THIRD CULTURE KIDS PARENT SEMINAR
with CHRIS O’SHAUGHNESSY
WHEN: Saturday, November 5 TIME: 7:00-8:30 pm WHERE: International Church @ Mont Kiara (IC@MK)
B-02-07 Gateway Kiaramas, Mont Kiara
We are located not far from Garden International School
CONTACT: Scott 016 348 2853
A Third Culture Kid himself Chris O travels and speaks internationally to parents, teachers, and friends of Third Culture Kids in an effort to better prepare them for their unique adventures of cross cultural living. There are no fees for this seminar, please come and join us and bring your friends.
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Curriculum on 12 Oct 2011.
IN MY LAST POST, I SUGGESTED THAT PICKING THE RIGHT CURRICULUM should come after the following considerations: worldview, circumstance, and learning goal. Clear these important issues, and you’re in a better place to think about approaches to homeschooling your child and the kind of tools you will require.
Homeschooling is such an organic lifestyle involving parenting and a way of life, you should assess and review your situation and education needs regularly.
As a quick aside, let me explain that when I use the term “homeschool” I refer to parents educating their own children at home. Some parents prefer ’home education’ to ’homeschool’ because the suffix ’school’ has the sound of – *shudder* – fingernails scratching the chalkboard. Anyway, for better or worse, we’ll stick with homeschool.
Sure, there will be occasions when learning takes place outside the home – through co-op learning, extra-curricular activities, short-term tuition and courses, the use of community resources, etc. But where parents are their children’s primary educator, that’s homeschooling or home education.
In this second part of 5 Steps to Choosing the Right Homeschool Curriculum,
I’ll be looking at Methodology.
STEP 4
METHODOLOGY: As alternative education, homeschooling is an approach that ranges from radical to conservative, with a number of colourful shades in between. What this means is, your choice of curricula is going to be decided by the method of education that takes place in your home.
As the diagram shows, homeschooling models fall into three main classifications. There are no neat boundaries though. Notice how these 3 circles overlap – as they should – because the principles of learning and education at home transcend methodology, and you can find this in most homeschools.
An unschooler is a homeschooler who subscribes to natural learning – largely unstructured, and always child-led. It’s not curriculum-dictated, but interest-driven. It was John Holt who first coined the word unschooling to mean learning as a natural process. If you are unschooling, you will have no use for packaged curricula, choosing instead to use whatever teaching aid and learning material that matches your child’s readiness and interests.
On the far right of the homeschool spectrum is the family that literally replicates school in the home. It’s a traditional school-at-home method that is generally structured by grade and curriculum, and for some, a daily class timetable is strictly adhered to as well. I’m sure this group of homeschoolers believe in natural learning too, except that many parents also feel strongly that guided learning instills much-needed discipline that is so essential to good learning habits.
In the middle of it all is a broad segment of homeschoolers who appreciate the ideals of child-led education but prefer some academic structure as well. They’re eclectic by inclination and therefore are not bogged down by packaged curricula, and use a bit of everything the family deems appropriate. Eclectic homeschoolers do not see curricula as an end in itself, but a tool to provide functional learning.
By now it should be evident how your curriculum choice follows your homeschooling model. Pat Montgomery of Clonlara used to say that a child’s education is about the child and not the trappings of institutional schools. If you hold on to that thought, you will avoid the kiasu search for the World’s Best Homeschooling Curriculum (as if there were one) and the anxiety attacks of Not Learning Enough (as if one could cover ALL subjects equally).
THIS IS THE SEASON WHEN REPRESENTATIVES from college admission offices visit to present their campus programmes and talk to prospective students and their parents. If you are exploring education in a reputable christian college in the US, look out for the following visits in Penang, Ipoh, and Kuala Lumpur.
Look out for visits from:
ELI 360
Please check NOTICES for more info regarding visits in Penang and Ipoh
To arrange for a meeting in Kuala Lumpur/Petaling Jaya call Jin Choo 013-4381164
I DON’T WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION that purchasing a curriculum is like sitting for the final year exams. Nevertheless, in this follow-up to my previous post on Curriculum, I have devised a chart that outlines 5 steps to choosing the right homeschool curriculum to put things in perspective. Think through the Big Picture basics of Worldview, Circumstances, Learning Goal, Methodology, and Curriculum as far as you are able before whipping out a credit card, and you’re off to a good start!
STEP 1
WORLDVIEW: The first place to start is also the heart of a curriculum choice. A worldview is simply one’s belief system or inner conviction about reality, morality, and the purpose of life. Whether religious or not, well-articulated or fuzzy, everyone has a worldview. It’s what shapes your values and influences the decisions you make.
A lot of popular homeschooling curricula are Christian in worldview – ACE, Alpha & Omega, Abeka, Bob Jones, and Sonlight. Although less common, curricula for other faith communities such as Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist, are beginning to find their way online and into bookstores. Just Google to find links to suppliers and publishers.
Understandably, you might find these curricula a bad fit if you are not particularly religious. But as homeschool becomes an acceptable education option, more diverse and secular curricula have become available. Among these are Waldorf-inspired Christopherus Homeschool, Calvert School, K12 which combines online and offline tools, and Time4learning.
STEP 2
CIRCUMSTANCES: What’s your family situation and needs? Are you parenting a gifted child, or one with learning differences such as dyslexia or autism? Is your child diagnosed with developmental delays? If you’re in any of these situations it is imperative that an appropriate curriculum is used.
Consider also the number of children at home. What are their ages? Will you be teaching one or more children at the same time? What’s their learning style? Preschoolers and very young children require a different learning experience from an early teen or high schooler who needs more sit-down time.
Remember, you left traditional schooling to get away from cookie-cutter learning, so don’t tie yourself in knots comparing your circumstances with others. We’re all different. The wonderful thing about homeschooling is you get to make your own rules, determine your own learning material. And why not? After all, who knows your child better than yourself?
STEP 3
LEARNING GOAL: There are two aspects to a child’s learning goal, heart and head. Of course, I use these words broadly to encompass character (heart) and academic (head) development.
A child’s education should include social skills towards adult maturity and growth of character. These are values drawn from your worldview, faith-based or secular. Although more will be caught than taught, responsible parents will make it their aim to nurture ethical and moral integrity through modeling and teaching.
An academic goal looks at the end of a child’s typical homeschooling journey through Grade 10. Is it college? Is your son a likely candidate for Pimp My Ride or is he a botanist in the making? You will agree that not everyone is academically inclined, so wise parents will not insist their child aim for Oxford and Harvard when she has a thing for dance and fashion designing, for instance.
Meanwhile, young children would do well to focus on reading, spelling, phonics, writing, vocabulary, and numeracy as their learning goal in the early years. Give some thought to your child’s learning readiness too, as the brain’s ability to master and apply different concepts do not all appear at the same time!
If the US is your goal, two college admissions tests are SAT and ACT, with SAT the more popular. Practically all homeschooling curricula originating in US claim to prepare students for these admissions tests, although requirements will vary from college to college.
Admission into private colleges in Malaysia and in Commonwealth countries is better served by IGCSE O-Levels, however. Note that popular US curricula AOP, ACE or Sonlight DO NOT adequately prepare you for the IGCSE O-Levels exams which qualify you for local private colleges (and those in Commonwealth nations).
Although they may equip a student intellectually and provide some foundation in grade appropriate subjects, they are not O-Level exam-specific in scope. You could simply opt out of US-based curricula for one that is O-Levels based, or aim at a minimum of 18-month prep in O-level exam subjects after Grade 8. (More here in the Resources page)
A note of caution: It’s fine if academic goals are not too clear when a family begins homeschooling. In our family, we did not talk about college until our boys were past 15 or 16. We simply felt sure that the environment they grew up in and their love for learning would equip them intellectually and sufficiently for whatever course they would finally pursue - when they were ready. In any case, it’s okay if a child isn’t cut out for college and indeed, not everyone needs a college degree! (Read this)
USUALLY AFTER A FAMILY HAS DECIDED TO HOMESCHOOL, the first question that comes up is, “What curriculum should we use?” As I have said elsewhere, we did not invest in any formal curriculum until our two boys were 10 and 8 years old. In the early years of homeschooling, reading was practically the primary learning activity in our home.
Getting kids hooked on reading is the road to learning success, and countless studies attest to this. We read widely and voraciously. We borrowed books from the library, we did read-alouds that developed active listening skills, which led to conversation and promoted critical thinking. Eventually we settled on Sonlight because we were all readers to begin with, and you should see our boys’ faces when the package arrived!
Certainly we were overwhelmed as any new homeschooler would be when faced with the staggering amount of curriculum available, so polished and glossy, all screaming at us, “Buy me! Buy me!” Everything seemed more colourful and so much more interesting, you almost felt cleverer just looking at the titles.
Some caveats are in order, however:
Please note that you don’t have to buy everything all at once. And neither is everything necessary. Besides you can always try to source some material locally to save costs.
Second, you don’t have to stick to ONE curriculum or publisher all the way from Grade 1 to Grade 10. Yes, you are allowed to experiment, supplement, and even ditch the whole curriculum in favour of something more eclectic or tailored to a specific need of the student.
Third, it is possible to minimize expenses by using resources available in your local library. You can even homeschool using FREE stuff online – something pioneering homeschoolers knew nothing about in pre-internet days. For example, see Khan Academy, Charlotte Mason Curriculum Guide, or Homeschooling 4 Free. With that out of the way, we’re back to the question: “What curriculum should we use?”
The short answer is, “Anything.” You can use anything and everything that you can lay your hands on. Literally.
The long answer is, well, considerably lengthier and it begins with the Big Picture. I’ll say more in the next post.
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Announcement on 23 Sep 2011.
ARE THERE 100,000 PEOPLE WHO CARE ENOUGH TO STOP CHILD ABUSE?
DID YOU KNOW THAT AN AVERAGE OF 7 CHILDREN IN MALAYSIA suffered abuse every day in 2008, and these were only the reported cases? Many more experience abuse in silence and behind closed doors. Like all children, they too have a right to a happy childhood, free of abuse. Abuse robs a child of their health, development and dignity. It can also leave invisible scars on children, their families and society that last lifetimes, if not generations.
UNICEF has started a nationwide movement called “Get on Board” to provide the public with the information, insight and resources to stop child abuse. This knowledge will empower everyone to protect the children in our families and communities. Let us show our children that at least a 100,000 of us care. The more people who raise their hand to be counted, the stronger the campaign becomes to deter an abuser from hurting a child.
You can become a Campaigner for Children by hopping on our bus, and rallying others to join us on our journey to end child abuse in Malaysia.
Get on Board and help us spread the word to stop child abuse today! What will you do today that is more important?
INTERNATIONAL ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR CINDY BLOUNT OF MESSIAH COLLEGE hopes to meet with homeschoolers (high school age) who wish to explore tertiary Christian education in the US. Parents and students may also raise any questions regarding admissions requirement, types of schools, financial aid, etc. Feel free to pass the word around to homeschoolers and students from learning centers..
Date: Wednesday Sept 21 2011 Time: 10am-12pm Place: Mosaic Community Studio 2nd floor Centrepoint, Bandar Utama
IMPORTANT: Please contact Lim Yuet Khim for further information. Email or call to confirm attendance at: ykhimchoo@yahoo.com or sms 012-3001348.
Messiah College is a Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, located in Grantham, Pennsylvania. The College is committed to an embracing evangelical spirit rooted in the Anabaptist, Pietist and Wesleyan traditions of the Christian Church. Its mission is to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership and reconciliation in church and society.
IN RECENT YEARS, HOMESCHOOLING HAS SEEN A RISE IN POPULARITY, with more and more parents deciding to educate their children not at a traditional school but at home, typically with a parent as instructor. But just like traditional classrooms, homeschool doesn’t last forever, and homeschooled students at some point will have to get ready to move on to college. Things are easier for homeschooled college students today, but in the past, these students were plagued by difficult admissions, culture shock, and more. Now, homeschool students often enjoy easier admission, better college performance, and even the opportunity to enter college with several credits already earned. Read on, and you’ll find out more about what the homeschool college student experience is like today.
1. HOMESCHOOLERS OFTEN ENTER COLLEGE WITH MORE CREDIT
Homeschooled students are able to work at their own pace, and as a result, students have the freedom to move significantly faster than those in a traditional classroom. Michael Cogan, a researcher at the University of St. Thomas, discovered that homeschool students typically earn more college credits before their freshman year than traditional students, with 14.7 credits for homeschoolers, and 6.0 for traditional students. Earning college credit before freshman year can save thousands of dollars and shave time off of a degree. The 14.7 average credits for homeschoolers represent a full semester of freshman year, which is typically 12-15 credit hours.
2. HOMESCHOOL STUDENTS DO BETTER ON THE SAT AND ACT
Perhaps benefiting from personalized test prep, homeschool students typically score higher on standardized college admissions tests. The homeschool average for the ACT was 22.5 in 2003, compared with the national average of 20.8. The SAT was no different, with a homeschool average of 1092 in 2002, and a national average of 1020. ACT and SAT scores are very important for college admissions and even financial aid, so doing well on these tests is vital to a great college experience.
3. HOMESCHOOL GPAS ARE CONSISTENTLY HIGHER
As a homeschooled student, you work on a flexible schedule. Young children may rely greatly on their parents for scheduling and instruction, but high schoolers typically become more autonomous in their studies, learning key skills for success as independent students in college. Research indicates that this time spent learning how to study independently pays off, as homeschoolers typically have higher GPAs than the rest of their class. Homeschool freshmen have higher GPAs in their first semester at college, with 3.37 GPAs for homeschoolers, and 3.08 for the rest. This trend continues with an overall freshman GPA of 3.41 vs. 3.12, and senior GPAs of 3.46 vs. 3.16, indicating that homeschoolers are better prepared for college.
4. HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO ATTEND COLLEGE
Homeschooled students seem to be more likely to participate in college-level education. As reported by the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, more than 74% of home educated adults between 18-24 have taken college level courses. This rate is much higher than the general US population, which comes in at 46% for the same age range.
5. HOMESCHOOLERS ARE EVERYWHERE
Patrick Henry College is one college that specifically caters to the homeschool population, but homeschoolers are increasingly accepted in a wide variety of colleges and universities. In fact, homeschoolers are now in over 900 different colleges and universities, many of them with rigorous admissions. Some of these colleges include Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, and Rice University.
6. HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE
Making it to college is one thing, but actually sticking around and graduating is another. Students who have homeschooled will typically do better than other students, with a slightly higher retention rate, at 88.6% vs 87.6% for traditional students. Graduation rates show a higher disparity between homeschoolers and the national average, with 66.7% of homeschooled students graduating, compared to 57.5%.
7. SOME COLLEGES ACTIVELY RECRUIT HOMESCHOOLERS
Homeschool students have proven themselves to be so outstanding that several colleges have begun to actively recruit them. Boston University, Nyack College, and Dartmouth are among them, with a Dartmouth College admissions officer recognizing, “The applications [from homeschoolers] I’ve come across are outstanding. Homeschoolers have a distinct advantage because of the individualized instruction they have received.”
8. HOMESCHOOLED STUDENTS ARE VERY LIKELY TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE
Research and probability indicates that homeschooled students typically do very well in college, not just academically, but socially as well. Skills learned in homeschooling translate very well to the college campus, with strong self-discipline and motivation. Colleges recognize this advantage, including Brown University representative Joyce Reed, who shares, “These kids are the epitome of Brown students.” She believes they make a good fit with the university because “they’ve learned to be self-directed, they take risks, they face challenges with total fervor, and they don’t back off.”
9. HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPTS ARE OFTEN NOT REQUIRED FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Although traditional students will typically be expected to submit their high school transcript, homeschooled students usually do not need one, submitting other information instead. Sixty-eight percent of US universities will accept parent-prepared transcripts. Others will take portfolios, with letters of recommendation, ACT or SAT test scores, essays, and more, allowing homeschooled applicants flexibility in admissions.
10. HOMESCHOOLERS CAN PLAY COLLEGE SPORTS
As long as they meet standardized guidelines, homeschooled athletes can be awarded freshman eligibility to participate in college level sports. The number of homeschooled students participating in sports is growing as well, with up to 10 each year in 1988-1993, and as many as 75 students in the late 90s. Homeschool waiver applicants are typically approved, and in the 1998-1999 school year all applicants in Divisions I and II were approved, indicating not only an increased interest in college sports from homeschoolers, but an excellent openness in participation.
You can read the rest of the article “15 Key Facts” here.
15-year old homeschooler Joshua Kam was one of the participants at the Ethos Debate Camp in Singapore, organised by US-based Ethos Publications. Joshua was one happy camper when the grueling 5-day event was over. Here’s his report.
IN EARLY JUNE MY MOM AND I ATTENDED THE ETHOS DEBATE CAMP in Singapore and loved it – every gruelling, chaotic, kan-cheong, hilarious moment! It was an intense five-day camp that stretched both the limits of my cognitive stamina and the weary nib of my 2b pencil. But here I am, nearly two months later, reviewing my old notes from that week, and grinning like a Cheshire cat.
The camp was run by a group of Americans from the Ethos group, a Christian organization that emphasizes critical thinking coupled with sound, reasonable faith. So it is a Christian debate workshop to teach kids (in this case, homeschoolers) the basics of good debating. And that, I must say, was a badly needed foundation for many of us – myself included!
My mom and I arrived at the camp (held in a church) on the 6th of June. There were about sixty people in all, counting facilitators, students, and parents, who were encouraged to stay in and learn with the kids. After registration and a little bit of mingling, Tim Snyder who was one of the teachers got the older half of the camp together and off we went!
The first and second days were mainly instructive sessions. The teachers Luke Juday, Josiah McPeak, and Tim Snyder, taught us the basics of policy debate – how a standard tournament works, the art of critical thinking and developing smooth, eloquent speeches. My Mom and I remember how easily half of our notebooks got swallowed up in a combination of notes, questions, and reminders. We certainly learned a lot.
We soon found out that we’d only be studying policy debate in this camp. Policy debates are arguments over what should be done in a given situation (e.g. should the government arrange peace talks between Israel and Palestine? Or, should Malaysia make an alliance with the Czech Republic?).
The instructors then explained to us about the four stock issues that needed dealing with to make a logical plan-of-action in a policy debate. In layman’s terms, this means that your argument has to answer four crucial questions to make sense:
1. Topicality: Is this proposal/argument relevant to the discussion –are you really dealing with the issue? 2. Significance: Do the benefits of your proposal outweigh its costs? 3. Solvency: Is this proposal even plausible? 4. Inherency: Will this plan help us, or end up being the same if we had maintained status quo?
If you can defend your proposal clearly in all these areas, then you have a solid argument. I admit this is just a small sample of what our lively company discussed since I’ve barely scratched the surface. But I am sure you have a rough idea what we did there!
This intense, comprehensive crash-course was followed by opportunities for us to put those newly acquired skills into action. Throughout our last three sessions we prepared and practiced to debate the colourful controversies of Singaporean politics. Our topic was, ‘Singapore needs major changes in its electoral system.’
Already somewhat restless after two days at our desk, we were finally set free to hone our clumsy blades by battling against one another. Being Malaysian put me at a disadvantage as I had to research lots to make a decent case for either side of the debate. I think this explains why I lost two out of three rounds of debate in the final tournament that was held on the last day. But once I got over the mild ignominy of this loss, I left the camp feeling quite satisfied with myself. To be honest, this was one of the most rigorous camps I’d ever been to. There’s some homework involved, and the debate rounds can be awfully stressful. But if you are willing to work hard, think on your feet, and do not mind researching late into the night on any given topic, I strongly, strongly recommend you attend the Ethos Debate Camp when it comes around next year!
————————————————————————————————- About the writer: Josh is a fifteen year old homeschooler who likes cookies, good books and tearjerker movies. He counts Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy among his favourites books. He is also the current President of our own Junior Public Speaking Club KL/PJ which meets once a month in PJ.
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Book Review on 17 Aug 2011.
TALK TO ANY SCHOOLTEACHER and pretty soon you’ll hear how kids today are so difficult to teach. Sometimes it’s the issue of discipline, but mostly it’s about how disinterested they are in learning. “They just don’t care,” said a secondary school teacher to me once. “Nothing in school really interests them – all they want are tips to pass exams.”
So universal is this lament, the solution to disengaged students is practically the Holy Grail of education reform. Indeed, in his book Beyond the Classroom, Dr Laurence Steinberg offers a summary of data that confirms a large number of teens place school low on their list of priorities, with up to 40% just going through the motions in class. A third admitted to inattentiveness, mind-wandering and lack of interest, while another third said there’s nothing much worth learning, that they got by goofing off and fooling around.
When Beyond the Classroom was published in 1996, research led Dr Steinberg to declare that alienation of youngsters from learning was becoming ‘chronic.’ It appears others share his bleak outlook as well.
What has happened in the last decades to make students view school as a nuisance? Why has the value of learning – and doing well in school – taken such a beating? What can we do about it? Dr Steinberg offers a different perspective by arguing that we first have to pay attention to factors outside the classroom that influence attitudes, behavior, and performance in school:
“No curricular overhaul, no instructional innovation, no change in school organization, no toughening of standards, no rethinking of teacher training or compensation will succeed if students do not come to school interested in, and committed to, learning.”
In one study, foreign-born Asian teens outperformed native-born Americans on virtually every factor correlated with school success. Even American-born teens whose parents were foreign-born outscored those whose parents were native-born Americans. However the more they were Americanized, the less committed these immigrants were to doing well in school. Here’s the rub: assimilation into American culture by new immigrants showed declining education achievement and mental health with each successive generation. It was observed that contemporary US society pulled students away from school and drew them toward social and recreational pursuits instead.
There is something in the environment in and outside school that pours scorn on learning and Dr Steinberg calls it the socialization of indifference. I believe the package of traits common among American youths – academic indifference and disengagement – is increasingly present here in Malaysia. I once explained to a colleague that one reason our kids were homeschooled was we wanted to be their primary influence, and not their peers. As everyone knows, what’s happening in our school isn’t a pretty sight, I said. “Yes, but they won’t get to socialize with others their age and miss learning what’s good from their friends too,” he replied.
There’s a good reason why Dr Steinberg termed school disengagement an adolescent malaise. “Whoever walks with wise people will be wise, but whoever associates with fools will suffer,” says a proverb in the Bible. If a child spends an average of 6 hours in a class of 40 kids 5 days a week, it’s going to add up to a lot of foolishness in a a year. And that’s not counting the number of hours spent on tuition with more kids every week. (Plus the number of hours immersed in recreational media and hanging out with friends online and off ).
When everything around you is about dumbing down and just getting by, it’s hard to see education and self-mastery as worthy pursuits. When apathy to learning is perpetrated by the friends your kids socialize with and in the media they consume, good luck if you think all this is not going to make a dent on your son or daughter.
By educating our children at home, homeschoolers are standing up to the insidious socialization of indifference. I know it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. But given the current depressing statistical findings and the educational alternatives available, I am convinced homeschooling is the way to go.
However the more they were Americanized, the less committed these immigrants were to doing well in school. Here’s the rub: assimilation into American culture by new immigrants showed declining education achievement and mental health with each successive generation. It was observed that contemporary US society pulled students away from school and drew them toward social and recreational pursuits instead.
