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Homeschooling Resources: Educational Issues

College Planning: home-schooling Students Need Concentration to Learn
By Mimi Rothschild

Whether engaged in a home-school lesson, required reading or supplementary material, writing a paper, or taking a test, concentration is by far the most important and helpful attribute to have. However, the notion of “having” concentration is a little misleading, for it implies that concentration is an inherent quality present in some and absent in others.

While it is indisputable that some home-school children have a penchant for filtering things out (and some would argue a home-school program offers the advantage of less “background noise” to filter) it is a fact that concentration is a skill and set of strategies one develops over time. The skill of concentration is composed of many elements; one of which is learning how to shape and structure study. A home-school student needs to place serious thought into where they study and how that study should be structured. Generally, the following suggestions should be observed when structuring one's home-school studies.

First and foremost, a home-school student needs to consider location. Ideally, it is not just one location but a handful of quiet places. Libraries are ideal, and should be taken advantage of, especially large and resource-rich university facilities. Of course, a place at home away from distractions is a must. A bedroom without a television is conducive for home-school studies. Another consideration is mood and habit. The study location should only serve as a study location. The idea is that the mind is more likely to be in a “study mood” if it associates a particular environment only with the study activity. While a change of scenery is always nice for the home-school student, places of social activity such as coffee-houses or family-rooms are not necessarily the best places to work in terms of concentration.

Ergonomics are another key consideration. Make sure that ample lighting and air-circulation are present in the home-school student's study area. A chair and desk should at the very least provide an appropriate level of working comfort and room to spread out all home-school and supplementary study materials.

In general, a study area in or out of the home-school should be away from anything the student finds distracting. Some study better by a window, but if that window overlooks an activity a bit too inviting, then it may not be worth the distraction from home-school studies. Some people prefer music in the background; others can't focus with the extra sound. In other words, the “right” home-school environment for concentration may vary somewhat according to taste. Use these suggestions as a guide and see what works best for concentration.

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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 Daily Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.