Homeschooling

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This is Wikiversity's central resource for Homeschooling.

Contents

Homeschooling basics [edit]

Homeschooler with Project.jpg

Homeschooling is a method of childhood education which eschews mainstream mass schooling in the form of government or private schools and keeps the responsibility and implementation of education directly in the hands of the child's own parents. Home schoolers believe that the education they provide for their children from home is a better preparation for adulthood than the institutional options available to them. Homeschooling is a diverse movement, stretching across economic, racial, religious and political groups. As parents vary in their reasons and philosophies of homeschooling, the methods employed are equally diverse, as each family chooses the education that best suits its children and circumstances. Though very few generalizations can be made, perhaps one can say that homeschoolers as a whole:

  • find mass schooling an inefficient use of the child's time.
  • believe individual and parental rights supersede government interest in the child.
  • homeschool out of a desire to give their children a superior education.
  • reserve the right to define education for their own family.

Parents who choose to homeschool may do so because they find mass schooling:

  • too religious or not religious enough.
  • too demanding or not rigorous enough.
  • moving too quickly or too slowly for their child.
  • unsafe or too confining.
  • too intrusive or too unresponsive.

Homeschooling is legal across the United States, though regulated variously. Some states have an entirely hands-off policy while others require differing levels of notification or oversight. All states have many support groups which can provide information, interaction, and learning opportunities.

History and General Information

Perspectives [edit]

Methods of homeschooling, which are often combined or modified in practice, include:

  • Charlotte Mason- A British educator who invested her life in improving the quality of children's education. Her ideas led to one of the primary methods of homeschooling.
  • Classical-
  1. Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
  2. Of or pertaining to the ancient Greeks and Romans, esp. to Greek or Roman authors of the highest rank, or of the period when their best literature was produced.
  3. Conforming to the best authority in literature and art; chaste; pure; refined; as, a classical style.
  1. Unrelated and unspecialized. Crossing a range or mixture of specialities.
  2. Selecting a mixture of what appear to be best of various doctrines, methods, or styles.
  • Montessori- The Montessori philosophy is built upon the idea that children develop and think differently from adults; that they are not merely "adults in small bodies". Dr. Montessori advocated children's rights, children working to develop themselves into adults, and that these developments would lead to world peace. The Montessori method discourages traditional measurements of achievement (grades, tests) under the premise that it is damaging to the inner growth of children (and adults). Feedback and qualitative analysis of a child's performance does exist but is usually provided in the form of a list of skills, activities and critical points, and sometimes a narrative of the child's achievements, strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis of the improvement of those weaknesses.
  • Networked learning- A process of developing and maintaining connections with people and information, and communicating in such a way so as to support one another's learning.
  • Unit Study- It is defined as an in-depth study of a topic (space, trees, cars, etc.) that takes into account many areas of the topic, such as geography, science, history, art, etc. It is a complete immersion into the topic so that the student will see things as a "whole" instead of bits and pieces learned throughout their education.
  • Unschooling- unschoolers believe that the use of standard curricula and conventional grading methods, as well as other features of traditional schooling, are counterproductive to the goal of maximizing the education of each child. Instead, unschoolers typically allow children to learn through their natural life experiences, including game play, household responsibilities, and social interaction.
  • Waldorf Education- Learning is interdisciplinary, integrates practical, artistic, and intellectual elements, and is coordinated with "natural rhythms of everyday life".

Pros and Cons [edit]

PROS:

  • Educational Freedom
  • Physical Freedom
  • Religious Freedom
  • Closer Family Relationships
  • Stability During Difficult Times
  • Well-Rested Kids
  • No Busy Work

CONS:

  • The Time Restraints
  • Financial Restraints
  • Limited Interaction With Other Kids
  • Being with Your Kids 24/7
  • Limited Team Sports
  • Living Outside the Norm

(Family Education)

Courses and Learning Materials [edit]

Resources [edit]

John Holt and His Ideas:

Home School Legal Defense Association (official site)

Homeschool Curriculum and Homeschooling Information

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