Waking up at 7am or much earlier to get on the school bus, morning assemblies, walking in a single file into the classroom and sitting at a desk for six hours with breaks or sports in between in a school where over a few hundred students go to at the same time may not be the ideal way of learning for every child. For some, it requires a less rigid schedule, a smaller group of peers or none at all, or a simply quieter environment. This is where homeschooling might come to into the picture.

What is it?

Homeschooling is essentially when a child learns what is taught in schools – at home. The role of a teacher is taken over, more often than not, by one parent or both.

If the parent is uncomfortable teaching, there are centres that adopt homeschooling teaching methodologies in Malaysia or the parent may choose to hire a tutor to teach at home.

The key factor here is that the number of participants during this learning process is small. It is often a one-on-one session or if it’s in a homeschooling centre, the number of students usually do not exceed five.

Why should you choose it?

If through observation and results, you realise your child is not able to cope or learn much in a typical classroom setting and generally requires more attention, or learns better at their own pace, homeschooling should be highly considered. You can also choose the most ideal curriculum that suits your child through this method.

Homeschooling is also best for parents who wish to teach their children using religious or moral instructions. It’s also a wise choice if your child has physical or mental health problems, for this makes it difficult to cope with studies in a classroom.

Homeschooling can also be an option if your child has special needs; if you are dissatisfied with the school environment; or finances and logistics are keeping you from sending your child to a private or international school.

Homeschooling pros

Subject specialisation: If your child is interested in a particular area of study, you’d be able to cater and expand on that field.

Family bonding: It allows parents to interact with their kid and maintain a steady relationship.

Flexibility: Teach when required.

Attention: As it is a one-on-one session or a small group, there is more focus and attention given.

Minus Points

Lackadaisical: Parents may be distracted or preoccupied with household matters.

Dependency: Child may end up being clingy.

Peer support: Child may not have ample interaction with children of their age.

Qualifications: Parents may not be qualified to teach their child.

Types of homeschooling methods

Charlotte Mason

• British educator Mason’s principles are “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life” and “Education is the science of relations.” She believed that children were born persons and should be respected as such. Her motto for students was “I am, I can, I ought, I will.”
• As such, she believed children absorb a lot from their home environment (atmosphere), should be encouraged toward good habits – specifically the habits of character (discipline), and should be given living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts.
• This method allows children time to play, create, be involved in real-life situations, take a nature walk, visit an art museum, and learn geography, history or literature from “living books” – books written in story form by an author with a passion for the subject matter.
• The method uses short lessons with a strong emphasis on excellence of execution, focused attention and variation in the daily scheduled activities, so the brain doesn’t become overly stressed over a singular task. Knowledge is demonstrated from narration and discussion, not test-taking.

The Trivium

• Focusing on three phases which are concrete, analytical and abstract, the trivium or the ‘Socratic Method’ builds on absorbing facts and building foundations during the first stage, followed by argument-orientated learning processes with logical and critical thinking activities and finally abstract where students are more independent and articulate in relaying their thoughts.
• This method is primarily language-focused and works to ultimately link all fields of study or several fields.

Eclectic

• As the name suggests, this is a mixture of several types of teaching methodologies. It depends on the criteria and results a parent wishes to accomplish with their child.

Unit Studies

• This is a method focusing on specialisation. If the child has an above average interest in planets and the solar system, the idea is then to develop and expand on this topic. It could range from learning how to spell and pronounce the name of the planets, an in-depth observation of the planets and its geographical locations apart from taking your child to the planetarium to observe objects related to the topic, watch videos or even build the solar system using recyclable materials.

Unschooling

• American John Holt, who pioneered this method, believes that education should be child-led.
• As such, unschooling is unstructured and considered a natural form of learning which is centred on the interests of the child.
• Most unschooling parents make sure their children learn to read, write and do basic math. However, planned lessons and traditional textbooks are not the norm.
• Parents work with each of their children on an individual basis in relation to each child’s ability and areas of interest.

Exceptions

Germany has a clause in which the only exception for homeschooling is when continued school attendance would create undue hardship for an individual child while Sweden only allows exceptional cases.

Outlawed!

Countries that have outlawed homeschooling without known reasons include Armenia, Turkey, Brazil, Croatia while countries like Netherlands allows it only and if parents can prove the schools do not fit to their belief system.

An alternative

Countries that allow homeschooling as an alternative to the mandatory public or state school system include the United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, France, Finland, South Africa, Denmark, while it is a constitutional right in Belgium.