Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach Overview
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The Heart of Wisdom teaching approach is a combination of several teaching methods organized around a two-sided curriculum base: God's Word and God's World. This method is specifically designed for multilevel teaching. This approach includes a four-year suggested course of study designed to be repeated every four years through three cycles.
God's Word |
God's World |
Direct Studies |
Derived Studies |
Bible and Bible study tools |
Thematic unit studies, living books and the Internet |
| Half the school day is occupied with Bible studies. The family reads through the Bible each year utilizing Bible study aids while incorporating language skills though writing assignments (narration, summary writing, composition, etc.) and adding to a Bible portfolio. |
History, science, and arts are filtered through divine truth. History is studied chronologically and science is studied in Creation order. All studies incorporate God's Word. The unit studies incorporate language skills through writing assignments (narration, summaries, composition, etc.) and adding to unit portfolios and a time line book. |
Writing and language skills are integrated into all studies |
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The Heart of Wisdom approach begins with the Bible as the center of education, with all subordinate studies brought into the circle of light radiating from there. Academics play an important part, but they are secondary. Students spend half the school day studying God's Word and the other half studying God's world. This approach can be used for all grade levels.
The Heart of Wisdom teaching approach is a blending of popular home education methods. Read an overview below and click on links to learn more about each method.
Heart of Wisdom Methods |
A Return to Biblical Hebraic Education
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The Bible outlines how we should teach our children. The Hebraic aim of education was ethical and religious. Study is a form of worship. The method of instruction in the home was oral, and learning was accomplished by practice. The Hebrew taught no distinction between sacred and secular areas of life. Every detail of life, therefore, must be set aside and consecrated to the glory of God (the opposite of today's popular Greek approach). Click for more on Biblical education |
Charlotte Mason's Philosophy |
Students should develop a love of learning by reading real books--”classic literature--as opposed to twaddle, or "dumbed down" literature. This method also incorporates narration: the assimilating of information (sorting, sequencing, selecting, connecting, rejecting, and classifying), and then retelling, and developing a "Nature Diary" (HOW calls it a Creation Portfolio). Click for more about Charlotte Mason's methods. |
The Four-Step Lessons |
The Four Steps is a unique way to meet the needs of structured, scheduled homeschoolers and unstructured and informal homeschoolers. Students need freedom and structure. The Four Steps organize and structure the approaches listed on this page that are normally unstructured at the same time promoting the freedom for students to learn the way that is best for them. The For Steps comprise a cycle of instruction based on the four main learning styles. Click for more on the Four Steps. |
Integrated Unit Study |
The term "unit" (or "theme") refers to the idea of studying a topic as a whole instead of several separate subjects. A unit study takes a topic and lives with it for a period of time, integrating science, social studies, language arts, and fine arts, as they apply. Click to learn about unit studies. |
Lifestyle of Learning |
We emphasis parents relying on the Holy Spirit's leading to provide the needed resources so the children can develop expertise in their individual fields of interest. We incorporate the Lifestyle of Learning approach outlined in Wisdom's Way of Learning by Marilyn Howshall. Mrs. Hwshall explains how using these simple and natural tools (with the emphasis on the process of learning rather than the product of learning) will allow your children to begin to develop their own lifestyle of learning. Click for more on the Holy Sprit lead teaching. |
Delight-Directed Learning |
Students acquire basic concepts of learning (reading, reasoning, writing, researching, etc.) during the process of examining the topic they are interested in. Education ought to be about building learners' abilities to do useful things. Click for more on the Delight Directed approach |
Writing to Learn |
Students think on paper ”to discover connections, describe processes, express emerging understandings, raise questions and find answers, encouraging higher-level thinking skills. This method forces the student to internalize learning so they understand better and retain longer. Click for more on writing to learn. |
Scrapbooking to Learn |
Students create scrapbooking pages and folders (lapbooks) as they work through the unit studies. See ScrapbookingtoLearn.com for several examples. |
Is the Heart of Wisdom approach for you?
- Will this approach fit your family?
- Will it encourage you?
- Will it help you homeschool?
- Will it make your life easier?
We want to help you answer the questions above so we've provided a wealth of information on our site and a free 70-page excerpt from our 500-page book. Our program is radically different compared to the public school system and from many homeschool programs. You'll have to do some reading to understand our approach but you'll find the methods make sense and are more natural that traditional methods.
So grab a cup of tea and browse through the links. Spend some time earnestly seeking God about your homeschool decisions.Do not fret! God will lead you to the approach that will fit your family!
Whatever approach you decide to use, we hope our materials encourage you to lean on God and devote your homeschooling to Him.
The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach
( 70-page excerpt PDF File)
Heart of Wisdom Teaching Methods
Heart of Wisdom Educational Philosophies
If you read through our site and feel this program is for you then your next step should be to read The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach: Bible-Based Homeschooling.
The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach: Bible-Based Homeschooling
The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach is for all homeschoolers who want to make the Bible the center of their school day. This giant 500+ page book provides you with the methods, program, and resources for a course of study where students spend half the school day studying God's Word and the other half studying God's world (academics). Students study history chronologically and science in the order of the days of Creation. This book will encourage, motivate you and instruct you, step by step, how to give your child a Bible-focused, comprehensive education from preschool through high school; one that will train him or her to read, to study, to understand, to love to learn and, most importantly, to desire and seek true wisdom. This approach can be used for all grade levels.
When homeschoolers are asked about this book, one word continues to come up over and over--Wow! Read the excerpt today to see what all the wow is about.
What Others are Saying About this Book
Robin Sampson has put together a jewel of a package. This approach is written to appeal to many different learning methods using Charlotte Mason's philosophy of learning, her own Bible- first philosophy, and the biblical Hebraic method of education. The creative way of melding Charlotte Mason and the four basic learning styles has produced an approach that is truly a conduit to life-long learning. Robin gently leads us to this place of light yet highly encourages delight-directed learning at the same time. When you ignite a spark of interest in your child, lay aside the schedule/timetable and watch them fly! Children who are learning by choice will retain and enjoy so much more than those who are forced to study topics of no interest to them. There are comprehensive helps on making timeline books and portfolios, all with lots of illustrations and examples. Robin has obviously spent time in prayer and more prayer while she prepared these studies. Her writings are thoughtful, insightful and joyful, and have been a labor of love from her whole family, I'm quite sure! Enjoy the four steps--, Examine, Expand, and Excel! You may never go back to any other way of learning.
Heidi Shaw, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
...I am thrilled to see this material put in readable format which can influence the education of youth. Parents of course are going to grasp the concepts in the process-- work is quite remarkable. It not only reflects the biblical model but also shows considerable research in establishing the bibliocentricity of your work-- celebrate the pains you have taken to examine the scholarship on this subject, a major reason your work has depth and breadth. The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach is a clear articulation of the uniqueness of the Hebraic, biblical philosophy of education. I am sure it will do very well because you build the case very well, often contrasting the Hebraic teaching to others. Thank you again for this significant publication. I look forward to recommending it to others in search of a biblical approach to learning. You have taken a bold and necessary step. More power to you. Best wishes always, ”Dr. Marvin Wilson (Dr. Marvin Wilson is the Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College, Massachusetts and author of Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith.)
The Heart of Wisdom Four-Year Plan
The Heart of Wisdom teaching approach is a four-year program consisting of several multi-level unit studies where each member of the family studies the same subject at the same time on their own individual level. This four-year rotation course gives each child three distinct exposures to each topic on their own level. Each unit study includes Bible, history, science, research, writing, and literature.
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History is studied chronologically.
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Science is studied in the order of Creation.
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Overview
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Year |
God's Plan |
God's World |
1
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Ancient History |
Physical Science |
2 |
World History |
Earth Science and Botany |
3 |
Exploration to American West |
The Animal World |
4 |
Industrial Era to Today |
Anatomy |
Four-Year Detailed View
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God's Plan |
God's World |
Chronological Order |
Creation Order |
YEAR ONE |
Ancient History |
Physical Science |
| Adam to Abraham |
Creation |
| Mesopotamia |
Light |
| Ancient Egypt |
Energy |
| Ancient Israel |
Matter |
| Ancient Greece |
Motion |
| Ancient Rome |
Electricity |
| The Messiah |
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YEAR TWO |
World History |
Earth Science and Botany |
| Early Church |
Weather |
| Vikings |
Oceanography |
| Middle Ages |
Botany |
| Renaissance |
Geology |
| Reformation |
Astronomy |
YEAR THREE |
Exploration to
American West |
The Animal World |
| Age of Exploration |
Marine Zoology |
| Thirteen Colonies |
Ornithology (Birds) |
| Colonies to Country |
Entomology (Insects) |
| New Nation |
Earth Zoology |
| Civil War |
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| Reconstruction |
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| American West |
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YEAR FOUR |
Industrial Era to Today |
Anatomy |
| Industrial Era |
Cell Design |
| World War I |
Brain/Nervous |
| Depression |
Skeletal/Muscular |
| World War II |
Respiratory/Digestive |
| Holocaust |
Heart/Circulatory |
| 1950 to Today |
Reproductive |
Science units are arranged in the order of the Creation days:
Day 1: Light and Energy (Physics)
Day 2: Air, Water, Weather (Chemistry/Meteorology)
Day 3: Rocks, Minerals, Plants (Chemistry/Botany)
Day 4: Sun, Moon and Stars (Astronomy)
Day 5: Birds and Sea Life (Ornithology/Marine Biology)
Day 6: Land Animals and Human Body (Zoology/Anatomy)
Students of all ages complete five to seven history units and four to six science units per year. This suggested course of study can be easily adapted to fit different families’ needs.
The idea of spending a lot of school time on the study of Scripture may at first be disturbing. We are so accustomed to dividing "religious" activities from the rest of our time, it seems as if Bible study just does not fit, except in a minor way, in our regular school day. We think of Bible study as suitable for family devotions, church services, Sunday school classes, and, if the study gets "deep," in the seminary. How much Bible can children get without detracting from other studies?
In asking this question we uncover in ourselves something of the tension that exists in the Western world between learning and religion. We know somehow the question is not right; we should be first giving place to Scripture, but can't quite let go of the other side of things. And rightly so! The other side, God's creation, is vastly important; but still Scripture should come first, and all other studies find their place in relation to it. We should turn the question around: "How many secular studies can a student pursue without detracting from his knowledge of God's Word?!" Christian education must be built upon a pattern that maintains Scripture at its center and bring all subordinate studies into the circle of light radiating from there. (David Mulligan)
What Do You Need to Start?
The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach (see options below)
Everything You Need by Level
Frequently Asked Questions
About Heart of Wisdom Publishing
About the Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach
Also see Robin's Blog: An Unplanned Delight-Directed Homeschool Day
About HOW Unit Studies
About Ebooks
Have a question not answered here? Email Robin or read the blog.
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