Coping with homeschooling
I've found, from talking to the parents of the children I currently teach online, that many of you are struggling with balancing your own workload while homeschooling your children. The following are suggestions on how to tackle this.
Tips on approaching homeschooling
You may have discovered that children will sometimes try to get you to tell them the answer for each question - I think that this is why a lot of parents are feeling 'frazzled' at the moment.
A useful thing to remember is that teaching is about 'teaching thinking skills', not helping them answer each question. It is about teaching your child to think about how they can do something or work out something for themselves. I'm sure many of you have found that they will try to get you to do it for them- it's human nature to take the easy option!
Lesson Structure
The following is a common structure in schools. I've included it so that you can see that even a teacher doesn't sit with each child and go through each question, which some parents have told me they are struggling with. However, they may go through the answers near the end of a lesson, but as a class.
The teacher will introduce the topic and explain how to complete the activities.
The teacher will go through a few examples with the class, gradually giving less help each time, encouraging the children to explain the steps more each time.
The pupils will then use this knowledge (while referring to what is left on the board to help) and complete the questions/activities given.
The teacher will circulate, checking each child understands and helping those who need it.
The lesson is completed with a plenary (this is where what the children have learnt is discussed and consolidated as a class)/
Like I said, I've included this to show you that not even teachers sit with each child and help with every question. I know this is happening from some of the parents of the children I'm teaching online at the moment. I'm not saying you have to teach your children as detailed above. However, the following is a structure you could follow and adapt to suit to your needs (it is aimed at KS2 and higher):
Homeschooling Lesson Structure:
Go through, step-by-step, how to complete the types of questions sent home for the lesson.
Get your child to write down the steps themselves (you may need to write this for them to copy at first) and repeat 2 or 3 times, giving less help each time. This will not only help them to learn how to complete the activity, but they will have a guide they can refer to in that lesson time and others. It is worth getting them to label the steps as 1, 2, 3, etc for this.
Give your child a time-limit to complete the work set - this may help them focus on the task more. (If they are unable to read the time, use an alarm clock and show them what the finish time will look like on the clock - then leave it where they can see it.)
Leave your child to complete the questions on their own. If they do need help, your first response should be with words like "What can you do to find out?" or "What do you know that can help you?". This will help you find out if they are genuinely stuck and help them if needed. It will help prevent you having to help them every single time they ask for it and get them to think for themselves.
If they finish in the time you have set them for the lesson, once they have checked their work, get them to do an activity like the following until the end of the lesson time: read, write a short story or poem, draw a storyboard, etc.
This will then, hopefully, give you a bit of breathing space to complete your own work, household chores, etc. Obviously not all, but hopefully some!
I know this structure will not cover all types of work that is being sent home, but hopefully it will give you something you can adapt to suit your needs. I'm not trying to tell you to 'suck eggs', I'm trying to reassure and advise you as best as possible. Everyone is doing their best at the moment and many parents are feeling the same - you are not alone! By approaching homeschooling in this way, hopefully you will find it more manageable & less stressful.
