Block Learning is Fantastic for Homeschooling

EP193: What if a simple shift in your homeschooling approach could make lesson planning easier and learning more effective for your children? Discover the transformative power of block learning in this week's Art of Homeschooling podcast. We revisit an insightful episode from the podcast archives exploring the benefits of block learning. Listen up as we compare block learning with other popular methods like unit studies and project-based learning so you can understand the difference and make the best choices for homeschooling your children. With three powerful tools to strengthen your lesson blocks, whether you craft your own curriculum or draw from existing resources, you'll be equipped to make the most of this structured yet flexible approach.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

You're listening to the Art of Homeschooling podcast, where we help parents cultivate creativity and connection at home. I'm your host, jean Miller, and here on this podcast you'll find stories and inspiration to bring you the confidence you need to make homeschooling work for your family. Let's begin. Hello homeschooling friend. This week we're bringing you an art of homeschooling classic from the podcast archives and I'm so excited to bring back episode number 90 from here on the podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:54

Block learning is fantastic for homeschooling and here's why. Just the other day I was having a conversation with a homeschooling parent in a one-on-one session and I found myself saying that block learning is actually easier to plan for and more effective for learning. In terms of the planning, we get to narrow the topic and explore that topic for three to four weeks. From a learning perspective, children benefit from building their knowledge about a topic over a period of time in a block like this. In fact, recent research into the science of reading corroborates this way of learning. Here's a quote from Natalie Wexler of Knowledge Matters. She says there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that if we want to improve reading outcomes, combining literacy instruction with knowledge building is the way to go. And here's the thing, my friend, main lesson block learning is knowledge building. That's what we're doing, because we stick with a topic for an extended period of time and we find connections within the stories we share. Here's another quote from the Knowledge Matters campaign Quote the bottom line is that children learn best when they engage with texts and experiences on related concepts and topics, rather than randomly jumping from topic to topic or broad themes. Students benefit when a curriculum connects what they are learning to what they already know. This notion that we connect the new to the known is among the most robust of findings in cognitive psychology and forms the backbone of carefully designed, responsive instruction. End quote. I'll be sure to link to the sources of those quotes in the show notes for you so that you can read more if you're interested. And you can find those show notes for this episode at artofhomeschoolingcom. Slash, episode 193. And now enjoy this episode all about why block learning is fantastic for homeschoolers like us.

Speaker 1: 3:35

Raise your hand. If you're a product of brick and mortar public schooling. I'm certainly raising my hand If that's you too. You probably remember that most traditional brick and mortar classrooms have a school day rhythm that touches on each subject a little bit every day, so maybe the day starts with handwriting, for example, and then there's 45 minutes for reading groups, and then maybe a short recess or not. Then it's a math lesson before lunch, and after lunch might be a rotating schedule of weekly music, art or gym classes, followed by some science or social studies, and each subject moves along at its own pace through the year. Well, you can homeschool like this. In fact, the Charlotte Mason approach even recommends these shorter lessons throughout the day.

Speaker 1: 4:33

But here at Art of Homeschooling, I recommend block teaching because I think this is the best, strongest method of teaching for families at home. Now, that's not to say we can't do some shorter lessons too, especially for skills practice, but block teaching is so effective and so engaging. So today on the podcast, let's talk more about block teaching and how it's similar and how it's different from other popular homeschooling methods, such as unit studies or even project-based learning. Block learning is fantastic for homeschooling and here's why Stay tuned, because I have three tools for strengthening your own main lesson blocks. Whether you craft your lessons yourself or draw from a curriculum, you might already be familiar with block teaching, but if not, block teaching is one of the most distinctive principles of Waldorf education and Waldorf-inspired homeschooling, though block learning is not limited to Waldorf by any means. It was so more in the early years of our family's homeschooling, but in the last 25 years more and more schools have adopted this approach because it's fantastic for learning. So UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, scientific and Cultural Organization, their International Bureau of Education, defines block learning as and this is a quote a block of time, for example, a number of weeks being devoted to a particular topic or prescribed set of learning objectives or outcomes. It can also indicate a way of organizing the day, using long class periods, meaning more than 60 minutes, typically 90 minutes long, to incorporate more activities and materials to engage the learners. It can be used to make time allocation more flexible, to enhance activities such as project and problem-based learning. End quote.

Speaker 1: 7:00

You might be familiar with other popular homeschooling methods that are similar to block teaching, such as unit studies or project-based learning. According to the popular homeschooling website Time for Learning that's T-I-M-E, the number four, learning Time for Learning says and this is a quote unit studies are time-specific overviews of a defined topic or theme that incorporate multiple subject areas into the study plan. These studies often involve multi-sensory learning, where each activity is organized according to the thematic idea, and here's their definition of project-based learning. Project-based learning is a child-led teaching method that gives students the opportunity to answer a question or solve a problem by having them take part in an engaging, hands-on, sometimes long-term, project. Children use their current skill set and knowledge to do the research and, as parents, we mentor them along as needed, provide them with the tools they need. Once your child is done with their project, they'll then use their communication skills to share their findings.

Speaker 1: 8:16

All right, block learning is similar to unit studies. It has a bit of project-based learning in it. I often describe the main difference, however, with my mantra for main lesson block learning, which is go deep, not wide. Unit studies tend to go wide. They try to fit every single subject that you want to cover into one unit of study, and project-based learning is more open-ended than that. It's often child-led. Main lesson blocks, on the other hand, allow us to dive deeper into one topic while integrating other subjects and skills development.

Speaker 1: 9:05

More on that idea of depth in just a minute, but first I want to answer this question why block teaching? Well, the traditional school model that I hinted at at the beginning. It's designed mostly for testing outcomes, plugging away every day at skills and facts to prepare students to perform well on a test. This model may also seem easier for planning purposes, but I want to remind you that our goal is to really look at the children right. We want to keep children in mind when we design the school day, the homeschool day in particular, and children don't tend to retain as much of the lessons learned when they learn in bits like this. For more on this topic, if you're interested in hearing more, you can check out episode 88 on the podcast called Can we Homeschool Without a Curriculum? You can find it at artofhomeschoolingcom slash, episode 88.

Speaker 1: 10:15

Also, the traditional school model of teaching often leaves children questioning why they have to learn a particular skill or all of these facts, because it can seem really disjointed or even irrelevant to children's daily lives, their experiences. If you have older children, I'm sure you've probably heard this complaint before. Why do I have to learn this If children don't feel ownership or at least some engagement in the learning? This can be a common complaint. We've all heard it before.

Speaker 1: 10:54

For homeschooling families in particular, block teaching has so many advantages. A main lesson block of study can be taken up by the whole family right so that learning can reach multiple ages at once and the family can become deeply immersed in the topic for several weeks at a time. From literature and stories that you can read together every day, to drawings on the chalkboard that inspire everyone, to paintings or artwork that can be hung on the wall or the refrigerator. Songs to sing, poems to learn by heart and recite together, field trips to take, or even films to watch there are so many ways to immerse your home and your homeschool, your children, into a main lesson, into a block of learning. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf Education, suggested that main lesson blocks be anywhere from two to six weeks or even eight weeks in length. He actually suggested different amounts of time for main lesson blocks in varying lectures over the years, but most homeschoolers who are inspired by the Waldorf approach choose anywhere from three to six weeks for their block plans. If this idea of main lesson block teaching is new to you, you'll want to go check out my series of five articles over at artofhomeschoolingcom slash main lesson blocks. Here you'll find more details about block topics through the grades and what main lessons looked like at our house through the years with three kiddos. In this series I cover what is a main lesson block. Why does main lesson block learning work, the essential elements of a main lesson block, how to plan a main lesson block and then finally recording the learning in a main lesson book. So go check that out if you're interested in reading more about this approach.

Speaker 1: 13:12

What I've personally loved most about Waldorf homeschooling Waldorf-inspired homeschooling with main lesson blocks is how much children stay engaged. If there happens to be a block that they're less interested in, I could add in some artistic activities that I knew they loved, and we got to start over every month or so with a new topic. That way their interest stayed fresh and so did mine. This is why the block teaching method speaks to me so much. This is why I used it with my own kids and in our Waldorf-inspired homeschool and why I share it with so many homeschooling parents.

Speaker 1: 14:01

Block teaching is also one of the hallmarks of the Taproot Teacher Training for Homeschoolers. This is an annual training that I host along with a team of homeschooling parents with lots and lots of experience, a training that I host every summer. Taproot is a long weekend retreat and training for Waldorf-inspired homeschoolers that takes place in August in Ohio at a summer camp. You can find out more about Taproot on this page on my website, artofhomeschoolingcom slash Taproot. At Taproot, you get to attend workshops where veteran homeschoolers present their block teaching models with a really special Taproot touch. You can experience how to plan blocks for multiple ages, how to create daily and weekly rhythms for your main lesson blocks, how to sprinkle in the arts and so much more All while sitting side by side with other homeschooling parents, asking questions, sharing ideas and soaking it all in.

Speaker 1: 15:09

Now let's have some conversation about the ways block teaching is the same and how it's different from unit studies, because you'll see lots of ideas out there in the homeschooling world for unit studies. You might even be more familiar with that term. So a unit study draws on a theme right or a topic, just like a main lesson block. But a unit study can incorporate short lessons in all of the subjects, from literature, language, arts, math, geography, history, all of the things. On the other hand, when we plan a main lesson block, I encourage families to dive deeply into one subject or project or activity that we use to plan around, so that we can dive deeply into that one thing. Here are some examples. If this is new to you, this could help. You might use Greek mythology for a language arts main lesson block focusing on writing skills and vocabulary using the Greek root words. Or you might use a main lesson block on farming to teach the math skill of measurement. Going deep into one topic and one skill builds a deep understanding of a subject and puts the learning in context, which in turn creates so many connections for children as they learn. As Julie Bogart, the founder of Brave Writer, says, quote depth not breadth creates momentum in the homeschool. One other difference to note is that unit studies can focus on any topic at any age, often based on a child's or a family's interests, and main lesson block topics can be chosen to nourish a child's unfolding consciousness. This is what Rudolf Steiner had in mind when he came up with a list of story ideas for each grade level, grades one through eight. He wanted the stories to really match the developmental needs of the child at that particular age. I know this is a pretty deep idea and you can read more about what this looks like by grade at artofhomeschoolingcom.

Speaker 1: 18:01

Slash block rotation. Want some tools for strengthening your main lesson teaching? Here are a few ideas to take away from today's episode. First, choose a single main resource. This is often referred to as the spine. Choose a single resource for your topic. This can be a story collection, a novel or, in the older grades, it might be a biography or autobiography or a nonfiction book that you build your block around. You can plan to read a story, a chapter or a section from your spine each day of the block.

Speaker 1: 18:45

Second, start out your planning by thinking about your block's purpose or focus. So, in addition to the story content, you might focus on word families or paragraph writing, a series of watercolor paintings, copy work, measurement fractions, maybe creating a mural. But remember, one focus at a time is enough. My third tool for strengthening your block planning also uses the one is enough principle. You can build out your block plans with things like poems, songs, games, handwork or hands-on projects, but one is enough. One song, one game, one hands-on project for each block is more than enough. So remember, simple, inspiring and doable is our goal. Three tools, just to recap choose a spine, start with a purpose and one is enough.

Speaker 1: 19:58

And I'll leave you with a quote from Roberto Trotsley. He's the author of Rhythms of Learning. And here is just a quote to inspire you this summer day as you might be looking out at the world of your garden, as I am, and noticing the flower buds or the tiny green tomatoes or the ripening peaches. Trostley said, quote knowledge needs time to take root. Quote knowledge needs time to take root, blossom and bear fruit. End quote. Main lesson blocks can unfold with this same ripening, and they really do bear fruit. Thanks so much for tuning in today, and I hope this episode brings you a sense of why block learning is fantastic for homeschooling. See you next time. That's all for today, my friend, but here's what I want you to remember Rather than perfection, let's focus on connection. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you on the next episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast.