Online Learning: Choosing an Online Course
Many parents who homeschool their children rely on the Internet to provide the resources they need. Although many parents involved in homeschooling find that a trip to the library can provide them with valuable resources, not all parents feel confident teaching every subject. Online courses have revolutionized the homeschooling movement and vice versa; now, there are many online courses to choose from. You will want to find sound criteria to enable you to make an informed decision.
The first question a parent who wants to homeschool his or her child may want to ask about an online course is if it is possible to see beforehand what kind of instruction their child is going to get. Any good course will provide a detailed course description, objectives and assignments that harmonize well with homeschooling schedules and values. You will need to get an idea of the instructional schedule of the course. Are tests and lectures geared toward certain times and dates? Are there deadlines? If you homeschool your child, it is likely that your schedule will be flexible enough to accommodate these goals? However, your home schooled child might need extra instructions, and such limits can be an obstacle. Do all students need to be online at the same time for a lecture? Homeschooling means that you will be in a different time zone than many of the other students, and a fixed time to attend lectures online might be a hassle for those who homeschool their children.
You will want to know what kind of communication is available between the student and the teacher. If you homeschool your child, you might or might not want him or her to e-mail the teacher on an individual basis. Find out if you can also call or fax the teacher. Find out what qualifications your teacher has. Does he or she have experience with parents who homeschool their children? What institutions did he or she attend? You will also want to asses the quality of the content that is being taught and ensure that it suits the values that inspired you to homeschool your child in the first place.
Most online sites will give you an idea of how often assessment occurs and what form it takes. Most parents who homeschool their children are asked to provide some evidence of the homeschooling progress, such as exam results. The tests should be timed when you are homeschooling you children so that you can show the results to the Board of Education. Make sure that the online learning site is free from technical problems which can cause delays and upset your homeschooling schedule. Finally, see if the online course has a track record of success—the success of your homeschooler depends on it.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because "our current system of education has broken its promise..." Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.
Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.
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