Calculations

Hey! I'm 10 % through the academic year! (see sidebar). That went fast.

I made out this little chart to satisfy my OCD tendencies:

• 5 days = 1 week
• 20 days = 1 month
• 3 months = 1 semester
• 3 semesters = 1 academic year.
• 9 months = 36 weeks = 180 days = 1 academic year

I am sure most people don't spend their free time doing these rather useless little calculations, but for me, they are comforting.

The reason I did this is because I was rereading the Kolbe booklet -- Implementation of Ignatian Education in the Home -- probably my all time most thumbed through homeschool book. This year is taking a more Ignatian turn than the past couple of years. Anyway, IIEH discusses review -- this is a very important concept in Ignatian education, and not to be confused with mere kill n drill. There should be a review after each lesson introduction (covering the most crucial concepts), a review of the independent study (reading, working), a review each week, a monthly review which is sort of a "step back and look at the big picture" and then a term-end cumulative review that is associated with exams. You can see some of this in Charlotte Mason's method, too.

Again, the reviews are not meant to be just rote drills -- they are meant to broaden connections, look at the picture from a new angle, consolidate, reinforce.

So I made my little schedule because I want to eventually have a routine for these reviews -- I did this years ago but not with this same set of kids, and not with the materials I am using now. If I get one completed, I will upload it to my sidebar.

(There are some articles I wrote about the Ignatian method over here). ... there are two about repetition.

By the way, there is a nice article on Ignatian classical education here -- including some information on teaching a language arts course that is quite compatible with the progymnasmata. )

In my most recent Lesson Planner, (PDF) I have a space to jot down things that I want to remember to review -- that's something that always used to slip by).