancient China. Stop throwing the paper aeroplane! Listen to me! Juice break is later! No, not World War I, World War II! What were we talking about anyway?”
Imagine the chaos!
The mother is trying to split herself into four pieces, trying to deliver a comprehensive lesson about four different aspects of history at the same time! She ends up feeling frazzled. Her children have learned nothing at all and everyone is frustrated and demoralised.
SCENE 2
Picture a different scene… the Love2Learn-One-Room-Schoolhouse way: A mother is teaching the science of light and lenses at the same time to her four children aged 4, 6, 8 and 10 years respectively. To all her children she says: “Today we are learning about light and lenses.” It looks better already, doesn’t it? My pinhole camera! The mother would begin by reading aloud from the full colour Love2Learn Curriculum book on the subject of light and lenses. The children would look at the colourful pictures together and discuss their understanding of the topic. Next the whole family would make a pinhole camera together. Then they would log onto the internet and view a short movie on the topic. Each child would have the opportunity to do a verbal narration on the topic.
To her four year old she says: “you can play with the pinhole camera we made today.” To her six year old she says: “draw a picture about what you learned today and write one good sentence about it.” To her eight year old she says: “Draw a picture about what you learned today and write a short essay explaining how light passes through a lens” To her ten year old she says: “Draw a picture about what you learned today and write a comparative essay on the similarities and difference between the functioning of a pinhole camera, and the inversion of images on the retina of the human eye”
The whole family has completed the same lesson, but each child has interacted with the material at their age appropriate level. The mother is sane and the children have each learned something. The younger children have benefited from the “trickle-down” effect due to the participation of their older siblings.
The one-room schoolhouse is not an invention of Love2Learn Home-schooling Curriculum, but has existed for years. This allows for effective, simultaneous multilevel teaching. Love2Learn is designed around this concept.
"The mind feeds on ideas"
Charlotte Mason
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1 : 1