Many parents opt for home-schooling for various reasons, such as wanting their children to receive a superior education compared to what is offered by local schools. Home-schooling has become a globally accepted movement, allowing parents to teach their children in the comfort of their own homes as a progressive approach to education.
Homeschooling
The process of homeschooling or home education entails schooling children at home, using diverse non-schooling methods and techniques to achieve academic success. Homeschooling differs from conventional school lessons as it incorporates a range of non-schooling activities and approaches.
Can we evaluate the learning by doing homeschooling
Teachers employ a range of resources to evaluate their students’ learning, including customary assessments like standardized tests and pop quizzes. There exist certain approaches to determine the extent of comprehension.
Knowing the purpose and expected outcomes of an assessment is beneficial. Assessing a student in a traditional school setting may differ from homeschooling.
1. Know why you are assessing
Instead of simply instructing your child to take a spelling test, consider using various assessments that can aid in evaluating their learning. It is crucial for parents to recognize that these assessments are designed to enhance the child’s understanding of their own learning process. Although it may appear futile to have them provide a report on the book they read, it is an alternative means of assessment worth exploring.
However, it is important to realize that testing is a necessary component of their learning journey. While you may be familiar with the material, it is still necessary to assess their knowledge. The assessment process within homeschooling may differ from traditional methods. As the teacher, you will continuously evaluate and gauge the child’s progress as they acquire new knowledge. It is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the areas where they may have gaps in their understanding.
When students are trying to learn, they might already have knowledge but find it difficult. Unlike in a traditional classroom where a teacher has several students, here there is only one student. This allows for more focus and attention on the individual student’s progress.
2. Let them learn enough at their pace
When considering step by step, how does one define “enough” in terms of homeschooling? Many parents who are new to homeschooling express concerns about their children’s level of education. Typically, children begin learning subjects that are included in standardized tests and curriculum changes from a young age. However, these aspects only constitute a portion of the learning process that propels education in conventional public schools.
When your child is learning at home, the path they follow does not have to be traditional. Instead, begin at their current level and guide them upward. Your plan is to cover all of the animal kingdom’s classifications within a span of five weeks.
After a few weeks, you unexpectedly find yourself struggling to keep up. You may have assumed that your child’s lack of focus caused them to learn less. Instead, consider the extent of their learning and their progress within a specific period of time.
3. Taking a different approach
It is theoretically possible to surprise your child with a spelling quiz or have them give a presentation about their history unit in front of people in your living room. However, these methods are not the only ways to gauge your child’s understanding of what they have learned. Generally, such assessments are more effective when the information has been taught in a classroom setting.
Although your child has already discussed every aspect of the plot and characters at the dinner table for three weeks, it may appear redundant to have them write a book report on the chapter book they read. You have the understanding that they are aware of the material, so there might not be a need to evaluate them in a formal manner.
Assessment in your homeschool will probably appear different compared to assessment in a traditional school, considering the enclosed environment.
As you teach your child, you evaluate their progress throughout the learning process. If you engage in regular interactions with your child and have a strong comprehension of their strengths and weaknesses, you might be aware that they have mastered their multiplication tables but are encountering challenges with division.
In a conventional classroom setting, a single teacher is often in charge of numerous students. Consequently, it is not feasible for a classroom teacher to possess an in-depth understanding of each student’s progress on a personal level. As a result, they tend to depend more on standardized assessments to assess their students’ acquisition of new knowledge.
4. Progress over percentages
You don’t have to be exceptionally intelligent to determine if your child is succeeding in homeschooling. Simply ensure that they are learning within their current capabilities. If their correct response rate is only 40 percent, that means they have not made any progress. On the other hand, if they consistently answer 60 percent correctly, it indicates progress.
Homeschooling parents often worry about whether their child is learning “enough,” but the true meaning of “enough” and its origins are worth considering.
The content and pace of learning in traditional schools are driven by external factors, such as a school district’s adopted curriculum or the material covered in standardized tests, which greatly influence what kids learn in each grade level.
When your child is learning at home, there is no need for them to adhere to a traditional learning path. You can begin at their current developmental stage and progress at a pace that suits them, whether that means going faster or slower. By doing this, you can shift your focus from the quantity of their learning to the quality of their understanding.
Let’s say you originally planned to cover all classifications in the animal kingdom in five weeks, but find yourself falling behind. Instead of spending one week on birds as planned, you spent three weeks on them. This was because your child wanted to engage in various bird-related activities such as building a birdhouse, searching for birds on a nature walk, visiting a local aviary, and watching a bird documentary multiple times, before being ready to move on to reptiles.
Instead of considering your child’s learning as a failure because they got sidetracked, think about the depth of their learning as a better way to evaluate their progress instead of the quantity of what they accomplished in a certain time frame.
5. Assess by talking to them
An effective strategy is to ask children about what they have learned at school. This approach not only allows you to assess their retention of knowledge but also provides an opportunity for them to inform their parents about what they have learned.
6. Ask them to teach for a day
By putting your child in the position of a teacher, you can enhance their learning experience and enable them to recognize the value of their knowledge in self-improvement. Requesting the assistance of a sibling, instruct them to help their younger sibling with addition and subtraction facts. Subsequently, engage in a joint reading session and aid the younger sibling in comprehending unfamiliar words from the book.
7. Give them projects
Instead of giving your child tests, quizzes, and reports, you have the option to give them projects. For instance, you could provide them with a recipe and request them to triple it by multiplying the quantities of the ingredients, some of which may be in fractions. Alternatively, you can ask them to create a basic machine to accomplish a required task in the household.
You can also inform them that you are intending to embark on a road trip and require assistance in charting a route that will enable you to arrive at your destination within a specific time frame, as well as plan for breaks every 100 miles. This method will allow you to assess their acquired knowledge and their capacity to effectively utilize it.
8. Think digital
Many of us have experienced the nerves of giving a speech in front of our classmates, knowing that it accounts for 30% of our quarterly grade. However, it’s important to note that there are alternative methods for children to acquire public speaking and reporting skills, aside from delivering such presentations.
Keep in mind that your child can use the internet to share information with a larger audience through different mediums. They can create and upload kid-friendly videos on YouTube, make informative TikToks, or even put together iMovie-style presentations to show family and friends. Remember, there is a whole world beyond your home.
When thinking step by step, you should take into account your child’s online safety as a parent and decide to what extent their video content should be made public. One option is to choose to keep your YouTube video private and only share the link with trusted contacts, or alternatively, have your child create a TikTok video without actually posting it on the platform.
9. Observe their learning process
When faced with a question they are unfamiliar with, how do they react? Do they possess knowledge of where to seek information or how to seek assistance? Do they display enthusiasm in acquiring deeper understanding about their preferred subjects? Do they consistently inquire about dolphins, math problems, or U.S. presidents?
A child who is actively involved in their own education, actively seeking information and seeking to fill gaps in their knowledge, is a child who is developing a love for the simple act of learning. Such a child is successfully homeschooling.
10. Maintain a portfolio
If you want to gauge your child’s progress, it can be challenging to do so without a visual aid. Therefore, it is advisable to maintain a portfolio that can be revisited periodically.
Throughout the year, include notable projects, art work, and assignments, as well as your own lesson plans, to make it easy to track just how much learning your child has done. It will probably be more than you think!
