Posts Tagged ‘Flexibility’

Home Schooling As An Alternative To Formal Schooling

May 22nd, 2010 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Home learning

Home schooling is fast gaining popularity among families across the globe for the numerous advantages that it has to offer. It has become one of the best alternatives to formal schooling because of its flexibility, minimal cost, excellent academic framework and safe environment.

Different Learning Behaviors

Studies over the years have shown that a person’s learning behavior differs from that of another. One person may learn better by listening or by seeing something demonstrated to him or her. Another may learn better by reading and writing. Not everyone can benefit from a single structured method of teaching. Public schools and private schools teach based on a single method or form of teaching. They cannot provide custom-made teaching methods to fit the learning behavior of every child. The child is forced to adapt to the particular teaching method being used in the school, regardless of whether or not such a teaching method is the best manner by which to educate the child.

Home schooling gives children the opportunity to maximize their learning potential, by providing them with the best possible teaching method to meet their needs. This makes children learn their lessons easily because they are learning through a method that is more comfortable to them. This, in turn, boosts up a child’s self-confidence, increases his or her sense of security, and improves his or her emotional and mental development.

Unavailability of Formal Schooling

Home schooling is the only alternative in situations where the option of formal schooling is not available. This usually occurs where a child has learning disabilities or requires instruction that is more advanced than what children of the same age require. It also takes place in the case of missionaries, military families, or other families where the parents’ occupation or profession require them to constantly travel from one place to another. There are also situations where the family’s religion does not permit them to enroll their children in regular schools or require them to teach subjects which are not offered in regular schools. In these situations, home schooling provides educational stability to a child. It is flexible enough to meet the special needs that children and their parents may have.

Formal Schooling’s Disadvantages

Studies show that through the years, the increasingly earlier enrollment of students in schools have led to juvenile delinquency, increased enrollment of students in special education classes, behavioral problems, and even nearsightedness. These studies confirmed that young children may suffer mentally, socially, psychologically and academically if they are exposed to school at an early age.

Contrary to what most people believe, home schooling does not obstruct the development of a child’s socialization skills. In fact, it does the complete opposite. When children are educated at home, they are exposed to people of different ages and maybe even different backgrounds. They learn to interact with these people and develop their social skills. On the other hand, children’s socialization skills may not be as developed in school. In school, they are exposed to children within their own age group other than their teachers. The environment is controlled and artificial.

The option to resort to home schooling children has been available to parents for years. However, it was not as popular as formal schooling. Today, millions of families all over the world resort to home schooling to educate their children. The rise in its popularity may be attributed to better awareness of children’s educational needs.

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Home Schooling As An Alternative To Formal Schooling

July 21st, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Main Content

Home schooling is fast gaining popularity among families across the globe for the numerous advantages that it has to offer. It has become one of the best alternatives to formal schooling because of its flexibility, minimal cost, excellent academic framework and safe environment.

Different Learning Behaviors

Studies over the years have shown that a person’s learning behavior differs from that of another. One person may learn better by listening or by seeing something demonstrated to him or her. Another may learn better by reading and writing. Not everyone can benefit from a single structured method of teaching. Public schools and private schools teach based on a single method or form of teaching. They cannot provide custom-made teaching methods to fit the learning behavior of every child. The child is forced to adapt to the particular teaching method being used in the school, regardless of whether or not such a teaching method is the best manner by which to educate the child.

Home schooling gives children the opportunity to maximize their learning potential, by providing them with the best possible teaching method to meet their needs. This makes children learn their lessons easily because they are learning through a method that is more comfortable to them. This, in turn, boosts up a child’s self-confidence, increases his or her sense of security, and improves his or her emotional and mental development.

Unavailability of Formal Schooling

Home schooling is the only alternative in situations where the option of formal schooling is not available. This usually occurs where a child has learning disabilities or requires instruction that is more advanced than what children of the same age require. It also takes place in the case of missionaries, military families, or other families where the parents’ occupation or profession require them to constantly travel from one place to another. There are also situations where the family’s religion does not permit them to enroll their children in regular schools or require them to teach subjects which are not offered in regular schools. In these situations, home schooling provides educational stability to a child. It is flexible enough to meet the special needs that children and their parents may have.

Formal Schooling’s Disadvantages

Studies show that through the years, the increasingly earlier enrollment of students in schools have led to juvenile delinquency, increased enrollment of students in special education classes, behavioral problems, and even nearsightedness. These studies confirmed that young children may suffer mentally, socially, psychologically and academically if they are exposed to school at an early age.

Contrary to what most people believe, home schooling does not obstruct the development of a child’s socialization skills. In fact, it does the complete opposite. When children are educated at home, they are exposed to people of different ages and maybe even different backgrounds. They learn to interact with these people and develop their social skills. On the other hand, children’s socialization skills may not be as developed in school. In school, they are exposed to children within their own age group other than their teachers. The environment is controlled and artificial.

The option to resort to home schooling children has been available to parents for years. However, it was not as popular as formal schooling. Today, millions of families all over the world resort to home schooling to educate their children. The rise in its popularity may be attributed to better awareness of children’s educational needs.

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Home Schooling As An Alternative To Formal Schooling

May 27th, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Main Content

Home schooling is fast gaining popularity among families across the globe for the numerous advantages that it has to offer. It has become one of the best alternatives to formal schooling because of its flexibility, minimal cost, excellent academic framework and safe environment.

Different Learning Behaviors

Studies over the years have shown that a person’s learning behavior differs from that of another. One person may learn better by listening or by seeing something demonstrated to him or her. Another may learn better by reading and writing. Not everyone can benefit from a single structured method of teaching. Public schools and private schools teach based on a single method or form of teaching. They cannot provide custom-made teaching methods to fit the learning behavior of every child. The child is forced to adapt to the particular teaching method being used in the school, regardless of whether or not such a teaching method is the best manner by which to educate the child.

Home schooling gives children the opportunity to maximize their learning potential, by providing them with the best possible teaching method to meet their needs. This makes children learn their lessons easily because they are learning through a method that is more comfortable to them. This, in turn, boosts up a child’s self-confidence, increases his or her sense of security, and improves his or her emotional and mental development.

Unavailability of Formal Schooling

Home schooling is the only alternative in situations where the option of formal schooling is not available. This usually occurs where a child has learning disabilities or requires instruction that is more advanced than what children of the same age require. It also takes place in the case of missionaries, military families, or other families where the parents’ occupation or profession require them to constantly travel from one place to another. There are also situations where the family’s religion does not permit them to enroll their children in regular schools or require them to teach subjects which are not offered in regular schools. In these situations, home schooling provides educational stability to a child. It is flexible enough to meet the special needs that children and their parents may have.

Formal Schooling’s Disadvantages

Studies show that through the years, the increasingly earlier enrollment of students in schools have led to juvenile delinquency, increased enrollment of students in special education classes, behavioral problems, and even nearsightedness. These studies confirmed that young children may suffer mentally, socially, psychologically and academically if they are exposed to school at an early age.

Contrary to what most people believe, home schooling does not obstruct the development of a child’s socialization skills. In fact, it does the complete opposite. When children are educated at home, they are exposed to people of different ages and maybe even different backgrounds. They learn to interact with these people and develop their social skills. On the other hand, children’s socialization skills may not be as developed in school. In school, they are exposed to children within their own age group other than their teachers. The environment is controlled and artificial.

The option to resort to home schooling children has been available to parents for years. However, it was not as popular as formal schooling. Today, millions of families all over the world resort to home schooling to educate their children. The rise in its popularity may be attributed to better awareness of children’s educational needs.

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Structure the School year

January 31st, 2009 by admin | No Comments | Filed in Home learning

Now that you have begun your homeschooling schedule, there are
various questions that trouble you. Should you study continuously,
take a number of short breaks or a long vacation? What about
public holidays? When should you take a break?

The answer to these questions and many more like these are
actually quite simple: Do whatever suits you best. This is one of
the appealing benefits of homeschooling. You do not have a set
pattern to follow. You do not HAVE to take that autumn break, or
close shop for a prolonged summer vacation. Flexibility is the key
here. For some practiced unschoolers, even a definite curriculum
is not necessary because lessons are a part of their day- to-day
life. But this may not be the case with beginners. Beginners may
need to chart out their activities to fall into a pattern.

Before you plan the structure of your classes, consider some of
the most important issues. What method of homeschooling will you
be following, what is your teaching style and your child’s
learning style, what are the work and play schedules, what are
your vacation plans. Some families plan small 1-week vacations at
different times of the year. Other families prefer to go away for
a month or more. Consult with the members of your family, and
chart out a holiday schedule that most suits you.

There are some positive benefits in following the traditional
summer vacation schedule. Firstly, your children can benefit from
the various summer activities, camps and classes. Your child’s
schedule will coincide with that of his school-going friends. A
summer job may be possible. A longish summer break also means that
both parents as well as children get a break from their daily
lessons. This could also be a major drawback, as it is sometimes
difficult to get back on track once the classes resume.

On the other hand, there are some advantages to taking numerous
small breaks in the course of a year. Firstly, children do not get
bored since they get time to explore other interests. You can
cover more topics in the extra time that you save. You can also
take family trips and vacations during the less popular periods of
travel. This means lesser crowd and better prices. But beware if
your child becomes restless when other children are enjoying their
long summer vacations.

As far as homeschooling is concerned, you and your family are the
people in charge. Taking care of the individual needs of the child
is the primary focus of this system. So, tailor the school year to
suit your child’s needs. Periodic evaluation is a must. Set some
realistic goals and see if you are able to achieve these goals.
Most importantly, avoid burnout - both in yourself and your
children.

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