Packaged Curricula vs. Custom Curricula...Which is Best?

The short answer is...it depends.  The decision to go with a pre-packaged, commercial curricula or custom designed curricula depends, solely, on the needs of your child.  In many cases, a combination of both is appropriate.  For example, a student may use a commercial Math curriculum supplemented by custom designed enrichment or remediation content.  Other students may need a completely different approach in Math, leading to the use of a much more custom designed content.

The question, then, becomes...how do you determine what your child needs.  You have a few options.  Absent any obvious learning difficulties, a trial and error approach may work.  This can be expensive, however, especially if you are buying some of the more pricey packages.  Another option is professional assessment and consultation.  That's where places like Sylvan come in.  They are also extremely expensive and tend to be based on the lowest two levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (see my post about standardized testing).  Alternatively, you can use the services of a private, professional consultant.

As a consultant, my job is centered around your child.  I begin with an assessment in core content areas (Reading, Math, and Writing), taking into consideration any results from previously completed tests, and piece together a total program that fits your child.  The mistake many people make is trying to fit a child to a particular curriculum...that approach may make money, but it may not be the best thing for the child.  Companies such as Sylvan or Huntington charge an insane amount of money for the same type of services I can provide.

The next time you contemplate your child's homeschool curricula, consider whether you need some professional services.  If what you've tried in the past hasn't been working, consider giving me a call.

What are WebQuests, and Why Use Them?

WebQuests offer parents a way to integrate technology into various subject areas, through carefully engineered Internet exploration (a Quest on the Web, so to speak).  A well designed WebQuest follows a very particular pattern which encourages the use of critical thinking skills and processes. 

The Introduction: All webquests frame a concept or group of related concepts in an introduction addressed to the learner or group of learners.  For example, a quest designed to explore fractional parts of a whole might tell the learner that they will help a pizza parlor worker figure out how to slice a pizza so there are a certain number of slices.

The Task: This portion of the webquest explains what the final product of the quest will be.  In some cases, a quest may require the learner to produce a slideshow presentation or a display board showcasing their newly acquired knowledge.

The Process: This section of the webquest  gives very specific information to the learner.  Websites are carefully selected for their content, and questions are asked of the learner based upon that content.  For example, the learner may be asked to name 4 different ways to divide a circle into fractional parts.  A link to a website giving information that will help them answer that question will be listed in this section.  All the websites and questions in this section will build toward the final product .

Evaluation: This section is the most customizable.  While most webquests will come with a way for parents to evaluate the final project (such as a rubric or grading chart), the evaluation method may be changed to fit specific learning needs.  If your family does not use a strict grading system, grading charts may be used to simply provide feedback to the learner.  In other words, comments may be given instead of grades so that the learner knows what was done well, and what might have needed more work.

In short, Webquests allow learners to safely use the Internet to independently gather information and apply it in some tangible form.  Using them as a teaching method is advantageous in that it encourages learners to use their critical thinking skills and exercise their independent learning muscles.  Enjoy this quest and others published by Brodie Education Consulting, and let us know if there are other topics you’d like to see as WebQuests.

Happy Exploring!!

Check out our products on CurrClick.com

Partnership With CurrClick

FOR RELEASE ON 1/27/2012

Brodie Education Consulting Signs on to CurrClick.com

Pasadena, TX — The era of digital delivery is here and Brodie Education Consulting is at the forefront.  You can now easily download our education  materials 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at CurrClick.com

We are happy to announce that we’ve teamed up with CurrClick.com and can now offer you, our customers, homeschool and educational products as secure eBooks on this exciting, new site.  Check out our eBook educational products right now by visiting www.currclick.com.

CurrClick.com is the only eBook and audio book site specializing in Homeschool curriculum.  This dynamic and user friendly site employs the latest Adobe server technology, allowing us to make our full line of products available to you easily, instantly, cheaply and completely free of shipping costs. Currclick.com takes extra books off your bookshelf and puts them on your computer or CD-Rom, saving you much needed space. No longer will you be plagued by broken or missing audio cassettes and CD’s, or drink-stained workbook pages! Your books will now be effortlessly stored, as small, easy-to-use files on computer or disc, to be viewed or printed at your convenience.

Don't miss this exciting opportunity: Brodie Education Consulting and Currclick.com will be offering Element Detectives for download absolutely free during the week of February 13. Be sure to download this and check out our other great products at CurrClick.com where you get Curriculum in a Click!