Glossary of Terms

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abacus - a mechanical device consisting of a frame mounted with rods along which beads or balls are moved from side to side to aid in counting or doing basic math calculations.

assessment - an evaluation of a child's abilities based on a standard understanding.

assistive technology - software and tools designed for persons with special needs. These products can help homeschooling parents teach their children more effectively.

auditory learner - someone who learns best through the process of hearing through sounds such as listening to a speech, CD, or oral explanation (i.e. as opposed to visual learning).

Charlotte Mason - a British educator who, by the turn of the 20th Century, had introduced a more relaxed teaching method than the classical style, by including fine arts and character qualities into her learning system; it has since become one of the primary learning systems of today.

child-led learning - a type of teaching that uses the interests and curiosity of a student to dictate what the subject matter will focus on.

classical curriculum - a systematic approach to teaching that includes grammar, classical literature, and written composition as base components.

cognitive skills - acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or perception.

complete curriculum (full curriculum) - a collection of books and learning materials that includes everything necessary to teach all the required subjects for an entire year.

consumable curriculum - usually refers to workbooks, but can refer to any book, that can be written or marked in which then makes it undesirable to be used by another; often the consumable curriculum will have fill-in-the-blank type information.

copy work - children create an exact written copy of a sentence, paragraph, passage or page of text in order to learn about punctuation, grammar, spelling and composition, and to practice handwriting.

Creation based curriculum - curriculum that follows the Creation teaching as opposed to the evolutionary theory.

critical thinking - disciplined intellectual thought that combines research, knowledge of historical context, and balanced judgment.

Cuisenaire Rods - a versatile Math manipulative used primarily in elementary levels to teach the basic four operations, fractions, area, volume, equations, and other solutions.

dictation - consists of the parent reading to the child who then writes down exactly what the parent has said, allows children to practice their understanding of proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation and practice good handwriting skills.

drill (math) - uses worksheets and repetition (possibly flashcards) to review previously studied information for the purpose of memorization and quicker recall.

Eclectic homeschooling - a more flexible, individualized way to homeschool, allowing parents to create their own curriculum and choose materials that complement their children's needs and interests.

elective courses - additional courses or subjects studied by a student that are not required for state approval; usually taken in the areas of an individual student's interests.

everyday math - practical application of activities like counting money, converting temperatures and measurements, patterns, functions, sequence, etc.

flexible curriculum - curriculum that guides the teaching of a particular subject area rather than dictate it, thereby allowing for variations and individual preferences for the method of teaching.

hands-on - the actual use or physical touching of something used in the process of learning a concept or skill.

incremental approach - teaching by introducing basic information about a particular subject or topic, and periodically building on and adding to that foundation as the student's understanding increases.

independent study - a method where a student learns independently with minimal supervision.

interactive - a teaching and learning method involving the communication or collaboration of people or things such as a computer program that responds to commands and then requires feedback from a student or parent.

kinesthetic learner - a student that is stimulated and learns best by "doing", using field trips, manipulatives, or demonstrations and discussions.

learning styles - learning style is an individual's affinity to how they best learn and is determined by personality, gifts, and genetic traits; the most commonly recognized learning styles are auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and cognitive.

literature-based curriculum - using literature as the foundation, other subjects are incorporated through expanding on avenues that are originally introduced through the literature.

logic - sensible rational thought and discussion, rather than ideas that are influenced by emotion or whim.

manipulatives (Language Arts and Math) - can be anything used in hands-on teaching and learning, particularly with younger children, including blocks, flashcards, rods, sticks, beads, art supplies, play money, tubs, thermometers, rulers, tape measures, or objects of most any kind.

mastery method/mastery learning - a teaching method in which students master one lesson or concept before moving on to additional materials and lessons; assessments are given often to measure student progress.

memory work - to repeat facts or information on a regular basis to encourage memorization of those facts and ultimately develop instant recall of them when necessary.

mental math - the process of math calculations being carried out in the mind without any physical action or the use of any physical aid such as pencil and paper, or calculator.

Montessori - a teaching method with an emphasis on self-directed activity by the child with observation from the teacher, stresses the importance of adapting a child's learning environment to his developmental level through physical activity

multi-level teaching - teaching the same concept or information to multiple age or grade levels simultaneously.

multi-sensory approach - applying more than one learning style (such as auditory and visual) to teach the same concept.

.pdf files - PDF is an acronym for "Portable Document Format"; it allows content to be accessed without making changes and is easily viewed and printed on any type of computer.

phonics - a method of teaching reading in which people learn to associate letters with the speech sounds they represent, rather than learning to recognize the whole word as a unit; usually applied in PreKindergarten through the elementary grades.

portfolio (homeschool) - a folder or continuously updated collection of grades, written work, and other pertinent information kept for the purpose of showing an overview of a child's homeschool experiences.

printable curriculum - a term applied to curriculum that allows copies to be printed legally (worksheets, etc.) from a website or from software.

remedial - curriculum that provides extra support in areas where students may need additional instruction.

reproducible curriculum - curriculum that can be legally reproduced, copied, or printed.

scripted lessons - curriculum that provides the actual sentences and words that parents should use when teaching a concept to a child; usually includes questioning strategies.

spiral method/spiral learning - a form of learning that is sequentially progressive and builds on what has been previously learned.

supplement - anything that is used to enhance or personalize a particular subject for further understanding (i.e. workbooks, worksheets, additional pamphlets or booklets, etc.)

traditional homeschooling - also called structured homeschooling and is similar to classroom learning, which uses textbooks, workbooks, and traditional teaching methods. Everything is planned and followed by grade level.

transcripts - a form usually transferred by a school to prospective colleges on behalf of an applying student for the purpose of verifying the subjects and grades for college entrance.

umbrella schools - an alternative to enrolling as a homeschooling family through a public school system or state, umbrella schools are usually private or religious based schools that offer a homeschooling option. Before you enroll with an umbrella school you should be clear about their reporting and curriculum use requirements.

unit studies - a way of tying all subjects together using a common theme or topic (example: Topic - Abraham Lincoln; Reading and History - his life; more History - Lincoln's part in the Civil War; Math - dimensions of his log cabin or distances he traveled through his life; English - writing about his Presidency; etc.)

unschooling - focuses on allowing children to freely learn about the world around them, without a specific curricular mandate to follow, pursuing interests as they develop.

visual learner - someone who learns best through the process of sight by observing events through watching an experiment, DVD, display, or visual demonstration.

Waldorf Approach - a teaching method that is free flowing and emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning by developing creative thinking skills.

word problems (math) - a short written paragraph where mathematical information is given with which the student will then glean the necessary information to find a solution.

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