Realistic homeschool guide for Sydney parents working at home
For many parents facing precarious employment and finances, home schooling their kids while trying to hold on to a job is an exhaustive reality. So what’s actually possible? Follow our expert tips.
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For most parents, home schooling their kids while working from home is an exhaustive new reality.
Throw in the possibility of daycare closing, and for those with toddlers, their blood runs cold.
So what is actually possible? Where should your expectations lie and what should you do if you feel like you’re failing?
Cluey Learning Chief Learning Officer Dr Selina Samuels said parents need to take the pressure off themselves immediately.
“Parents should go easy on themselves right now. No parent finds teaching their own child easy, even teachers,” Dr Samuels.
This is her advice for parents.
REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Play to your academic strengths as much as you can and then lean on partners, siblings, teachers and tutors for the areas you struggle with. No-one can do it all.
Most parents agree literacy and numeracy are essential to jobs of the future.
But Dr Samuels said many felt they needed help teaching English and Maths while feeling fairly confident covering off the remaining bases.
“Numeracy and literacy skills are the building blocks to a solid education, so try and give attention to these subjects where you can.”
WHAT IF THINGS AREN’T WORKING
Persevere and seek support if you feel you need it.
Many parents who homeschool full-time lean on tutors to lead on certain subjects they find challenging or to simply give themselves a break for an hour or more.
SCREEN TIME IS NOT THE ENEMY.
There are some wonderful resources online – virtual galleries, documentaries, YouTube – so use the tools available to you. That said, use them carefully.
Ensure that any screen time is actively engaging rather than just passive watching.
The best way to learn is to engage actively with the material.
You can do this by asking kids to write a story or give a presentation in response to what they have watched online.
If you need help with resources like computers, modems etc, click here
TUTORING IS AN OPTION
Investigate if the service is mapped to the Australian National Curriculum and each state variation. This gives you assurance the content is what your child would be learning in school.
Keep in mind that human interaction is key right now, so a live online tutor will be more valuable than ever.
“While video recordings of lessons have some merit, our experience has shown us that online teaching and learning works best when students are active participants, rather than just passive consumers of content,” Dr Samuels said.
“To really absorb their learning, they need to apply it and receive meaningful, targeted feedback.”
While a lot of education brands are rushing to move online, there are companies who are established in this space and can likely provide a more seamless, effective learning experience.
If your child is energised by the input of others, explore small group options.
If you think your child needs a personalised approach, then one-on-one tutoring is likely the most effective option.
WHAT TUTORING IS BEST
Some tutors continue to offer their services in person by observing social distancing rules but many have switched to using internet-based platforms to keep both tutors and students safe.
Face-to-face teaching, however, is difficult to replicate online, said Mohan Dhall, CEO of the Australian Tutoring Association.
“The best teaching requires real-time feedback but only a small proportion of teachers and tutors are offering this,” Mr Dhall said.
Mark Buckland of Dymocks Tutoring said parents don’t need complicated technology, it is more the challenge of keeping tutoring interactive.
Tutoring online, especially for very young primary school and special needs kids, can be a challenge as delivering a one-hour tutorial on a screen won’t hold their attention, he said.
Rather than a one or two-hour session with a tutor, the work needs to be broken into parcels, delivered in real time (rather than from recorded lectures), be engaging and provide clear deadlines and follow-up for students.
CHECK THE FINE PRINT
Mr Dhall said before rushing to sign your kids up to tutoring to get them through this period of isolation there are important questions that parents need to ask prospective operators.
Besides ensuing they are accredited with the ATA, these include: what technology they are using, whether they record the sessions for transparency, where they expect the child to sit while they receive online tutoring as it should always be in a public area of the house, what sort of online protection guidelines and security they offer and what sort of shared document platform, if any, they are using and whether they have a refund policy.
MORE RESOURCES
Cluey will be releasing guidance for parents, teachers and students to help navigate online learning during this uncertain period. The free guidance will focus on maintaining continuity of learning and is available on Cluey’s blog and via a webinar series.