Dr. Raymond Moore and his late wife Dorothy, pioneers of the homeschooling movement, promoted the “Moore Formula” as a fresh and effective approach to education, one that emphasizes student interests rather than formal structure. Dr. Moore briefly described and illustrated the approach in a 2003 interview with TOS. The following is an excerpt from that interview (Spring 2003, pages 17-18).

Dr. Moore: The Moore Formula builds the children’s or students’ curricula or life programs (balanced in work, study, and service) on their worthy interests, aptitudes, and abilities, in which the teacher is active in all three in a true balance that, for example, ensures that students use their hands in work wherever possible as much as they use their heads in study. The story of Jimmy, below, pretty much tells you how this is handled in the form of a unit or project. In this case the unit is “transportation.” It accommodates motorcycles, yet doesn’t deprive Jimmy:

“The Motorcycle Boy”
A tearful mother called from Houston, sobbing that her son hated school. He had become withdrawn, and she feared that he was suicidal. She said he was bright but felt trapped in special education. On questioning, it turned out that he was 10, in the fourth grade, and had started school “when he was almost five.” We knew from this that he had not been ready for school and naturally hated it.

Next, we asked about his interests. But she said that was the trouble—he had no special interest. When we pursued that question, certain that a bright boy must have some kind of unique interest, she admitted, “He just lives and sleeps and eats motorcycles.”

We strongly advised removing him from school immediately if he was suicidal (it was a risk to have him wait, as we usually do, until the next major vacation) and take him down that afternoon to the best magazine stand in town and buy his choice of motorcycle magazines. We advised her to have him look up motorcycles in the World Book or other encyclopedia. Our staff enrolled him in the Moore Academy and showed his mother how to teach him with what we call a unit or project, in this case, on transportation. He studied everything that flies, floats, rolls, and walks, from jin-rickshas in Japan, caribou carts in the Philippines, camels in the Middle East, and ships in war or peace, to planes at Boeing, Seattle.

Jimmy was into geography all over the world. He was interested in all kinds of birds and planes and how they fly; many cultures; the physics and chemistry of internal combustion motors and flight; the math of distances, costs, repairs, and depreciation. He wanted to know how to figure changes in the times of sunrise and sunset, and the fullness of the moon. The laws and economics relating to travel and health and exercise piqued his interest. He began to write happily to the presidents of motorcycle companies and legislators who made transportation laws. He was into all basic areas of education. He had become almost instantly motivated when we targeted his interests, aptitudes, and abilities. Note that he had logically refused to write for his teacher, for he was unable and boyishly immature to write for a teacher who assigned the same topic for all pupils whether they were ready for writing or not.

Three months later his mother called, excited that she “had no idea that a child could be so creative and learn so fast.” He helped around the house, made money in several home industries, and was a “grease monkey” at a bicycle shop owned by a Spanish-speaking Mexican family (he was too young to help in a motorcycle dealership). And he developed a fast friendship when he “adopted” a feeble old couple for whom he frequently ran errands.

All of this was possible with some parental imagination and a few teacher hints.