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saigemom
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Does anyone have experience with Robinson Curriculum? I have read a lot about the reading, but I haven't seen anything about the science?
I differ in my teaching philosophy from them, but I was thinking it might be a good resource to have and use parts of.
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teachingmyown
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We do Robinson. The curriculum does not formally do science until high school when the student has finished Calculus (around at 14 if you follow his program). There is plenty of exposure to various science topics up to that point in the books the children read. Dr. Robinson also states that if your child has a particular interest in science you should find good, meaty books on whichever topic your child chooses, not broad textbooks or twaddly "kids' books".
I actually love this approach. It has been very liberating for our family to stop jumping around and trying to covers too many subjects. Really, it isn't that different from CM. The children get their education through living books. The difference is that instead of "teaching" I work alongside the children, available to them but they do the work of learning on their own.
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Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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Donna Marie
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Molly,
do you follow Robinson for everyone?
... and do you follow it pretty much as written or do you substitute as you go along?
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Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 9dc!!
Finding Elegant Simplicity
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saigemom
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Molly,
Thanks for the response. That is something to think about. Does he have a different schedule for the Saxon Math? My ds is ahead in math, but I can't imagine him being done with calc by 14.....
Also, how are you handling the books. Are you printing them all out? What have you found to be the most cost effective way to do that?
Thanks,
Jess
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Cay Gibson
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Molly,
I'm anxious to hear more too. I've looked into the Robinson Curriculum but never used it. Do you feel you've found the answer to your homeschooling?
Eager to hear more. 
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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MicheleQ
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teachingmyown wrote:
| Really, it isn't that different from CM. The children get their education through living books. The difference is that instead of "teaching" I work alongside the children, available to them but they do the work of learning on their own. |
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I know nothing about the Robinson curriculum but I must say that having the children do the work themselves is in fact completely CM.
Charlotte Mason wrote:
"(a) The children, not the teachers, are the responsible persons; they do the work by self-effort. (b) The teachers give sympathy and occasionally elucidate, sum up or enlarge, but the actual work is done by the scholars." Towards A Philosophy of Education pg 6
"In urging a method of self-education for children in lieu of the vicarious education which prevails, I should like to dwell on the enormous relief to teachers, a self-sacrificing and greatly overburdened class; the difference is just that between driving a horse that is light and a horse that is heavy in hand; the former covers the ground of his own gay will and the driver goes merrily. The teacher who allows his scholars the freedom of the city of books is at liberty to be their guide, philosopher and friend; and is no longer the mere instrument of forcible intellectual feeding." Towards A Philosophy of Education pg 32 |
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Michele Quigley
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JennGM
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Just putting an old conversation on Robinson Curriculum.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Cay Gibson
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teachingmyown wrote:
| Really, it isn't that different from CM. |
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Just thinking how, inevitably, all my curriculum research seems to come back home to CM...which is what brought me to the online hs community in the first place...back in 1998...when my oldest was in 4th grade.
My how time flies... 
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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teachingmyown
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Here is the short explanation of Robinson. (and yes, I have found, at long last, the answer to my homeschooling!)
When you buy the curriculum, you get a case of 22 CDs. On these are the explanation of the program, all of the books that your children are to read, an encyclopedia, dictionary, vocabulary lists and exercises, a grammar book, and examinations. (I think that's it!) You can also buy another set of CDs that have all the G.A. Henty books on them. The books can either be printed, which I do and it really isn't all that hard, or put on something like a Kindle. Of course, you can also look for hardcover copies of the books.
The daily plan is: 2 hours of math (Saxon is recommended, I am still doing Teaching Textbooks). The children are to read the book and teach themselves, which my kids have really always done. They grade it themselves and keep track of the error rate. Some people stick to the two hours, others just have them finish a lesson. My kids do two TT lessons or more a day, depending on how fast they get through them. Dr. Robinson has them master math facts first, with the goal of starting 54 around age 8.
Then they write for an hour. They can do narrations, copywork, write letters, etc. The point is pen to paper and get them thinking. I throw in the vocabulary exercises during this time.
Then they read. This is the easiest part in our house! They are supposed to read for three hours, working their way through the reading list. Lots of older literature. The kids are enjoying it. As they get older, they are reading biographies, historical documents, economics books and so on. In high school, they start science with text books from CalTech.
It works for me because it is so streamlined. I am no longer managing five kids with five or six subjects. Trying to find the book, keeping track of who had done what, making sure they don't have major "gaps" and so on. I trust the course of study and believe in my children's ability to learn from what they read. I am "home" finally with homeschooling! What peace!
The only "problem" I have encountered is with my 14 year old. She is determined to follow her own path and has not embraced Robinson. I have been printing off some of the books and adding them in to her reading. Also, starting so late for some of the kids, we won't be hitting Calculus by 14 so we will just have to move along as best we can.
I deliberated about Robinson for years. I wish I had done it earlier. I let nay-sayers talk me out of it and spent years floundering.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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teachingmyown
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saigemom wrote:
Molly,
Thanks for the response. That is something to think about. Does he have a different schedule for the Saxon Math? My ds is ahead in math, but I can't imagine him being done with calc by 14.....
Also, how are you handling the books. Are you printing them all out? What have you found to be the most cost effective way to do that?
Thanks,
Jess |
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Printing is way easier than I thought it would be. I found a $10 program on the internet that converts the books into booklets. I then print them, front and back, four pages per sheet in small batches. I bought a comb binder but only use it to punch the holes. I then sew it together with dental floss! No kidding! And I am the least domestic person you could imagine.
This website is full of information and helpful resources for those interested in Robinson. I can't believe how much time this woman has put into helping others for free! Just wonderful!
There is also a Catholic Robinson yahoo group.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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JennGM
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Molly, is this hands-off for you? Do you gauge they are comprehending? Narration with you? Is it just by immersion -- go write, or are there styles?
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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teachingmyown
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I am pretty hands-off anyway. But we do a lot of talking about what they read just through conversation. There are also tests for some of the books, and you can find tests for most of the books on other Robinson users websites. This helps to quickly gauge the comprehension. They also have written narrations.
I am not a teacher and would quickly get frazzled when trying to "teach" a group of kids or even one kid at a time while keeping the others quiet and busy. So this style works for me. It is also really similar to TJEd. The idea being that they learn from the true experts without needing me to "interpret". I am always there to help but they gain confidence by being self-learners.
Of course, with the younger kids, you are teaching them to read and reading with them, helping with math fact memorization and, of course, teaching them the Faith. So, it becomes less hands-on as they get older.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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teachingmyown
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One more thing, on one of the past threads, years ago, a comment was made about Robinson that suggested the goal was to send your children to their rooms with their work and to free you up to do your own thing. Dr Robinson is adamant about the parent working alongside the children in the same room during schooltime. Mom isn't supposed to off doing the laundry or talking on the phone or whatever. She is supposed to doing her own work, whether that is further her studies (ala TJED) or completely household chores such as budgeting, menus, etc. that she can do while sitting with the children.
I am a little more relaxed. My kids like to read wherever and I do get up and do household chores, but my house is relatively small so I am never far away. When math is going on, I make sure I am within earshot. It also helps keep the kids on task to know that I am there.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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saigemom
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Thanks for all the details. I didn't realize the G.A. Henty books were a separate purchase. That is good to know.
My oldest ds reads crazy fast and retains the info. He is always researching and writing. I think he might really enjoy certain aspects of this.
How many hours a day do your children spend working on RC each day? It sounds like the curriculum recommends around 7 hours each day. 2 for math, 3 for reading, 2 for writing. Do I have that right? Do you implement it that way? I know most people tweak things so I am just curious how you do it.
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions.
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Cheryl
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I have been considering RC for next year. I wrote about some of my thoughts on it here.
Molly, my question for you, or anyone who uses RC, is do you find any part of the curriculum purchase indispensable? I am particularly interested in the vocabulary. Do you use the vocabulary program regularly? Do you find it to be improving your dc's vocabulary?
I was thinking I might not purchase the curriculum, but would follow the basic plan using Saxon as laid out, the booklist, (I would purchase the books)and the writing essays. I wonder if I would be missing some benefits of RC by doing this.
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Cheryl
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teachingmyown
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For me, it is indispensable because I don't want to do the work that Dr. Robinson has done. Yes, I can get the booklist elsewhere and find other places to print off the books or buy them. I could make up my own vocabulary and tests, or use other tests on the internet. But I don't want to. When we are ready for the next book, I pop in the disk I need and print the book. Project Gutenberg has a lot of the books but the formatting is awful. Again, too much work to get it how I would want it.
I actually love the vocabulary exercises. There are matching pages, two crossword puzzles- one with the word to find and one with the definition and they have to find the word, and wordsearches. Then there is a quiz page. The words are from the books, so some are pretty easy but there are some challenging words even in the early books.
I have never been good at doing the vocabulary at the end of a textbook chapter and always found vocabulary books kind of random and boring. I am a big believer in kids building a vocabulary through reading, but I like this method of making them learn the words they may have skipped over or understood in context without really knowing the meaning.
So, short answer, you don't need to buy the whole thing if you want to put in the extra time. I think it is pretty inexpensive for the time it saves me. I understand you can now buy the first disk which is the explanation, course of study and book list. I don't think you get the vocabulary exercises on that disk.
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Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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teachingmyown
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saigemom wrote:
Thanks for all the details. I didn't realize the G.A. Henty books were a separate purchase. That is good to know.
My oldest ds reads crazy fast and retains the info. He is always researching and writing. I think he might really enjoy certain aspects of this.
How many hours a day do your children spend working on RC each day? It sounds like the curriculum recommends around 7 hours each day. 2 for math, 3 for reading, 2 for writing. Do I have that right? Do you implement it that way? I know most people tweak things so I am just curious how you do it.
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. |
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Okay, true confession time here. I am a very relaxed homeschooler. Our days seldom look alike. However, with Robinson, we have set goals and a framework which has made us more productive than we have ever been. But, no, my kids don't put in six hours a day on a regular basis. The math is non-negotiable and first so there is no forgetting which we used to do. The writing is varied, depending on what they are doing. They always read, but again, it varies.
I like my kids to enjoy their time with their siblings or playing outside or working on a special project or game. When these things are happening spontaneously, I usually don't step in. But that is another beauty of Robinson. We aren't "behind". I don't have to adjust lesson plans if we skip a day, or hurry up to finish workbooks by the end of the year. We just keep rolling at a fairly steady pace all year.
Hope that helps!
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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Cheryl
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Thank you Molly for sharing your experience in this thread. I too am a relaxed homeschooler, who is not a teacher. I am attracted to the simplicity of fewer subjects in RC. I love the idea of CM, but my experience (for about six years) was that I would have it all planned out at the beginning of the school year, then when we were only doing some faith readings and the 3 R's, I would feel guilty.
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Cheryl
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saigemom
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Molly,
Thanks for your input. It really has been helpful.
Jess
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Mackfam
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Jess,
I changed the title of your thread to reflect the more general sharing here.
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Jen Mackintosh
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Science/General Q's - Robinson Curriculum
