This Day in History

Learning Styles – Have you read about A Thomas Jefferson Education? We were offered the opportunity to use their program – This Week In History – TWIH this summer, and through the school year – to share our experience with you. I will be honest and share that I gave a smallish request – on the basis that this summer, I could forward the site to my 14 year old son, and see what conversations developed on it’s own.

Each week I received and mail – and forwarded it to Nate’s iPod. I only asked that he skim the text. Most weeks, he would report that he “knew of” those parts of history. One day in particular sparked a long conversation – with all of the uuuusss and aaahhhs of learning a fun interesting fact:

From Nate:

Cricket Facts from Pinocchio

July 5, On this date, Carlo Lorenzini (whose pen name was Collodi) published the first chapter of his classic tale Pinocchio, which is about a marionette who comes to life.

[Crickets – I knew that when the crickets chirped it could indicate the weather, but I didn’t know that you count the chirps, for 15 seconds, then add 40, and that should be the Fahrenheit. ]

Each of the lists are interactive. With any part that sparks interest – you may click into to learn more. What’s crazy – is that it is the type of product that will blend with just about any learning style to enhance your family studies – from Public and Private educations to Unschooling – Charlotte Mason Montessori, Trivium and IEW. Seriously.

From their Site:

Of all the things you’ll spend $10 on each month, This Week in History is not only a great value, but a time saver and a worry eliminator. This Week in History:

relieves fear, stress and burnout
energizes your kidschool
fills in the gaps
cultivates cultural literacy
facilitates state or provincial compliance
correlates resources for co-ops, classrooms and family learning
harnesses the power of technology in a classical leadership education
harmonizes with Unschooling, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Trivium/Quadrivium, IEW, eclectic, etc.
delivers new ideas and areas of learning to you and your child
instigates discussions and projects that expand wisdom and understanding
connects the subject areas–from music to math, from geography to world religions, from hobbies to science projects, etc.
motivates you and your students to greater excellence
delivers Face to Face with Greatness
empowers you to mentor your students in the classics
enlivens the 7 Keys of Great Teaching
activates Phases of Learning

…so you can “Inspire, not Require”

Which comes from the TJEd Site – the 7 Keys of Learning

7 Keys of Great Teaching
There are seven principles of successful education. When they are applied, learning occurs for any learning style or interests. When they are ignored or rejected, the quantity and quality of education decreases.

Classics, Not Textbooks
Mentors, Not Professors
Inspire, Not Require
Structure Time, Not Content
Simplicity, Not Complexity
Quality, Not Conformity
You, Not Them

I enjoyed browsing the TJED site – the foundations of my beliefs of education are given on this page. I encourage you to go and find out what other things they have to offer. One cool thing is that with the This Day in History subscription, topics are archived and searchable by day and subject. Cool.

In the fall – we will use the site on Mondays to spark our History – We’ll be studying the Ancients this year in a bit more depth but many topics they have a solid grasp on. Monday mornings we will gather and look through the TWIH – and follow any curiosity interest trails. You may click on their tab on the site to browse samples and subscription plans. The subscription is $10.00 a month .

Disclaimer: I received a free subscription to This Day in History from TJED
as a part of my time with The Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange
for using it in my home and sharing our honest experience with you.