Is it enough to give the homeschool student a textbook, some explanation and a couple of worksheets to make them learn successfully? Those are the basics, but sometimes children need a little bit more to feel confident about what they are studying.
Monitor Their Feelings
The emotional state of your homeschool student can affect the way he or she learns. A happy child is likely to be more alert and pick up his or her lessons much faster than a child who feels stressed out. If your homeschool student feels upset about something enough for it to show up in his or her behaviour, do take the time to find out what is wrong. It can make the difference between a productive day of learning and a general yelling.
Watch Their Performance
A good measure to see if your homeschool student is learning successfully in the classroom is to watch their cognitive performance. If they truly understand what is being taught, they will have no problem doing worksheets or transferring what they have just been taught to a real life situation. Ask them questions to see if they really “get it” or are they just faking to get the lesson over with.
Give Them Safety and Order
Children respond well to rules, so be consistent. If they are expected to study for a certain time period before they get their treat or lunch break, make sure that it is a rule that they follow every day. The sense of safety they derive from the rules that you enforce goes a long way towards making them successful learners. It’s sort of like the law and order situation you have in any society, when the rules are clear it’s that much easier to maintain order.
Collaboration Works Wonders
Don’t put yourself in charge of their learning. Your homeschool students will do a better job if they are made responsible for small goals of their own. The teacher – student collaboration where each undertakes responsibility for their learning can work wonders in a homeschool classroom. So give your students the opportunity to collaborate with you in the class.
