Book Review

Ever wonder "how the other half lives?"

I have always thought it strange that families would "home school" their children because…

• It is so much work


• They might not have teacher training


• It dilutes the parental role because of the "dual relationship"


• They pay school taxes so, they are paying twice


• It is such a huge commitment


• Their children loose out on social and communication skills from being around children from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds


• Sheltered religious thought isn't possible with the content of the media (TV, Radio and the Internet) anyway

Of course, if the school district has expelled their incorrigible child and they can't afford to send the child to a private school, the parents may have to teach the child themselves. Of course, this kind of child is the worst possible student, a student that even teachers require special training and a controlled environment to manage.

The Books' Topics:

• Theories of Learning


• Academic Ability


• Choosing a Curriculum


• Motivation and Discipline


• Testing and Grading

The central themes of this book are:

• Parents need to consider a lot of things before undertaking the education of their children by themselves


• Parents must decide if their children will benefit from instruction at home, decide if they can meet the standards set by the state that they reside in, decide if they are up to the task


• Parents must plan, design, build or purchase a curriculum, and the higher the grade level of their child, the more academic demands the curriculum places on the parent-teacher

Keywords:

• Home Schooling


• Research-Based


• Theories of Learning


• Choosing Curriculum


• Testing and Grading

Main Idea:

The main idea of this book is that applying research-based models to home schooling is a novel undertaking, and that most parents fail to comprehend the implications and nuances of the task before they set out on the path to teaching their children.

The author believes that parents who know the "research-based" background of education can make better choices.

Quotes:

"Academic ability in this context refers to intelligence and the amount of prior learning. Both have an impact on what materials and teaching methods can be used and how rapidly material can be covered…The intelligence of the child and the intelligence of the homeschooling parent can affect what type of curriculum materials and teaching methods can be used effectively, as well as what type of time commitment must be made for homeschooling."(p. - x)

"One of the most thoroughly covered topics within this book is how to choose curriculum materials, or what will be taught, or whether materials will be used at all…An example of a type decision that must be made before committing to a particular type of instructional material would be how deeply or how rapidly topics will be covered. Other considerations include how much hands-on teaching time the parent will take with the child; whether and how testing will be done; and the results of diagnoses of intelligence, prior learning, temperament, and learning styles discussed earlier."(p. - x & xi)

"One of the most compelling questions asked by educators is how learning occurs. Just as anything we do not completely understand, there are a multitude of theories. As my students often hear, 'If I knew which theory was correct, that would be the only one I would need to teach."(p. - 1)

"It is apparent that there are many diverse views of how people learn…The most useful application of this information is probably to pick and choose concepts or strategies that explain or assist in a child's learning."(p. - 15)

"The ability of students and their homeschooling parents is important to discuss because this will influence several aspects of homeschooling. The student's level of intelligence will determine the difficulty of materials to be used, the speed with which material is covered, and the parental expectations, at least to some extent. The student's prior learning will have an impact on what the student is ready to learn, or in other words, where the parent should begin."(p. - 17)

"If IQ changes over time to just the type of environment in which the child is reared, do interventions specifically targeting IQ increases work? Programs like Head Start have shown increases in IQ scores if the intervention is continued for participating children; however, if it is not continued, these improvements seem to wash out in a couple of years. The implications of these findings reinforces what is believed by many homeschooling parents: the child will benefit most by long-lasting, enriching, challenging, caring instruction."(p. - 22)

"A parent with high intelligence will be able to understand the work that the child is doing, will be able to help the child when he or she finds the material difficult, and will probably be more confident about the teaching process. A parent with lower intelligence will have more difficulty and will probably be less confident. This does not mean that only geniuses should homeschool. It means that understanding where potential weaknesses lie, and accommodating for those ahead of time, may make the homeschooling experience more pleasant."(p. - 23)

"A highly intelligent child will be able to cover material quickly, may need little help, and will most likely proceed to eventually take more advanced subjects (calculus, chemistry). A child who has lower intelligence, on the other hand, will cover material more slowly and may need more help, possibly much more help."(p. - 23)

"Students should have schoolwork that is appropriately difficult but doable. The ability to tailor the level of the work to the student is one of the primary benefits of homeschooling. The goal should not be to ensure that the child is working at exactly the same level as other children at the same grade or age, but to have him or her challenged appropriately. If material is to far beyond his or her ability, he or she will not learn it and will be frustrated. If it is too easy, he or she will learn far less than is possible and will get bored. A challenge seems to be best."(p. - 24)

"Sometimes, for a child that has extreme deficits or extreme areas of giftedness, extra help may be needed. That could come in the form of consultation with someone that has worked with similar children, finding Web sites with helpful ideas, or studying to become acquainted with possible interventions."(p. - 24)

"Some personalities are better suited for homeschooling than others."(p. - 25)

"Much as been said about learning styles in recent years, and much of it conflicts…After becoming familiar with learning styles, the difficulty arises when one tries to decide how to use the information. Should the student be allowed or encouraged to use the style he or she is most comfortable with? Should the emphasis be placed on developing those that he or she is less comfortable with? Should he or she have to use all of them? There is not enough research evidence to make a determination."(p. - 28 & 29)

"Although there is little definitive research on the effects of accommodating learning styles, it seems to make intuitive sense to provide schoolwork that uses multiple senses. This way, whichever strengths children have will probably be tapped. They will also be presented with material that requires the use of their weaker areas and may strengthen those. Some lessons can be presented more visually, some more auditorially, and a few hands-on. The problem with too many hands-on activities is that they tend to be more time-consuming."(p. - 31)

"There are many formats that can be used when homeschooling, from un-schooling, which is very unstructured and looks very little like traditional school, to a traditional format that is almost indistinguishable from public school other than the location. Much of the decision about what format to use for homeschooling has to do with how much actual time a parent plans to spend in direct teaching activities. This could fall anywhere along a continuum from direct instruction (the most time in direct teaching activities) to self-study (the least amount of time in direct teaching activities.)"(p. - 34)

"There is a great deal of freedom in determing content when homeschooling. In most states, there is a vast amount of flexibility until high school. At that point, there are probably some required subjects, but the order in which they are taught and how they are taught is still up to the parent's discretion."(p. - 37)

"How much material should be covered? Even classroom teachers struggle with this question. If fairly traditional textbooks are used, it is typical to cover approximately one book per year in most subjects. Publishers have usually determined how much material can be reasonable covered in a school year. However, most of the powers that be that oversee homeschooling do not check the amount of material covered. Time is the main consideration for public school systems and most homeschooling umbrella organizations, which some states allow to oversee homeschoolers. A typical time requirement is four hours a day for 180 days, or the equivalent."(p. - 38)

"Often public school teachers were not able to complete textbooks during the course of a school year. This means the children were not taught the material at the end of the book. This can become a problem if the next year's textbook assumes that the material was covered. This is one of the great advantages of homeschooling. "(p. - 39)

"An added benefit of homeschooling is the opportunity to cover material very rapidly (quantity). One of the most common complaint heard from parents of bright students in public schools is that their children are bored and could cover far more material…Some will double up and do two years of work in one…the student may have covered lots of material, but he or she may not understand it well and may forget it quickly. Also, if the child returns to public or private school, he or she may be bored because of the necessity of covering the material again."(p. - 39 & 40)

"Many curriculum materials come completely prepared with lesson plans (what the child should cover each day, how many days per week), quizzes, tests, worksheets and possibly other materials. Possibly the most complete…are computerized programs. The student reads; complete activities, quizzes, and tests; and receives grades, all on the computer. At the other end of the spectrum would be the un-schoolers who use no curriculum at all."(p. - 40)

"Cost is a factor in the decision to homeschool had to determine what curriculum to use. If one has been accustomed to paying private school tuition, purchasing homeschooling materials will probably come as a relief, but if a child has been in public school, they may seem more like a weighty investment. After purchasing curriculum for the last three years, our average per-student expenditure has been $200 -$300. Of course, one could spend less or far more."(p. - 41)

"If behavioral principles are followed consistently, and the reinforces and punishers are strong enough, children will be compliant. Consistency is the most difficult but most effective part of the equation."(p. - 57)

"Briefer is better. For example, if looking at a child with the evil eye will stop his or her behavior, studying will be interrupted much less than if a loud lecture about why the behavior is wring is given."(p. - 59)

"Punishment should consistently follow broken rules, praise should consistently follow obeyed rules, and rules should stay the same. If children know what to expect, they will be less likely to misbehave."(p. - 60)

"The first assumption made in this chapter is that homeschooling parents want to verify and document their child's learning. If not, this chapter can be skipped. This is not said tongue in cheek, because there are families who practice un-schooling who don't wish to grade of formally evaluate academic learning because they do not differentiate academic learning from day-to-day learning."(p. - 63)

"The first choice is whether to test or not to test. There are some homeschooling families as well as teachers in public and private schools and colleges who prefer not to test. There are other ways to assess learning. This can be done through informal oral questioning, assigning activities that have students use the skills that they have been studying…However, if a parent is not opposed to testing, it can be used to efficiently learn how well material is being covered, how effective teaching materials are, and how much effort the kids are putting forth."(p. - 64)

"Noise may or may not be distracting to a child. In public school there is often a great deal of noise, and school goes on. Therefore, a silent environment is neither required nor expected for homeschooling. However, some students may be distracted by noises, particularly other siblings and televisions. Some accommodations may have to be made to reduce the noise or move the student farther from the source of the noise if it hinders schoolwork."(p. - 72)

"If children are out of the way of household distractions, they may also be out of the way of adult supervision. There needs to be a way to ensure that students stay on task, do not cheat, and do not interfere with one another as they do their schoolwork. Sometimes is is worth having them weather a few distractions in order to keep an eye on them. "(p. - )

"The basic questions that should be answered before homeschooling are:

• Do we want a traditional or nontraditional curriculum?


• Who will be the primary teacher, and how do that person's personality characteristics mesh with the student's/students'?


• Do we want to teach for mastery, quantity of material, or somewhere in between?


• What format will we use in our teaching (remember, it doesn't have to be the same for all subjects nor for the entire school year)?


• What are our beliefs about testing/ evaluation?


• What types of rules will we have, and how will they be reinforced?


• What would be most motivating to our child/ children?


• How will we set up the physical environment for homeschooling?


• Will we follow a strict schedule or be more relaxed in meeting the time requirements for homeschooling?

"(p. - 77 & 78)

Issues Addressed by the Book:

This book considers the theories behind the main issues of education, i.e., intelligence, learning, motivation, curriculum content, testing, grading and scheduling.

The book does not address the need for teacher preparation (in this case the parent's attitude, skills and abilities), and assumes that parents are in a position to make informed choices about all aspects of homeschooling for their children.

Support for this assumption is not provided by case studies, action research, experimental research, or even anecdotal records.

The author also fails to question the decision to homeschool in the first place. Instead of listing the reasons that parents might consider homeschooling an option, instead of questioning whether the decision is reasonable, valid or wise; the author avoids this controversy.

The Book's Shortcomings:

The author summarizes research in only a general way. Of course this is about the level that most non-educator parents care to understand. However, the structure provides lots of theories, and little definitive strategy for making use of these divergent approaches. In other words, there are a lot of paradigms about curriculum, learning, motivation, intelligence, personality types, etc. So what?

The other shortcoming is a lack of focus upon learning outcomes. The most important thing about education is the observable and measurable achievement of each student.

Another shortcoming, appalling really, is the author's recommendation that parents can "multi-task," that is do the laundry, baby sit for younger students, cook dinner, watch TV, etc. while also teaching. I would like to be present when a teacher who is "called on the carpet" for doing other stuff instead of teaching tries to justify the "research" that supports this multi-tasking strategy in their classroom.

Teaching is more than a full time job. Home Schooling Parents who don't focus on instruction for six to eight hours a day are shortchanging their children. Of course this is difficult. That's the reason that children belong in a real school…and the reason that teachers must be "super-dedicated."

The author also fails to examine all the reasons that parents would embark on a home-schooling course of action, and separate these into rational and irrational categories. In addition, the author fails to stress the pitfalls and dangers of home schooling. The author makes it seem that cursory theoretical knowledge about a variety of theorists will get the parent through the "high seas, twisted currents and raging torrents" that encompass any project of the scope and magnitude of teaching one or more students for an entire year.

Imagine being the teacher of all subjects to multiple students at the same time. Sounds like the "one room schoolhouse of yesteryear."

Comments:

This book is like a college survey course minus the suggestions and recommendations.

Parents that read this book may receive an overview, but they don't know what they are in for if they undertake the full-time education of their children.

This book fails to make recommendations, instead leaving hard choices up to parents who choose the homeschooling route.

What might be more useful to parents would be arguments against taking on the obligation and commitment of homeschooling. Then, strategies needed to contend with the uphill challenge of actually pulling off a successful learning process for a year, or a student's K-12 career could be explored.

A survey of these theorists and their positions might prove helpful in a college philosophies of education class or such, but in the real world of "let's teach children the foundation for a lifetime of learning and employment, theories for homeschooling seem to come up short.

Application and action seem to be needed.

Parents cannot be confused and districted, or worse, come to believe that they are expert educators because they read a summary of some theories.

The ability to teach in the specialized content areas is also troubling. Algebra, calculus, plain and solid geometry, trigonometry, biology, chemistry, physics, history, geography, government, health and a foreign language (to name a few); mean that the parent has to learn the subject matter and prepare the lessons.

It is going to take a pretty smart parent to become conversant enough with these core content area subjects in order to do an adequate job.

In addition, special skills are required if students have special needs.

Summary:

The author states that this is a survey of research, however, the focus is on theories rather than action research.

Because the summaries are about folks who posited theories, rather than research based upon experimental groups that show results, the book is of little use to teachers.

As a rule, once teachers leave the ivy coated bricks of college, they have little use for theorists and their pontifications.

Teachers need what the experimental folks call "operationalization." That is, take the theory and break it down into doable, repeatable steps, and create a method to track progress so that if those steps falter, that corrective action can be taken early enough to preclude failure.

The lack of "accountability" for parents would seem like a major concern, and it is unimaginable that schools could be run the way that this book suggests that homeschools are run.

From a teachers point of view, "Incredible…incredulous…unbelievable.

Rating (Four Point scale):