Principle Based Learning teaches
valuable Educational Principles for
Home-centered learning.
Empower.
Explore.
Educate.
For a more detailed version including footnotes, click here. to download the pdf
And here is a YouTube explaining the 7 principles.
This section is taken from the website when we had the co-op:
-From the archives-
What is Principle Based Learning (PBL)?
After researching the best sources to be found about what makes for great teaching and learning, the founders of PBL searched for the common threads among great thinkers, mentors and authors such as Charlotte Mason, Maria
Montessori, John Holt, Stephen R. Covey, John Taylor-Gatto, Oliver and Rachel
DeMille and others. We looked for the themes that were repeated over and
over throughout this literature and ended up with 7 Principles. As people
learn, apply and teach these principles to themselves and their family and
friends, great learning is born. Be sure to read the principles and the stories which give more background about how PBL got started.
As homeschoolers in Kansas City, MO, Carol and Jen organized a co-op where they could join with other like-minded parents to support one another in living PBL principles.
The co-op model chosen is to meet once a week for 6 weeks in the Spring and in the Fall and then organize ad—hoc activities (like field trips, workshops, playgroups etc.) throughout the year.
We are divided into developmental learning stages and train our moms on appropriate expectations of different ages.
Carol B Webster
Founder, President of Principle-Based Learning
Before beginning a family she earned BA and MA degrees in Linguistics ( University of Utah , University of Arizona .) She served a mission for a year and a half in Peru which gifted her fluency in Spanish and explains how she came to teach Spanish from Elementary age through College courses (U of A, Pima Community College, Johnson County Community College in Kansas). She met her husband during graduate school. They moved to the Kansas City for his graduate studies and ended up staying. Five children later, they homeschool and pursue several entrepreneurial enterprises. Carol discovered during her search for a major: “Teaching is not something I do, it is something I am”.
We created a lot of videos in the 2010's. Browse away and laugh. Technology and video protocols have changed over the year. Here are a few samples.
A YouTube Video from 2010
Carol tells about how she wanted to be a teacher from an early age but recognized the drawbacks of the school system. Later in life she discovers works by Charlotte Mason, John Taylor Gatto and others which match deep educational intuitions she had had since childhood. She began Principle Based Learning as a place to share her research and insights along with many other friends. She invites the reader "Join the Journey". Principle Based Learning helps empower readers to explore education.
A YouTube Video from 2013
Do you ever wonder what your children will be like when they grow up? Like a coloring page, how they will be depends on many choices. What they become is largely determined by choices made in their education.
A YouTube Video from 2015
We started a program called the Learning Journey to encourage us moms to study and apply the Learning Principles we were using in our families. Each year we had a celebration. Carol would create videos for that. This one is a favorite.
A YouTube Video from 2022
Made with quarantined families in mind in 2020, it sat on the computer. Carol decided to publish it in 2022.
5 Tips for Creating a Home Learning Environment that Goes Beyond "Homeschooling".
Although the video addresses homeschool parents, these tips and principles are for everyone regardless of family status or school choices.
A YouTube Video from 2024
In 2024, Carol began the Connecting Dots Podcast. Though she has not worked directly on Principle Based Learning for several years as she focused on Holding Space Practice, she never forgets that PBL was and is foundational. The story has not changed, only expanded, since the similar video made in 2010.
Bucket Blog
Carol's Bucket Blog is where she dropped her thoughts from various parts of her life including education and homeschooling. Click here to check it out.
