What is the Principle Approach

Many answers have been given to this question. The most concise answer that I have seen is the one Jim Rose offers in his book, A Guide to American Christian Education for the Home and School, or GACE, beginning on page 3.

Simply put, it is a philosophy of education. It addresses the foundations of how a person learns and applies those foundational truths to each subject of study.

Philosophy: ...the general laws or principles under which all the...facts relating to that subject are comprehended.

A good book that addresses how we learn is A Biblical Psychology of Learning, by Ruth Beechick.

Jim Rose also addresses the Christian home and school in his Guide, GACE, pages 3 - 75 and beyond.

In GACE, Jim Rose speaks of 'reflective learning' (see quote below). This is not our traditional 'teacher as authority' method of learning. Instead, the subject, founded upon unchanging truths, teaches, as the student discovers through his own labor. It is through labor that we realize ownership. The renewing of the mind requires labor, a pressing forward, a searching for things valuable.

"...Our goal in the Principle Approach to home school learning is to produce a reflective character, and able to listen to the 'still small
voice' of conscience which enables us to act appropriately in any circumstance....we must indeed slow ourselves down, put off the old
patterns of secular learning which sometimes seek to propel us into fast 'fact mastery.' The emphasis here is to put our learning into a
framwork of principles and leading ideas and then relate the facts to the unfoldment of those principles and leading ideas in the subject.
We will bcome more effective learners as we teach ourselves to become more reflective."

The best way I can describe how to apply this to every subject is to:

1. define terms in the 1828

2. use the terms to search the Scripture for clues as to the purpose of the subject, God’s view of the subject, and our responsibility for the subject.

3. Reason through the definitions and verses, and facts that apply to the subject, so that you can come to a reasonable conclusion.

4. Then just keep doing this as you go – record what you learn, allowing your children to come to their own conclusion, based on the truths you find.

I use text books to help me, and the internet. And often there is little preparation, other than to determine the vision God has given me for that subject. We learn together for most of this. My 14ds says it’s more interesting when I learn along with them, because I get excited. (smile)

The 4 R Process

Other viewpoints will be added here - I have a number of friends who have put to pen and paper a description of the Principle Approach.