Shows
The Well-Trained Mind podcastTeaching Science the Classical Way w/ Courtney OstaffHere are all the curricula we talk about in the episode, so you can check them out for yourself: Elemental Science Real Science Odyssey Nancy Larson Science Blossom and Root Scientific Connections Through InquiryOnline Courses/Well-Trained Mind AcademyElemental Science (CK12) Build Your Library CK12 FoundationCentripetal Science
(00:00) - Intro with Courtney Ostaff
(01:17) - The goals of a science curriculum
(24:17) - Searching for the perfect homeschool science curriculum
(28:11) - Elemental Science
(30:59) - Real Science Odyssey...2024-06-121h 01The Well-Trained Mind podcastClassical Education for Students with Learning Differences w/ Courtney OstaffShow notes:
Rethinking School by Susan Wise Bauer
How to Homeschool the Kids You Have – the book Courtney co-authored
Courtney’s Podcast: Modern Classical Education Podcast (name recently changed to Kitchen Table Homeschool Podcast)
The Well-Trained Mind Forums
Study mentioned in the Episode:
The Baseball Study (1988)
Summary of The Baseball Study
Further Reading:
WWE and students with Dyslexia/Dysgraphia
Sentence diagramming with dysgraphia
Timestamps2023-11-1548 min
Kitchen Table HomeschoolKitchen Table Homeschool IntroductionWe're changing it up around here. Learn why and how we're doing it.2023-08-0407 min
Kitchen Table HomeschoolFun With Words ~ The Rules of Homeschooling, MCEH editionIn this episode, Jenn, Courtney, and Drew draw on past experiences to come up with 20 guidelines for homeschooling. Everything from times tables to instruction types is on the table! 2023-02-1533 minKitchen Table HomeschoolIdentifying Learning Differences in the HomeschoolThis one goes out to Noelani Perry, the Inclusive Academic Homeschoolers, and all the homeschoolers who've helped share their wisdom over the years. In this episode, we talk about some clues that your child may have atypical development, give an overview of how to find testing, and then review the usual steps of the testing process. Finally, we give a quick sketch of how we used that testing for College Board accommodations.2022-12-0531 min
Kitchen Table HomeschoolHow To Homeschool the Kids You HaveIn this episode we discuss three homeschooling books we love: Minimalist Homeschooling by Zara Fagen, A Literary Education by Emily Cook, and The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. Then, we talk about why we still felt it necessary to write our own book, including experiences we wanted to share, applying the science of learning to homeschooling, and neurodiversity in the homeschool. 2022-10-1428 min
Progressively IncorrectS2E6: Courtney Ostaff on Effective Teaching with Online ToolsIn this episode of the Progressively Incorrect podcast, I am excited to be talking to Courtney Ostaff, author of The Teaching Online Handbook and the forthcoming book on homeschooling: How to Homeschool the Kids You Have. Before I knew Courtney Ostaff as Courtney Ostaff, I knew her as the anonymous Twitter user, StuckintheMiddle, during the … Continue reading S2E6: Courtney Ostaff on Effective Teaching with Online Tools2022-09-1947 min
Kitchen Table HomeschoolK-8 overview of Modern Classical Education at HomeWe review the core subjects for grades K-8, as well as some pitfalls for instruction at those ages. We begin with Academics, Arts, and Athletics, and then divide Academics into English Language Arts; Mathematics; Social Studies; Science; and World Languages. We divide English into the skills of reading, handwriting, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and composition, as well as the content of literature. We talk about what a substantive math progression looks like, as well as options for social studies and science. We share strong opinions about teaching other languages. We distinguish between skills and content for the arts. We have...2022-06-0140 min
Kitchen Table HomeschoolBook Discussion: Make It StickJenn, Courtney, and Drew review a classic in pedagogy. This 2014 book is chock full of advice about how to, well, make it stick. In the episode, we review this book from a homeschooling perspective. We also share some advantages that homeschoolers have over classroom teachers, especially specialist teachers. 2022-05-0141 minKitchen Table HomeschoolWhat is modern, classical education?We talk about where this idea came from, how we've developed it, and what it means for our philosophy of education: rigorous academics, adult-directed, inclusive, mostly secular, and evidence-based. 2022-04-0230 minKitchen Table HomeschoolThe Importance of Background KnowledgeWhat it is, why you need it, when it is important, how you can help your children acquire it, how cognitive science works with it, what curriculum helps.2022-02-0231 minKitchen Table HomeschoolBook Discussion: Consider This by Karen GlassWe go deep on Charlotte Mason style homeschooling with a short bio of Charlotte Mason, Glass's argument, the three "educational instruments", Glass's definition of the classical tradition, the idea of "synthetic knowledge", teaching virtue, the need for people to earn a living, twaddle, the love language of infodumps, homeschooling as an exercise in Historical Cosplay, neurodiversity and the CM method, "majoring in the minors", renounce homeschool policing, and last but not least, make recommendations for a wide variety of "modern" CM homeschooling sites. Get transcripts delivered to your inbox via mceh.substack.com2022-01-0146 minKitchen Table HomeschoolHoliday Break 2021A short episode about homeschooling over the winter holidays, the dreaded re-entry, and the February slump. Plus a recommendation for a holiday unit study and some tips on how to beat those winter blahs.2021-12-0114 minKitchen Table HomeschoolBook Discussion: Why Don't Students Like School? by Willingham, 2nd EdCourtney, Andrew, and Jenn discuss questions like: What is cognitive science? And why should we care? Why should homeschoolers read this book? Then we discuss each chapter, applying it to homeschooling and curricula choices. Spiral curricula, fluency, schemas, novices vs experts, and the importance of knowledge-rich curricula are all on deck.2021-11-0240 minKitchen Table HomeschoolBlossom & RootWhat it is, philosophical underpinnings, products and services, what users we contacted liked, what we didn't like, who we think this would work for, and our overall recommendation. 2021-10-1232 minKitchen Table HomeschoolContent Standards and ObjectivesJenn and AJ interview Courtney about standards: what they are (including Common Core), why homeschoolers should care about them, choosing curricula with standards in mind, how homeschoolers (or classroom teachers) can use them, the difference between content standards and learning objectives, using standards and textbooks, standards and lit-based curricula, and identifying instructional materials that do a good job of working with standards.2021-09-2231 minKitchen Table HomeschoolMemoria PressAndrew, Jenn, and Courtney dive deep into Memoria Press, reviewing what we like (easy to use curricula especially for students with executive functioning issues, thorough coverage, explicit phonics, special education offerings, literature sets, daily checklists) and what we don't like (workbook style curricula, grammar-translation method for Latin and Greek), as well as what we think parents should be aware of (Christian-based science, procedural emphasis in math curricula, text set diversity issues, emphasis on student perseverance, and strong conservative approach). 2021-09-0131 minKitchen Table HomeschoolPlanningIn this episode, Jenn, Andrew, and Courtney discuss why your educational philosophy should guide your curricula choices, run through a quick checklist for identifying a solid curriculum, review some caveats (and share some blunders of our own), and talk about annual scheduling, working with family demands and homeschooling, and how to schedule your time during the day. Then we talk about daily checklists, loop scheduling, the spiral notebook method, doing the next thing, and the file folder method. Finally, Jenn rates paper planners.2021-08-0325 minKitchen Table HomeschoolBrave WriterIn a special double-length episode, Jenn, Courtney, and AJ tackle the academics of Brave Writer. We begin with a high level overview of how Brave Writer covers grammar, literature, and writing, dig deep into the teaching methods (with stops along the way for the curse of expertise, paragraph-level writing instruction, and the intersection of cultural capital), and take a look at curricula sequences, including analyzing rigor, parent effort, online classes, FERPA, cost, and "high tide/low tide" homeschooling seasons. 2021-07-2051 minKitchen Table HomeschoolThe Curriculum Rating Game, Part 4In this episode, we finish our curriculum rating game, all the way down to Z, and Zaner-Bloser handwriting. 2021-07-1517 minKitchen Table HomeschoolThe Curriculum Rating Game, Part 3In this episode, Jenn, AJ, and Courtney go from M (Mater Amabilis) to S (Saxon math), with a few detours here and there.2021-07-0728 minKitchen Table HomeschoolThe Curriculum Rating Game, Part 2On deck in this episode, we do Yelp-style reviews of: Explode the Code, Exploring Nature with Children, Memoria Press Latin, Galore Park, Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting, Italics: Beautiful Handwriting for Children, Getting Started with Latin (etc), Guest Hollow, Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, Hake Grammar, First Language Lessons, Hey, Andrew! Teach Me: Some Greek, Henle Latin, Pandia Press, History Odyssey, Human Odyssey, History Quest by Pandia Press, Handwriting Without Tears, iCivics, IEW, Institute for Excellence in Writing, Jump Math, Killgallon, Kumon, Life of Fred, Lingua Latina, Book of Lively Latin, Living Memory, Logic of English, Lost Tools of Writing2021-06-3025 minKitchen Table HomeschoolAll About the Bookish SocietyAJ and Courtney interview Jenn about the Bookish Society, including what parents and students can expect and how an international community of young readers has bloomed amid the latest book releases for K12 (and beyond!)2021-06-2314 min
Principal Center RadioCourtney Ostaff—The Teaching Online Handbook
Get the book, The Teaching Online Handbook
Visit Courtney's Website, CourtneyOstaff.com
Follow Courtney on Twitter @Ostaff1
About the Authors
Courtney Ostaff has been teaching online since 1999. With a wide variety of experience as a public school special education teacher, an in-home early intervention specialist, a community college algebra instructor, and a homeschooler, she has worked with students ranging from the very young to the elderly. Along the way, she has developed practices and techniques for making the most of the online classroom. Currently, she teaches math, science, and social studies a...2021-06-1427 minKitchen Table HomeschoolExploring the World through Story (EWS)In this episode, Jenn and Courtney interview Andrew Campbell about the newly published curriculum Exploring the World through Story. We talk about what it covers, the educational philosophy behind it, and what's included.2021-06-0916 minKitchen Table HomeschoolThe Curriculum Rating Game, Part 1Jenn keeps score as she, Courtney, and AJ rate curricula, Yelp style. On deck in this episode are: 100 Easy Lessons, All About Learning, Analytical Grammar, History of US, Seton, Ambleside Online, Art of Problem Solving (Beast Academy), ARTistic Pursuits, Blossom and Root, Barefoot Meandering, Beautiful Mundo, Five in a Row, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, BookShark, Botany in 8 Lessons, Botany in a Day, Building Thinking Skills, Brave Writer, Build Your Library, Calvert, Canon Press, Logos, and Veritas, Matin Latin, Writing & Rhetoric, Latin for Children, Phonics Museum, Classical Conversations, Core Knowledge, Charlotte Mason, Ecce Romani, Evan-Moor, Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool...2021-06-0226 minKitchen Table HomeschoolChanging with the Seasons / Pepper & Pine's Silk Road Unit StudyJen, AJ, and Courtney talk about how their homeschools change with the seasons and with the years. We also take a look at Pepper & Pine's Silk Road Unit Study.2021-05-1221 minKitchen Table HomeschoolSecular Bible StudyAuthor, homeschooler, and teacher Christy Knockleby discusses secular Bible study in the homeschool.2021-04-1424 minKitchen Table HomeschoolEpisode 16: Teaching Reading in the HomeschoolTeaching your child to read, the Matthew effect, and all the domains required for a good reader. Specific curricula and book recommendations, and the benefits of poetry memorization. Includes an overview of the Simple View of Reading and the Simple View of Writing, and why you should think twice before allowing your 3rd or 4th grader to read through Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.2021-03-2327 minKitchen Table HomeschoolBecoming an Educational Architecthomeschool planning2021-03-0327 min
Voices of eLearningGiving Teachers Confidence and Strategies to Shift OnlineMost teachers had little experience with online teaching when the pandemic began. In just a few days, they were expected to translate the classroom to the internet. Voices of eLearning is always seeking to provide teachers tips and insights on how to transition successfully. Today, JW Marshall has an expert to share her knowledge, Courtney Ostaff. Ostaff literally wrote the book on the subject, as she’s the author of The Teaching Online Handbook.The discussion began with an origin story and Ostaff’s first online teaching role. She was a grad student, not planning to become an e...2021-02-0133 minKitchen Table HomeschoolTeaching Math in the Homeschool, Part 2Special guest Lu Allen of Epic Education Illawarra joins us for the second half of a wide-ranging discussion on math instruction in the homeschool. Everything from math anxiety to when to seek outside help is on the table.2021-01-2922 min
TLTalkRadioSeason 7 – Episode 24 – Courtney Ostaff – Teaching Online HandbookIn this episode, we’re speaking with Courtney Ostaff, author of The Teaching Online Handbook. Courtney has been teaching online since 1999! She has worked as a public school special education teacher, an in-home early intervention specialist, a community college instructor and a homeschooler with a wide range of students from the very young to the elderly. Courtney is currently teaching secondary…Read more2021-01-2719 min
TLTalkRadioSeason 7 - Episode 24 - Courtney Ostaff - Teaching Online Handbook2021-01-2720 min
TLTalkRadioSeason 7 - Episode 24 - Courtney Ostaff - Teaching Online Handbook2021-01-2719 minKitchen Table HomeschoolMath In The Homeschool, Part 1Special guest Lu Allen of Epic Education Illawarra joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on math instruction in the homeschool. Everything from math anxiety to when to seek outside help is on the table. 2021-01-1328 min
Building the BridgeEpisode 11 - The Opportunity Gap and the Digital GapIn this episode, Dr. Oliver discusses the opportunity gap, which refers to arbitrary circumstances in which people are born, as well as the digital gap, which refers to either a lack of knowledge about using computers and/or lack of broadband internet access. She provides definitions, examples and real-world scenarios to illustrate what these disparities look like and where they are occurring in education. Wendy also refers back to a recent interview with online educator and author Courtney Ostaff, whose experience teaching online in rural areas over the past two decades has led to many valuable insights.
2021-01-1308 minKitchen Table HomeschoolLiterature and ReadingIn this episode, Courtney, Jenn, and AJ talk about literature in the homeschool. Courtney talks about literature in aiding reading comprehension, Jenn offers some practical advice (including book choices!), and AJ talks about supporting students in reading the Great Books. There's a surprise at the very end of the podcast!2020-11-2427 minBuilding the BridgeEpisode 5 - Turning to the Experts for Online Teaching: Interview with Courtney OstaffCourtney Ostaff has been teaching online since 1999 and describes why online teaching is far more than preparing your typical lesson and turning on a camera. In this episode she discusses how to structure online teaching and ways to make it work. Find out her philosophy about structuring your online lesson and tools to bolster the online learning experience. This interview also addresses students with exceptionalities in this new era of online learning as well as a brief touch on the achievement gap in rural America.
Ostaff's is author of the new book, The Teaching Online Handbook...2020-11-1214 minKitchen Table HomeschoolCritical ThinkingIn this episode, we attempt to define critical thinking, contemplate the best curricula for teaching it, and point out times when we should use it, but don't.2020-11-1027 minKitchen Table HomeschoolBook Discussion: How to Educate a CitizenAJ, Courtney, and Jen, along with special guest Julie, review E.D. Hirsch, Jr.'s new book, How to Educate a Citizen. Our discussion centers on homeschooling, progressive politics, and Hirsch's Core Knowledge curriculum.2020-10-2727 minKitchen Table HomeschoolSecularizing Religious CurriculaAJ, Courtney, and Jenn discuss why we made the Good Enough Homeschool podcast. Then Jen & AJ lead our discussion about secularizing religious curricula, including parent guides and setting up customized planners. Publishers discussed include: Seton, Kolbe, Memoria Press, Rod and Staff, Bookshark, Sonlight, WinterPromise, Guest Hollow, Classical Academic Press, and Beautiful Feet.2020-10-1327 minKitchen Table HomeschoolMCT (Michael Clay Thompson ELA)Courtney talks about testing, AJ describes traditional, language-centered classical education, and Jenn, Courtney, and AJ talk about their experiences with MCT.2020-09-2928 minKitchen Table HomeschoolOak MeadowJenn and Courtney go deep on Oak Meadow while AJ gives a history lesson from Oxford to the Moral Majority and beyond.2020-09-1530 minKitchen Table HomeschoolThe Well-Trained MindIn this episode Courtney and Jen introduce our new co-host, AJ Campbell. Then we tackle joy in the homeschool, classical education, and The Well-Trained Mind.2020-09-0225 minKitchen Table HomeschoolDr. Kripa Sundar; Build Your LibraryHow to create a book list, Dr. Kripa Sundar on curriculum design and "seductive details", and Build Your Library.2020-08-1828 minKitchen Table HomeschoolScientific Connections Through InquiryWe tackle "What is classical education?" Plus, another problematic curricula list. In lieu of that list, we supply alternatives. Finally, we cheerfully eviscerate Scientific Connections Through Inquiry.2020-08-1122 minKitchen Table HomeschoolPandia Press Ancients Level 2Jen and Courtney discuss the best online curriculum, review different types of curricula, and then cheerfully eviscerate the Pandia Press's Ancients Level 2 curriculum with Wikipedia.2020-08-0425 minKitchen Table HomeschoolTorchlightJen and Courtney tackle the emotional toll of teaching your child something they don't want to learn, discuss another problematic curricula list, and then cheerfully eviscerate the Torchlight curriculum with cognitive science. 2020-07-2827 minKitchen Table HomeschoolMeet the Secular Classical Homeschool DuoJenn and Courtney are two experienced homeschoolers who practice classical, secular homeschooling. Jenn's been doing this since 2001, and Courtney has been homeschooling since 2014. Using their experience and expertise, they cheerfully eviscerate popular recommendations and curricula. Join them to hear what they consider the good, the bad, and the ugly.2020-07-2122 min
Education Research Reading RoomERRR #040.C1: Courtney Ostaff on online maths teaching and collaboration (West Virginia, USA)If you're viewing this on the web you can also view it directly on your android phone on stitcher (http://www.tiny.cc/errrandroid),…2020-03-2944 min