“Hey! How was school today? Did you have fun? Learn something new?” You ask your child these questions as soon as they come home from school.
Also Read, Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Homeschooling
“Eh! It was okay! The usual!” and that’s the response you get!
If you are a concerned parent, you want to know about your child’s learning style and experiences.
Unfortunately, in a typical school structure, you don’t get this information until the parent-teacher meeting. Even then, you only get a third-person perspective on how your child behaves in school.
Homeschooling is the answer to all the problems mentioned above – a child’s disinterest in learning, parents’ ignorance of the child’s education, and the need for daily updates.
It is an alternative form of education where the child studies at home using open resources and materials.
In homeschooling, the child and the guardians together decide the academic and extra-curricular activities. The decision is solely based on the child’s interests and future goals.
Also, read Ten Ways You Can Support Your Child to Study Independently from Home
Homeschoolers faces several challenges such as selecting curriculum, time management, and socialization concerns.
Contents
Is Homeschooling allowed in India?
Given the benefits of homeschooling, more and more parents are turning to this alternative style of education .
The legality of Homeschooling in India is recognized by the government as given the benefits of homeschooling, more and more parents are turning to this alternative style of education.
Hence, the government has set up formal bodies to ensure structured learning. NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) is the government body that offers qualifying exams equivalent to board exams.
Students can register with the open board to sit for the examination, and all national and international organizations accept the results.
International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an international organization that offers reputable certificates for students’ learning levels. Students can take multiple exams, progressing from the preliminary to the advanced level.
Also Read, Homeschooling and Socialization Keep your Child Connected .
Top 4 Homeschooling Advantages
1. Academic Benefits
i. Learning support
Because of the large class size, kids do not get adequate support and attention from the teacher in a regular school setup.
Homeschooling caters to your child’s individual learning style keeping in mind the child’s strengths and weaknesses.
It adopts a teaching methodology that suits their needs. The child also gets a lot of emotional support in homeschooling while learning from the comforts of home.
ii. Personalized Attention
Homeschooling provides the benefits of personalized attention. It helps parents to tailor instruction to a child’s unique learning style, pace, and needs.
Through this parents are able to identify kids strengths and weaknesses. The main focus is one-on-one teaching to address problems.
iii. Customized Curriculum
Customized Curriculum is one of the primary advantages of homeschooling where kids learn at their own pace, focus on their interests, and develop independent learning skills.
It helps in a more controlled learning environment and can strengthen family relationships.
iv. Reduced Academic Pressure and Stress
In traditional learning, students feel a lot of pressure due to workload, exam stress and academic performance. But homeschooling is a key to reducing academic stress.
It allows for a more personalized and flexible learning environment. This can reduce exam stress, customized curricuand, less strict deadlines and competition.
v. Enhanced Creativity and Critical Thinking
Homeschooling is a unique approach which enhances students’ creativity and critical thinking skills.
To enhance kids’ skills, read how to develop critical thinking skills in students.
Its main focus is passion based learning. Here students fulfill their curiosity, think critically, and develop essential skills for success in the modern world.
vi. Special Needs Accommodation
Homeschooling is an ideal option for special needs accommodation. This means kids with disabilities can also opt homeschooling by online platforms like 21K school.
It offers flexibility in scheduling and curriculum, a personalized learning environment, and the ability to cater to individual learning styles and pace.
2. Flexibility and Lifestyle
i. Flexibility
Homeschooling is not bound by the constraints of a six-hour time limit in the day. This feature gives the child ample flexibility to manage their time as they deem fit.
It is also helpful for parents to schedule their travel without worrying about school holidays.
Also, Homeschooling can be affordable and budget-friendly .
ii. Ability to Travel and Learn from Different Cultures
A significant benefit of homeschooling is an ability to travel and learn from different cultures where families went from one place to another in a traditional schooling becomes impossible.
Homeschooling facilitates travel and cultural learning by providing flexibility, customized curriculum, personalized learning and developing life skills like problem-solving skills digitally.
Understand the benefits of personalized learning to improve academic performance in homeschooling.
iii. Diverse Learning Opportunities
Students opt homeschooling because it offers diverse learning opportunities. Homeschooling provides flexibility, personalized approach, and ability to integrate learning with real-world experiences.
This encourages students to develop interest and curiosity during classes.
3. Social and Emotional Development
i. Increased participation
Absenteeism is on the rise among Indian kids. A leading reason students are absent from classes is a lack of engagement. In a survey of over 23,000 students, it was found that 48% of the students do not enjoy going to school.
Read 5 Reasons Students should start Engaging in Distance Learning to now the ways to make student engage
Even in class, they do not participate because of fear of ridicule. Homeschooling removes unfavorable factors such as peer pressure, bullying, hesitation, etc., from the child’s learning style leading to better participation.
ii. Eliminates Unnecessary Competition Among Peers
Homeschooling eliminates unnecessary competition among peers which can impact academic performance.
It allows kids to focus on their personalized learning journey and develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation for their subjects.
This approach helps in improving students mental health, reduces anxiety and exam stress.
iii. Safe Learning Environment
Having a safe and controlled learning environment is all parents, teachers and students need. And to do so homeschooling plays a major role.
This includes reducing exposure to bullying, peer pressure, and other negative influences, and promoting positive social-emotional development.
iv. Parent-Child Bonding
Homeschooling has key advantages to build parent-child bonding by increased quality time and personalized attention.
This allows parents and children to connect on a deeper level, fostering positive communication and emotional understanding. It directly supports child growth.
4. Global Exposure, Cultural & Religious Alignment
i. Global Exposure
In homeschooling, the children get their pick from a wide array of subjects from all over the internet.
The online education frees them from geographical boundaries. This exposure to international faculty adds to their experiences, helping them grow.
Homeschooling also makes it possible for the kids to make friends internationally as they participate in the same program. Online education frees
ii. Nurturing Cultural or Religious Beliefs
Homeschooling helps parents to align learning with cultural or religious beliefs by creating a desired learning environment.
It allows parents to teach values important to their traditions, avoiding conflicting influences from public schools. This fosters a strong sense of identity and connection to cultural or religious roots in children.
Will homeschooling actually work?
There are a lot of concerns that deter parents from choosing this style of education. Let’s look at some of the prevalent misconceptions regarding homeschooling .
- Many people believe that in homeschooling, the entire burden falls on the parents – that they have to teach the kids every skill and subject. However, a lot of help is available online and offline regarding resources and materials. Online education platforms offer different courses to help your child study regular subjects, and the child can be enrolled in other programs for extra-curricular subjects.
- Against common notions, a child learns to develop their routine while homeschooling. They learn self-discipline on their own. Instead of following rules made for a large number of students, they understand the importance of rules set for them and the necessity to follow them.
Homeschooling is a revolutionary idea that has given a much-needed fresh perspective to the idea of education.
With the advent of technology, homeschooling has become easier to access by parents and students alike.
Like the rest of the world, India is also seeing an increasing number of parents turning to homeschooling .
Here are the 10 best things parents need to know about homeschooling .
Online platforms like 21K School has made it easier for the parents to structure their child’s learning at home.
Visit their website to gain a better perspective on what online courses can help children in their homeschooling journey.
