Dollar Homeschool
Bringing Back American Education

 
  Eclectic
Education
  Series

 
Ray's
Arithmetic

McGuffey's
Readers

&
EES Grammar


History
&
Science

 


   

Eclectic Education Series
   The Homeschool Blog
 

Videos, Books, and Learning

The following question is one which has become more frequent among  homeschoolers in recent years, so I have decided to address it here.

Q: Do you provide any educational videos in your curriculum to help the children learn?

  A: No we do not. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all it would be expensive. But secondly, and most important, I don’t believe you can learn from videos even half as effectively as from a good book.

The problem with learning from a video, or even from a presentation by a real live teacher, is how people learn.

When a person is watching a video, he is the passive recipient of whatever is put on the screen, and played through the speakers. There is a lot of information being displayed; visual and auditory. And all this information is given in a steady stream that pulls the viewer along at the pace of the video. The student’s mind doesn’t have a chance to think on its own.  It is a seductive method of ‘learning’, because it is easy--- the students mind doesn’t have to work to get the information, rather it is poured in.

The problem is that this information which is so easily received is just as easily lost again. The work that we do when we learn something helps us to remember it. 

When a student learns from a book instead of becoming a passive recipient to a video, the student is the only active participant. The book is inactive. It only sits there. The student himself must pull the information from the pages of the book, and when he does he must interpret that information for himself as well. If there is something that he doesn’t immediately understand he is allowed to think about it. The book does not move on without him, it waits patiently while the student actively learns.

This is why homeschool educational programs like the Robinson Curriculum and the Eclectic Education Series are proving to be extremely effective, despite their extreme simplicity. Some people are almost shocked when they see the contents of one of these curriculums. “It’s only books!” is the refrain. But that is the value of it. In almost every case, if a person is intelligent they love to read. I would argue that the reason they are intelligent is because they have learned to love to read.


 

 

 
"Thank you again for my order.... This is a treasure and I'm glad you are keeping it alive and sharing it."
~Tisha
 

“By the time a student finishes the Practical Arithmetic book, he/she would be ready to get a job and understand basic financial concepts (not that I expect my 12 year old to go to work, but they could help with the family business and family finances with ease)”
~ Mandi Aumann

 

Thanks for your help and support.  My children love to do Ray's Arithmetic.  I believe it makes math fun!  Of course, I love math so I am biased.

~Danielle 

 

“Because of your work on the Ray’s CDs, we were able to make our decision to use Ray’s as our math curriculum. Thank you for your time that you have already put into these wonderful, rich programs. We also are using the Robinson Curriculum and are enjoying that as well. “
In Christ,
~Josh and Heather

 
“Excellent product! Your customer service is also Excellent! Thank You. “
~Janie
 

"As a former math teacher at a classical and Christian school, where we used another popular modern math curriculum, we have chosen to use Ray's for the homeschooling of our four children.  Our use during the last four years has proven that Ray's Arithmetic does what a good math program should do; build mastery of mathematical skills and help students to think mathematically (not just memorizing rules or recipes for solving problems).  It does this through focused incremental practice of skills and a variety of practical word problems.  I give it my highest recommendation."

Cordially,  
~
Robert (& Elisabeth) Terry

 
I bought Sherry Hayes ebook recently and just loved all the practical advice on how to use these materials.  It has given me the confidence to use the entire curriculum.  What a wonderful resource!

~Patricia 

 
EES
 
"We love the Ray's Arithmetic series  because it provides such a great value!  With heavy use of word problems and "real world" math, and progressing logically from concrete to abstract, this series coversK-8th grades for less than what most programs cost for a single grade."
~Rachel Ramey, homeschooling mother of 3, and more to come!  
 
"Over the last 23 years of actual homeschooling experience I have tried just about every curriculum and method available, from textbooks to unit studies to Charlotte Mason to the unschooling methodology…. Today, not only the McGuffey Readers Series, but just about every primary subject in our homeschooling is based on or benefited by these dear old volumes and the time-honored practices they promote."
 ~ Sherry Hayes, homeschool mother of 15 children.
 
 
Click Here
to read articles on
home schooling
from the new
Dollar Homeschool Blog