Adjusting to a different way of learning has been a challenge for students, parents, carers and teachers alike.

However, not all kids are struggling with learning from home; those that are self-paced, flexible, independent learners, are thriving. As a result, more families who have enjoyed their experience of remote learning are now considering full-time home schooling.

The growth of home schooling

According to the Victorian government (statistics), the number of children home schooling is growing each year. In 2020, there was a 20 per cent increase in registrations, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Some parents have found their children thrive in a more focussed environment and have found a merit in them being able to teach their child at their own pace. It has also been promoted as a viable option for families who travel a lot, with various influencers documenting their kids’ educational journey through social media. Children with learning difficulties or who struggle with school due to physical, mental, or social reasons, such as bullying, have also benefited from home schooling environments, and have been a catalyst for growth in the sector. For instance, if your child is falling behind in class, setting them up with a crash course of specific, one-to-one nurtured learning can help fill the gaps and accelerate their learning. 

Many families saw how well their children learnt during previous COVID-19-related lockdowns, with less distractions leading to increased engagement and better results. If you are among those families exploring home schooling, here’s where you can start. 

What to consider 

Importantly, home schooling is not remote learning. During lockdowns, schools are providing planned lessons, video calls and relevant online tools aligned to the curriculum. When home schooling, the onus falls on parent/s to plan lessons and undertake the assessments and reporting requirements. 

A key consideration for parents who are going to be taking this on is whether they will be able to manage it. The workload of becoming a teacher can be a hard, but very rewarding and positive experience. It’s important that parents understand the impact it might have, and plan accordingly.

Consider also the teacher-parent persona – how are you going to manage the difference? How do you want to be seen, and how will it be different at different times of the day? Since you will be filling both roles, you need to set clear boundaries and schedules.

Before you begin, talk to your kids’ school and find out what level they’re learning at. It’s important to know where to start and identify any areas of learning you might need to focus on more. 

Social implications

You can invest in platforms and tools that help with education, but it is very hard to buy social interaction. This is what school offers that home doesn’t. The social skills, friendships and experiences your child picks up at school might not be apparent now, but will be vital in future. So, consider other ways they can be involved in the community. This can include joining Facebook home schooling groups, local sports teams, afterschool programs, or even taking part in joint home schooling classes with other kids.

Government requirements

Home schooling needs to be approved. Every state government has different registration requirements and various states require you to provide a range of information, including details about the learning environmentm how you track learning progress, and what you are teaching them. Get in touch with your local education body and find out what you need to meet their requirements. Most online resources will provide relevant content outlines or scopes for you to meet the government requirements. 

Finding advice

When you’re starting out, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Your first-year of home schooling should be to master the basics and figure out the best way your child learns. From there you can start altering your education plan to suit their needs. 

There are many forums and websites to talk you through home schooling. One recommendation is Fearless Home school, which has a wealth of knowledge surrounding anything home learning related. Social media is also a great resource for finding home-schooling groups in your region to join. You may be surprised at how many families are in the same situation as you. Talk to other families and connect with other people around you. 

The right tools

It’s important you pick the right tools for the job. That’s ‘tools’ plural. Diversify what the kids are doing and ensure all your eggs are not in one basket. Keep it interesting by using a pen and paper and other tactile materials, incorporate P.E. and leverage online tools to gamify the lessons – this will ensure kids are more likely to be engaged. For instance, Education Perfect (EP) is an online resource that provides parents with thousands of curriculum aligned subject lessons created by teachers, in an easy to use, gamified application that can help personalise your home schooling approach. EP also offers regular parent training webinars and workshops so that it doesn’t feel too daunting.

Home schooling can be a rewarding and fulfilling journey, especially when you start to see your child improve and close any learning gaps. With the right advice, tools and support, you can ensure your child can thrive, both educationally and socially, while learning from home. 

By Tim Offen, International Community Lead at Education Perfect. Education Perfect (EP) is a complete digital teaching and learning toolkit that has become a core resource for thousands of teachers across the world, including over 1,600 Australian schools. www.educationperfect.com