Sunday 31 October 2010

The advantages of home education

Two of the greatest advantages of home education are the depth in which subjects may be covered and also the spontaneity and choice which is possible with this type of education. For example, at school history is for most of the year restricted to the classroom. There might be the odd visit to a museum or castle, but these are rare exceptions. Mostly the children are limited to watching DVDs, looking at books and so on. How very different is the case for the child being taught at home! If World War II is being studied and the family live near London, then the range of activities is immense. The National Army Museum in Chelsea, HMS Belfast, the cruiser moored in the Thames, the Imperial War Museum, the RAF Museum at Hendon, the Cabinet War Rooms under Whitehall, the Churchill Museum next door, visiting relatives who were alive at the time, hunting out old pill boxes, looking for bomb damage on buildings in central London; the list is endless. Home education is definitely something of a misnomer really; little of it takes place in the home for much of the time.

Because no timetable is involved, visits can be arranged as soon as the child expresses an interest. If the child asks a question about knights or castles, then a visit to a castle can be laid on for the next few days. Any work planned for that day can easily be postponed. The same applies to all subjects. When my daughter was studying biology a few years ago, we were hard at work looking at the physiology of mammals one day when news came through that a whale had become stranded in the Thames. The following day we went down there and watched it for a couple of hours. Straight from textbook to real life marine biology in the space of an hour or two. And all completely unplanned! This sort of spur of the moment trip is of course not really possible with schools. When you have the needs of thirty children to consider, planning any sort of day out is a pretty arduous undertaking.

Of course, living near London made a lot more available than would have been the case if we were living in the middle of the countryside, but then again there are many things in the countryside which are not readily accessible in London. The study of early man can be brought vividly to life if we take our child into a forest and see if we could find enough to eat and drink for the day. How on earth did those hunter-gatherers manage to survive? Can we make a spear or bow and arrow? What about taking flints and trying to fashion them into axes or weapons? Biology is also very easily studied in forests and fields, as are chemistry, physics, theology and geography. Nor need this sort of learning be at all parochial. Observing the eutrophication of a local pond or erosion of a river bank can lead to the discussion of problems faced by those living on the other side of the world in India or South America.

I cannot offhand think of any academic subject which cannot be covered or at the very least enhanced by trips through streets and fields in this way. Theology can just as well be taught in a wood as it can in a cathedral, so to can geography be studied in the centre of a big city or by the side of a stream. This is what I mean by studying a subject in depth. Attacking a question from various angles will allow a child to get to grips with far more effectively than by simply looking at a DVD or book. This is the glory of home education, the ability to move freely through the world learning about first one aspect and then another, seeing how they fit together. One day, one sees evidence for the Deity in the trees of the forest and the next we can watch how men and women worship Him in churches and mosques. Last week we saw a dead rabbit in the wood and this week we visit a zoo to see a live one. Perhaps next week we shall see a rabbit skeleton in a natural history museum.

This then is the great advantage of home education over schools. In schools, every topic must be planned months in advance from a centrally dictated curriculum. There is no flexibility to linger over some aspect of history for a week or two, one cannot wander down a byway in order to investigate how spiders build their webs. The structured nature of mass education can be useful to ensure that various important subjects are not neglected, but it can also be a straitjacket which prevents a child's curiosity from being roused. Clearly, during a chemistry lesson one cannot allow thirty children all to conduct different experiments, but at home one can certainly let a child extend the idea of an experiment and find out what would happen if some constant were varied.

One of the things which I have observed about some home educating parents is that they seem to have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. They start from the same initial premise that I myself hold; that excessive structure and planning in an education can be stifling and kill the curiosity of a bright and inquisitive child. Their deduction is that the remedy lies in no structure or planning at all. My own conclusion is a little less radical; there is a need for less structure and a good deal more flexibility in planning. The mass education of children as it is currently practiced in schools lies at one end of a spectrum. The concept of autonomous home education lies at the opposite end of this spectrum. Somewhere between these two extremes lie most home educators, who both eschew the stultifying National Curriculum and at the same time reject the fanaticism which leads some to avoid even teaching their children to read and write.

36 comments:

  1. I agree with most of this, Simon. That was our experience of home ed - planned and impromptu visits to museums, historical buildings, coastal areas etc. Sometimes we used these things to inspire an interest, such as when a trip to a ruined Abbey led to reading about Henry 8th and the dissolution of the monasteries, but also often to follow up an interest or question. It is so much more enriching to learn about coastal erosion whilst watching the waves crash against the shore, than just to fill in worksheets.

    I don't see how you are so sure hat these experiences are not part of autonomous education, though. There is nothing in the premise of AE to stop a parent saying "as you asked that question, would you like to go here?" or just offering a visit and seeing what happens. There may be some people who interpret AE as doing nothing, but the AE families I know offer all kinds of experiences to their children, support their interests with materials, visits, questions, even sometimes offer formal courses. The difference is that after a trip to Hampton Court, they wouldn't insist on a follow up project or piece of wring about Henry 8th if the child wasn't interested.

    Mrs C

    ReplyDelete
  2. 'I don't see how you are so sure that these experiences are not part of autonomous education, though.'

    I am sure that for many autonomous home educators this sort of thing is common, just as it is for a lot of structured home educators. I don't doubt for a moment that many autonomous parents offer their children trips to places of interest; they would be pretty strange parents if they didn't! What I meant to convey by this piece was that some parents follow a plan of education which they are prepared to vary and adapt to their children's needs. So, for example, my daughter was going to learn bilogy because I think it essential to know something of this subject. The form of the learning though and the directions which it took could be altered by her, within certain parameters. This is a little different from an autonomous home educator who, if her child showed no interest in biology at all, would allow the child not to study it. I am arguing for a planned education which can be varied to some extent according to the child's wishes. This type of education is rather different from that offered by schools.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't normally bother with typos, but sometimes a funny one comes up. Is "bilogy" the art of venting one's spleen by the use of invective? Your daughter will undoubtedly be an expert, having been taught by a master.

    ReplyDelete
  4. "Somewhere between these two extremes lie most home educators, who both eschew the stultifying National Curriculum and at the same time reject the fanaticism which leads some to avoid even teaching their children to read and write."

    How do you reach the conclusion that autonomous educators avoid teaching their children to read and write? I AE and have taught all of my children to read and write. For this to be true of an individual autonomously educated child you would have to believe that a child would not want to learn to read and write - highly unlikely in today's world and not something I've ever encountered.

    Nice to see that you now acknowledge that the autonomous education method is a minority approach and not, "the most popular educational method used by those who withdraw their children from school in this country", as you have previously claimed. You can learn; it is never too late!

    ReplyDelete
  5. PS meant to add that this is a great description of home education and a lovely article. The only difference between this description and our experience of autonomous education is that all of these activities, trips and structured learning opportunities, were child-led instead of parent-led or a mix of parent and child led. Often an autonomous parent will suggest things that a child does not or cannot know about, especially if they think their child will like the activity/trip/structured learning opportunity, but it is then up to the child to take advantage of the new opportunity if they choose to. The different types of education could look virtually identical to an outsider.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 'How do you reach the conclusion that autonomous educators avoid teaching their children to read and write? '

    Some do and some don't. Just as some teachers use the National Curriculum in a deadening way and others can inspire children by its use. I am talking of a spectrum, at one end of which lies parents who do not teach their children to read and write unless the children request this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 'Nice to see that you now acknowledge that the autonomous education method is a minority approach'

    I have not acknowleged anything of the sort. I have talked only of two ends of a spectrum. Those at the two ends could represent the bulk, rather than a minority. Or the bulk could lie at one end with a sprinkling of middle-of-the-roaders like me somehwere in the middle. I have given no statistics; where are you getting yours from?

    ReplyDelete
  8. The evidence suggests a normal distribution, as with many other measures of human activity and behaviour. There are a few completely parent-led home educators at one end, a few completely child-led home educators at the other with the vast majority in the middle using a mix of the two approaches.

    Evidence. I've mentioned before Mike FW's feasibility study that found that 17% of home educators were child-led, 11% were parent-led and 72% were mixed. I also suggested that his research is likely to be biased towards an AE response, given his background. This has also been my experience of 7+ groups in several different areas and home educators camps.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "Some do and some don't. Just as some teachers use the National Curriculum in a deadening way and others can inspire children by its use. I am talking of a spectrum, at one end of which lies parents who do not teach their children to read and write unless the children request this."

    So you do think there are children who choose not to learn to read and write? Or do you just mean that some children learn to read and write informally so are not sat down and taught using a structured approach?

    ReplyDelete
  10. "Their deduction is that the remedy lies in no structure or planning at all."

    I think you may have misunderstood a little about structure and planning and autonomous home education. Certainly when our children were younger there wasn't much planning going on in our home education. But skills in planning are part of what my children are learning as they grow up. So my daughter (now 13) has plenty of plans for her education - day to day and in the longer term. We help with those plans by discussing things with her, sharing our knowledge, teaching when asked, finding people who can help we we can't - and so on.

    I know you disagree with that approach but it isn't true that an autonomous home education always leads to a situation where nothing is structured or planned.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Simon wrote,
    "I have not acknowleged anything of the sort. I have talked only of two ends of a spectrum. Those at the two ends could represent the bulk, rather than a minority. Or the bulk could lie at one end with a sprinkling of middle-of-the-roaders like me somehwere in the middle. I have given no statistics; where are you getting yours from?"

    and Simon also wrote,

    "Somewhere between these two extremes lie most home educators, who both eschew the stultifying National Curriculum and at the same time reject the fanaticism which leads some to avoid even teaching their children to read and write."

    ReplyDelete
  12. "But skills in planning are part of what my children are learning as they grow up. So my daughter (now 13) has plenty of plans for her education - day to day and in the longer term."

    Yes of course, another thing we take so for granted that I didn't even think to mention it! My children also planned ahead (with our help as necessary), contacting employers, FE colleges and universities to find out what they need, taking appropriate correspondence courses, organising work experience or volunteering, attending open days to be sure they select the right college and/or university, etc, etc... They has been successful at every stage. They are in employment and/or FE and soon to be in HE (all going well). None have been NEET.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 'So you do think there are children who choose not to learn to read and write?'

    I have certainly met completely illiterate twelve and thirteen year-old home educated children, so yes, I suppose that they have chosen not to learn.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Allie, I said, 'One of the things which I have observed about some home educating parents'. Some parents; I am sure that you are right when you say, 'it isn't true that an autonomous home education always leads to a situation where nothing is structured or planned.' I am talking about too views found at the opposite end of the spectrum.

    ReplyDelete
  15. 'Somewhere between these two extremes lie most home educators, who both eschew the stultifying National Curriculum and at the same time reject the fanaticism which leads some to avoid even teaching their children to read and write." '

    The suggestion was that I had acknowledged that autonomous home educators were a minority. This passage was adduced in support of that contention. It does not say anything of the sort. In the middle part, the majority, will be many home educators like Allie above, who are autonomous, but not fanatically so. This does not show that autonomous home educators are either a minority or a majority.

    ReplyDelete
  16. "I have certainly met completely illiterate twelve and thirteen year-old home educated children, so yes, I suppose that they have chosen not to learn."

    Yes, I suppose I should have asked a different question as two of my children could not read at that age. Do you know of any 16/17/18 year olds who cannot read and have chosen not to learn?

    ReplyDelete
  17. "In the middle part, the majority, will be many home educators like Allie above, who are autonomous, but not fanatically so. This does not show that autonomous home educators are either a minority or a majority."

    Autonomous education just means child-led. The child directs their education and has full control of it. A family is either autonomous or is not. A family may allow their child to lead at times but be parent-led at other times but this is not autonomous education. Saying someone is partly autonomous is like saying someone is partly vegetarian. If someone refuses to teach their child to read or write after the child has asked for this, they are not autonomous educators.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have met some young people in their late teens who could just about read the text on a cornflake packet. Anything much longer though and they began to struggle! Certainly, books and newspapers were beyond them. These were all home educated. Again, I assume that they had chosen not to become proficient at reading.

    ReplyDelete
  19. 'Saying someone is partly autonomous is like saying someone is partly vegetarian.'

    Curious. Some parents here say that they are autonomous educators and yet insist upon their children mastering the rudiments of literacy. I had assumed that there were degrees of this as there are degrees of structure in those who adopt that method. You seems to be saying that it is all or nothing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. "I have met some young people in their late teens who could just about read the text on a cornflake packet."

    You've met autonomously educated children and know them well enough to have a good knowledge of their reading level but didn't think to mention this when people were asking what your experiences of meeting home educated families were? Are you sure this isn't another case like the time you claimed to be a teacher so that your newspaper article would have greater authority? This sudden appearance of autonomously educated teens in your life seems a bit convenient. All I can say is that I know many older autonomously home educated teens and this isn't an issue for them. I also know several older teens who have gone to school ad do have problems. I think I'll believe my experiences above yours given your track history.

    ReplyDelete
  21. "Curious. Some parents here say that they are autonomous educators and yet insist upon their children mastering the rudiments of literacy."

    Part of AE is that imposition of someone elses priorities for your learning destroys intrinsic motivation and AE relies on intrinsic motivation. Someone who is attempting to AE part time must be doing so under the understanding that they will at least partly destroy their child's intrinsic motivation for learning. To my mind, this means that they are not autonomous educators in the same ways as someone who eats fish is not a vegetarian.

    ReplyDelete
  22. A relevant quote from Jan FW:

    It is a core assumption of autonomous education that children will acquire the skills they need to take advantage of their environment and pursue their own aspirations. As such literacy and numeracy are not forced components of a curriculum, but are outcomes within the process acquired in numerous ways, both formal and informal, depending on the child's questions and developing educational priorities. What could be more efficient than a child learning something to suit his or her own intrinsic and individual purposes?

    ReplyDelete
  23. 'but didn't think to mention this when people were asking what your experiences of meeting home educated families were?'

    I was asked if I had been involved with home education groups. I have not been.

    'This sudden appearance of autonomously educated teens in your life seems a bit convenient.'

    I'm not sure how long you have been coming on here. I have written extensively about my work in East London and how I have become involved with home educated teenagers. I am not going through it all again now. Briefly, I have helped families with children with special needs to de-register their children from special schools. This is part of my job. Some of these parents live on housing estates. There is a fair sprinkling of home educated teenagers in some of these places and I have knocked on doors out of the blue and asked questions. Becuse I am known to some parents, I am invited in, usually on the offchance that I can get them something. As I say, I have been through all this before.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I have just read through this post again. I am slightly surprised that any home educating parent could take exception to any of it.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anybody who wishes to read some of what I have written about home educated teenagers in the past could look at what I posted on September 1st and October 25th last year. This idea that I have suddenly made up my dealings with home educated teenagers is really stange.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I would say that it's not necessarily fanaticism that leads children to read and write, but pragmatism (it was in my case anyway). When I saw that my eldest two children learnt to read at the ages of 6 and 8, after I had given up trying to teach both of them because it was frustrating them and me, it made me realise that it was likely pointless spending time on reading lessons with my two youngest ones, aside from the fact that I was able to read years ahead of my age 2 weeks after I started school at the age of 6 and a half. I had had no reading lessons before that and basically went from no reading to reading "Little Women" by myself within a month of starting school. All my children now read excellently for their ages (16, 13, 10 and 8).

    I know I'm harping on here, but it's just a response to the way you harp on about the neglectfulness of parents not teaching their children to read, which is so discordant with my own experiences.

    ReplyDelete
  27. "I have just read through this post again. I am slightly surprised that any home educating parent could take exception to any of it. "

    I've not taken exception to your post, in fact I remarked on how good most of it is. However, I queried your statement that Autonomous Educators avoid or refuse to teach reading and writing because you are wrong.

    "I'm not sure how long you have been coming on here. I have written extensively about my work in East London and how I have become involved with home educated teenagers."

    Yes, I've remember those mentions before, however, I thought you mentioned those cases as examples of people who 'say' they are home educating in order to avoid truancy charges. If they are only saying that they AE in order to avoid truancy charges they are not AE or even home educators.

    I've just had a look at your 1 September post and sure enough you say,

    "There are three "autonomously educated" teenage boys hanging round the estate during school hours."

    You obviously don't think they are autonomously educated, hence the use of quotes.

    ReplyDelete
  28. "Yes, I've remember those mentions before,"

    Should read:

    "Yes, I had remembered those previous mentions"


    in too much of a rush!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Simon wrote on 1 September 2009,
    "One is of Bengali origin, the other two white. Two are fourteen, the third is fifteen. The fifteen year old and one of the fourteen year olds have statements of special educational needs. Until six months ago, all three were regular and fairly persistent truants. They would usually go in to school for registration and then try and slip away to spend the rest of the day sitting in the stairwells of tower blocks or stealing sweets and soft drinks from local shops. When efforts were made to prevent their truanting and keep them in school, they caused so much disruption that the game wasn't worth the candle."

    If these are typical of the autonomously educated teens you mention, you can hardly lay the blame on autonomously educating home educators! They were in school long past the time they should have learnt to read!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I mean not necessarily fanaticism that leads people to not teach their children....

    ReplyDelete
  31. Simon said "I have met some young people in their late teens who could just about read the text on a cornflake packet."

    So have I. However they have all been school educated.

    ReplyDelete
  32. That is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere.
    Simple but very precise information? Appreciate your sharing this one.
    A must read article!

    Also visit my blog post; rent properties

    ReplyDelete
  33. I loved as much as you'll receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an edginess over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this increase.

    Feel free to visit my site Louis Vuitton Handbags

    ReplyDelete
  34. This information is invaluable. When can I find out more?


    Also visit my web-site :: www.wheelhousebikes.com

    ReplyDelete
  35. Everything is very open with a very clear
    explanation of the challenges. It was definitely informative.
    Your site is very useful. Thank you for sharing!

    my site: Nike Air Max Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  36. Your style is very unique in comparison to other
    people I have read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I'll just book mark this site.


    Also visit my site - Cheap Louis Vuitton Bags

    ReplyDelete