Can homeschool methods help the traditional school community? As a homeschool advocate I’m paying attention to the novel ideas that the traditional school community is tossing around regarding remote, small-group learning during this pandemic. I’m interested in seeing if their ideas will begin to resemble the approaches we use in homeschool. Can homeschool methods help the traditional school community adapt to remote learning? When things normalize will new approaches to remote, small-group learning benefit the homeschool community too? I think the two communities can learn from each other during the pandemic.
There will be challenges. Micro-schools or pandemic-pods are making big news. Micro-schools are a proposed way for small groups of public or private school students to educate together outside of school. They will serve families who are either unwilling or unable to send their kids to school during the pandemic. The idea is novel and exciting but I presume there will be huge challenges in organizing these school groups. For one, very little time remains for planning and organizing a group. Secondly, most parents have no experience operating an educational group.
Seek advice from experienced homeschoolers. Organizers of micro-schools or pods would benefit from consulting with parents who have homeschool group experience. We know exactly where the potential problems lie with various types of education arrangements. Some of us have schooled other people’s kids at our homes for years. Some of us have participated in work-share co-ops while others in drop-off co-ops. Some of us have tried a combination of all these options. We have much wisdom to share with the organizers of micro-schools.
Homeschool parents know exactly where the potential problems lie with various types of education arrangements.
Share the daycare: easier than it sounds. One of the micro-school proposals is that parents rotate through the supervising role to increase the chances that kids will have daycare. Sharing the supervising role as well as homes will be essential because of the unpredictable and disruptive nature of the virus. Sickness and unwillingness to share the workload are certainties I have seen in co-op groups before Covid-19 even invaded our country.
Consider a tutor. An alternative proposal is to pay a general tutor to supervise and assist the kids all day. This plan would require a backup adult and a suitable location to meet on a daily basis. In my experience, it’s extremely difficult to find places to meet for school. I’ve found that people are typically reluctant to open their homes. The same goes for churches. When the virus gets factored in, I trust very few people will be willing to incur health risks, liability, and sanitation costs. I cancelled the live class I was going to host at my house for these very reasons.
Micro-schools can break away from traditional curricula. Families are going to have to choose curricula and instructional methods for their micro-schools. Traditional schools use methods that fit large groups with diverse needs. Homeschools can use more customized methods that fit the individual student or small groups. Homeschoolers can use a different method for each subject if necessary. Some subjects are learned at home with books or online while others may be taught by an outside teacher in a private setting or at a co-op. Micro-school families should be open-minded and consider methods more conducive to the individual if possible. I see problems when people try to use traditional methods at home. I discuss this topic in my post Is an Eight-Hour Day Necessary at Home? as well as Desk Not Needed. I give a general overview of homeschool curricula in Curriculum 101.
Learn the material before class not after. Nascent micro-schools can borrow a key idea from homeschool co-ops. Our school groups meet for half- day sessions once or twice a week. We accomplish the same education goals with fewer class hours. To make this compressed format work, I strongly encourage my science students to come prepared to review the material. In other words, students learn the assigned material on their own before coming to class. This is possible because homeschool curricula are designed for parent- and student-directed learning. When you meet once a week there’s a lot of material to review in a short amount of time, so the pace is fast. Prepared students can handle this pace. When students are prepared, the instructor or coach can focus on review. Games come in handy for reviewing material.
Teachers in traditional schools, on the other hand, take the opposite approach: they introduce new material in class and then assign homework so students can learn it afterwards. Since the material is new, the class pace is slow. The pace can be slow because class meets five days a week. Micro-school organizers need to consider the differences between the two settings and be open to new approaches.
In conclusion, homeschool curricula is designed for parents and students to learn outside of a formalized educational format. If you desire to teach a group of students in the community, it may make more sense to use homeschool curricula than material from a traditional school. To make things run more smoothly, place responsibility on the families to get the work done and share the work load each week.
For with God nothing shall be impossible Luke 1:37
Musing: a period of reflection or thought. As such this post reflects my thoughts, opinions, and experiences on the topic. The choice to home school and the methods you choose are yours to determine.