As your children grow older you can allow them more freedom in how they learn in the homeschool classroom. Gradually you shift from being their primary teacher to someone who they just end up going to when they get stuck while learning on their own. There is a difference between teaching them directly and facilitating learning through providing them with adequate resources.
When you facilitate your homeschool students you are no longer primarily responsible for their learning. The children have to be encouraged to take greater control of their studies. The homeschool teacher becomes more of a an organiser who provides them with guidelines, study material and on going support.
Ways to Facilitate Your Homeschool Students
– Give them varying instruction. One day you could give them a brief lecture about what they need to learn. Then move on to a group discussion of what that means. Perhaps follow it up with a multimedia presentation on the topic. Wean them away from the “Teacher speaks Student writes” model and get them to really think about what they are learning.
– Connect to the real world. Learning is always more sought after when it can be seen as something that is applicable in the world that we are living in. Try to provide them with opportunities to see whatever they are learning about in action. Experience is always the best teacher.
– Give them the final choice. When they have a number of things to learn, point out what all they need to finish in what time frame. Then give them a list of suggestions about how they may be able to manage it all. Now step back and let them work out the best choice for their own learning schedule.
– Try not to interfere too often. While moving away from being taught to being facilitated, many homeschool students will have a certain adjustment period. They may not be performing at their peak for a while there. This is where you need to sit tight and guide, rather than taking over the reigns.
As the system begins to work out you will find that your older homeschool students truly are able to manage on their own, with just a little help from you.
