"Should I, Shall I, Can I, Will I?" Part Two - Page 6
© Joan Archer
For the more advanced student, many community colleges transmit classes on television. Even parents who cannot afford to send their child or would like to preview the class/teacher can watch the television programs. Usually they present the information in a cohesive manner, and you don't have to be a registered student to buy books for most classes in college. I like the idea of previewing the materials and the teachers, because college is geared toward mature adults. Some topics and personalities are too powerful for the average mid-teen, no matter how advanced academically they seem to be. It is also a far cry from the full "college experience" but some parents like to take this option.
It is also possible for the homeschool student to learn many things via the Internet. Some colleges also provide short classes on the Internet. Many sites geared toward children include information and quizzes, as well as an opportunity to write to people from all over the world. Some "pen pal" sites are free to use. These can help drive home history and geography lessons, as well as providing a link to cultural and poitical information not found in many texts. There is also an opportunity to sharpen letter writing (Language) skills, and socialize at the same time.
Almost everyone learns more thoroughly with at least one other person to learn with. Homeschool in any form takes a lot of the parents' time. In our home, it is more like Rabbinical Torah Studies, with every point exposed and argued. We have a loud homeschool, but we come away with clearer knowledge than we would have if we just read a book passage and moved on. I have found this method to be a great way to open those clogged mind passages, allowing thoughts and ideas to flow freely. This is an important "Critical Thinking" excercise, as well as really putting the parents' values in the forefront of the subject. It also allows the child to begin developing their criterion for selecting values, as well as adopting their parents' values. It is more important in some cases for your child to learn why you have the values you do, rather than simply being told what your values are. "Why" is so very important to children!
An important idea to evaluate how you want your homeschool to work, is what you as a parent are comfortable with, and what your children are comfortable with. I am totally okay with Eclectic, but my third son, Jasper is dyslexic and needs a bit more structure so concepts fit together in a clear manner for him. My second son, Isaac is totally okay with Eclectic, until we get to Geography, and then he has to have a text book. I don't know why, he just does. There are also the many styles of learning, which are another factor to deal with. For quite a while, Jasper and I were at loggerheads and I could not figure out why. Finally, we got to the dyslexia diagnosis, and explored the different styles of learning. He is an Aural learner, better taught with spoken words than by example. I am a Tactile learner, learning better with a hands-on approach than by visualizing through spoken words. I also, therefore, teach that same way. I learned to use some of the Spaulding Method (read a passage, ask questions about it) and other aural equipment (tape recorders, videos, cd's) and we finally came to a place we could be comfortable with each other. As an aside, skip the desks and kitchen table class settings if you can get the knowledge in them much easier sitting on the livingroom sofa. Discomfort is not a prerequisite for good learning!
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