28 May 2009

Ten mistakes that schools make

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Education; schooling.

Anyone who has ever sat through a normal class will immediately agree that what is taught is not the same as what is learnt. It’s such a simple principle, yet one of the most overlooked. The most colourful curricula and the most dedicated teacher do not guarantee that learning has taken place. I know that sounds so discouraging, especially to a homeschooling mom or dad who thinks that the right curriculum and a whole load of enthusiasm get the job done.

Consider this provocative list of top ten mistakes in education and you’ll see what I mean. I say provocative because it turns what a lot of people believe education is all about on its head, homeschoolers included. Although the author had in mind teaching structures in traditional schools, the list is just as relevant to parents who educate their children at home.

Mistake #1: Schools act as if learning can be disassociated from doing.
There really is no learning without doing. There is the appearance of learning without doing when we ask children to memorize stuff. But adults know that they learn best on the job, from experience, by trying things out. Children learn best that way, too. If there is nothing to actually do in a subject area we want to teach children it may be the case that there really isn’t anything that children ought to learn in that subject area.

Mistake #2: Schools believe they have the job of assessment as part of their natural role.
Assessment is not the job of the schools. Products ought to be assessed by the buyer of those products, not the producer of those products. Let the schools do the best job they can and then let the buyer beware. Schools must concentrate on learning and teaching, not testing and comparing.

Mistake #3: Schools believe they have an obligation to create standard curricula.
Why should everyone know the same stuff? What a dull world it would be if everyone knew only the same material. Let children choose where they want to go, and with proper guidance they will choose well and create an alive and diverse society.

Mistake #4: Teachers believe they ought to tell students what they think it is important to know.
There isn’t all that much that it is important to know. There is a lot that it is important to know how to do, however. Teachers should help students figure out how to do stuff the students actually want to do.

Mistake #5: Schools believe instruction can be independent of motivation for actual use.
We really have to get over the idea that some stuff is just worth knowing even if you never do anything with it. Human memories happily erase stuff that has no purpose, so why try to fill up children’s heads with such stuff? Concentrate on figuring out why someone would ever want to know something before you teach it, and teach the reason, in a way that can be believed, at the same time.

Mistake #6: Schools believe studying is an important part of learning.
Practice is an important part of learning, not studying. Studying is a complete waste of time. No one ever remembers the stuff they cram into their heads the night before the exam, so why do it? Practice, on the other hand, makes perfect. But, you have to be practicing a skill that you actually want to know how to perform.

Mistake #7: Schools believe that grading according to age group is an intrinsic part of the organization of a school.
This is just a historical accident and it’s a terrible idea. Age-grouped grades are one of the principal sources of terror for children in school, because they are always feeling they are not as good as someone else or better than someone else, and so on. Such comparisons and other social problems caused by age-similar grades cause many a child to have terrible confidence problems. Allowing students to help those who are younger, on the other hand, works well for both parties.

Mistake #8: Schools believe children will accomplish things only by having grades to strive for.
Grades serve as motivation for some children, but not for all. Some children get very frustrated by the arbitrary use of power represented by grades and simply give up.

Mistake #9: Schools believe discipline is an inherent part of learning.
Old people especially believe this, probably because schools were seriously rigid and uptight in their day. The threat of a ruler across the head makes children anxious and quiet. It does not make them learn. It makes them afraid to fail, which is a different thing altogether.

Mistake #10: Schools believe students have a basic interest in learning whatever it is schools decide to teach to them.
What kid would choose learning mathematics over learning about animals, trucks, sports, or whatever? Is there one? Good. Then, teach him mathematics. Leave the other children alone.

The above was written by Dr Robert Schank, founder of Institute for the Learning Sciences at Northwestern University. If you want to be a better educator – whether you’re homeschooling or unschooling or teaching in a traditional school – you’ll want to pay his site Engines for Education a visit.

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24 May 2009

A Quiet Revolution

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: News.

The picture you’re looking at is a homeschool. Or more correctly, it’s a co-op class. Parents share resources, maybe hire tutors, and teach a group of homeschoolers a few times per week utilizing an agreed curriculum.

Tulsa World has an interesting report on the growing phenomenon that is homeschool as it takes place at home or in a co-op situation. Titled Homeschool: A Quiet Revolution, it’s a reflection of the times as more and more parents assert their right to educate their own children away from state regulation.

One of the things that come out clearly is that homeschool is a revolution that isn’t content to stay quiet these days. It remains somewhat controversial, and staying independent does not come without a fight in some states in the US as this report tells it.

The other thing that caught my attention is the issue of homeschool failures. Here’s what state senator Jim Wilson says:

“I’ll stipulate that nine out of 10 people who say they’re home-schooling are really doing it, and they’re doing a great job of it. I’ll stipulate that all these kids are going to grow up to be National Merit scholars, OK? All of them. Fine.

“That still leaves thousands of children being abused, because that’s what I think it is when you’re not giving a child an education — it’s child abuse. And I’m not going to just stand by and watch it happen.” [More]

R-ight. So what do state officials have to say about those who turn out bad after being schooled the conventional way, eh? I’ll bet there are thousands of them out there too. The fact is, no system is faultless; in every human enterprise there will always be instances of nonperformance and breakdowns. As much as parents don’t wish for it, things happen that unfortunately “gives a bad name to homeschool,” as some are wont to say.

This is really a fascinating report, balanced, and informative, highlighting the shape of home education as it is practiced today – without skirting concerns that homeschoolers should not be afraid to face up. There are interviews with real homeschoolers and responses from across the fence that say they do not oppose homeschooling per se, but that it needs to be regulated simply because there are kids who do fall between the cracks, or ‘child abuse.’

Go ahead and read it, and see if there’s something in it for homeschoolers in Malaysia.

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20 May 2009

Journaling as a writing strategy

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Reading; writing.

When our sons were 4 and 6 we gave each of them a journal. We had had read-aloud sessions, visits to the library, and the usual writing exercises. But I thought as a strategy for writing and self-expression, it would also be good to allow our boys to learn to put their thoughts down in words.

The 280-page journal came with few rules and even fewer expectations. I told them what it was for, that they were to write a page a day – anything – something that happened, movies they had seen, books read, places they had been, stuff they did. A sentence, a paragraph, maybe even longer, it didn’t matter, I said.  Fortunately, the boys took to it without a fuss.

Ethan’s first entry in that brand new hardcover journal was dated 3 September 1996, while his last entry in that same book was March 11, 2001. As the pages ran out, Ethan asked for a new one and wrote his request down as an entry on March 10, 2001: “I got myself a BRAND NEW JOURNAL!!! I told Dad how the pages in my journal (this one) had only two or three left before asking him to get a new one.” It was then that we knew the boys had  adopted the habit of journaling while unwittingly honing their writing skills. Ethan proved more consistent of the two and he appropriately titled his first journal Book 1. Here’s an entry when he was 10 years old:

Thursday February 22, 2001 A few days ago I decided to draw a huge multiplication board which goes further than 12 X 12! The usual multiplication board goes as far as 12 X 12, but mine goes as far as 25 X19! I plan to add a few dozen more numbers to the board. So far I’m almost done. Hopefully, I’ll be able to complete it before the weekend comes.

This morning Mom sent Elliot down to buy the newspapers. But he didn’t come back after 10 minutes, as we usually do. So Mom sent me down to meet him. But he wasn’t there. I waited for him for 10 minutes or so, still, he didn’t come. What happened to Elliot?

”I hope he hasn’t got lost or got kidnapped!” I told myself while walking up the road home.

“What if he got hit by a car?!” Elliot had a series of near death escapes, like the part when a car almost hit him.

Mom looked anxious, when I told Mom I didn’t meet him. I was already trying to imagine life without Elliot, if he got kidnapped or got hit by a car.

Just as Mom and I ran down the road to look for Elliot, we saw Elliot walking up the road with a newspaper tucked under his arm, and whistling!! Mom was so happy that she kissed him. Elliot looked a bit confused. On the way back we explained what happened.

“Whew!” I thought. “He’s safe! At least he didn’t get kidnapped!”

Elliot had walked all the way down to Esso which is quite far, to buy the papers! No wonder he took a long time!!

We never corrected their spelling or grammar, although we frequently read their entries and commended their efforts. Occasionally we would bring it up but we didn’t make a big deal of their mistakes. Eventually a year into the exercise, I told the boys that they should try to write with a certain structure in mind, ie, what, where, who, why, when. It was amazing seeing how their writing matured, revealing nascent sophistication and wit.

I must say the whole experiment went enormously well. With the years behind us, what pleasure we had reading their entries and daily impressions. What a full life the journals revealed. The sum of a boy’s life in a journal, written in innocence and simplicity,  they were also snapshots of learning and growing away from the dull confines of school. And what a wonderful journey it has been for us all.

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18 May 2009

Elliot on reading

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Reading.

It is no secret that reading is a big thing in our home. It’s something we have consistently encouraged by a) modeling the culture of reading by being parents who read, b) building a home environment that is conducive to reading c) introducing books and reading to our kids as soon as they were ready.  When our son Elliot was 12, we asked him about his reading habits and here’s what he said:

Q: Do you remember when you first started reading?
E: I don’t remember when I first started reading but from what I’ve asked mom and dad I started quite early, when I was about three or four. Mom used to read aloud to us when we were younger too. She also used flashcards.

Q: What sort of books do you enjoy reading?
E: I enjoy reading most books though I like fiction best.

Q: What happens if you come across words you don’t understand?
E: If I do come across words I don’t understand I normally just guess the meaning. Not a very good example, I’m afraid. Sometimes I ask Mom or Dad about some words.

Q: Name some books you have recently read, and say something about them.
E: I recently read the book `The Mirror Cracked’ by Agatha Christie, who is a famous murder mystery writer, in which the hero was a 70 or more-year old lady named Jane Marple who solves a murder. The story continues with a few more deaths and tension begins to rise. It’s very good. I also read ‘Murder in the Mews’, by the same author, in which the hero was a Belgian detective named Hercule Poirot. This book contains a few stories about murders with some clever detective work to solve the crimes.

Q: Name some books you are currently reading, and tell us what they are about.
E: I’m reading Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ – unabridged version. I have read the abridged version before, so I know the plot.

Q: Where do you go to learn about books to read, and how do you get hold of these books?
E: I don’t go anywhere to learn about books to read. Most of the time I just ask mom for a good book to read or I reread a book that I have enjoyed.

Q: How do you tell if a book is good or bad?
E: It depends on what you mean by good or bad. A bad book is one which is poorly written and it doesn’t challenge the imagination or interest me. It’s good if it’s interesting to me and I can’t put it down.

Q: What would you say to parents who want to encourage their children to read?
E: I would suggest that they restrict their kids from using the TV and to set a good example by reading books themselves. They can also read books aloud to their children. They can visit book stores and buy good books for them.

For further thoughts on reading, go the related posts below:

Help, Junior can’t read!
Reading and Reasoning

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14 May 2009

Walking in the Light

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Devotional; Guest Writer.

GUEST WRITER: Selina Lim

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1: 5, NIV)

The atmosphere was somewhat romantic with candlelight. Ah hah…not fine dining with my beloved husband. That would be a luxury.

It was the last Saturday of March. We were doing our part as good citizens of this beautiful world.My daughter and my sister made their statement to fight global warming by casting their votes for Earth Hour, a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund) annually. We were gearing up for that hour by ensuring dinner and dishes and showers were done by 8.30pm. Excitement filled the air as the children talked about what they would like to do during that hour. What an opportunity to bring out our beautiful scented candles and let them shine! The simple dwelling became exotic just with candlelight.

What an adjustment even for just an hour! Every time I entered a room, my hand automatically reached out for the switch on the wall, only to remember I was observing Earth Hour just before my finger made a quick tap. Baby Ashton was busy as usual crawling and exploring the house. The darkness did not deter his exploration. My eyes had to be keener in following his active movement, ensuring his safety. Then I smelled a stinky diaper. As much as I was tempted to switch on the light so that I can do a good job in washing his bottom, I wanted to follow through our vote without “cheating”. One of my little helper had to shine the candlelight while I washed him. The shadows cast upon the toilet wall entertained this super wriggly baby. Extra checks were done to ensure he was thoroughly cleansed. It was such hoo-ha over this daily norm.

I was really thankful for proper lighting. I am even more thankful for the Light of God and living in the Light. In fact, the verse says God IS Light. Darkness has a representation of hostility and aimlessness in life. It exudes a creepy and evil feel. It speaks of the enemy. The interesting point is, when light comes, darkness has to flee immediately. Light, no matter how small instantly overcomes darkness. It never fails to give direction even if it may be just one step at a time. It orders our steps. The power of light erases the works of darkness (Romans 13:12). There is absolutely no room for darkness when light enters.

Walking in the Light gives us confidence and peace simply because we can see, and knowing that our steps are sure and the destiny in God is certain. Harm and dangers may seek to threaten us but surely cannot touch us. We are protected (Psalms 34:7). What a comfort to know that even in the valley of the shadows of death God is with us (Psalm 23:4).

Having lived in the light, any form of darkness will surely cause us to be uncomfortable. The brief one hour without light for me affected my activities. How much more negative impact it would be for our lives if we do not have the Light of God? Or should I say, “if we do not have God?”

Give thanks for his deliverance and let’s remember the lost.

God of Light, Thank You for delivering me out of darkness into Your Light. It is so good to know we can walk confidently and peacefully in our daily lives and towards our eternal destiny. I ask that You will be gracious and merciful to many who need Your Light. Shine, Jesus shine! Fill the land with Your Glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

About the writer: Selina Lim is a homeschooling mother of four. Selina and her family lives in sunny Penang. This post originally appeared in her devotional blog, Gems For The Heart

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12 May 2009

11 years in prison

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Education; Public Schooling.

While the MOE dithers on the English-for-Science-and-Math issue, our political scientist and columnist Umapagan Ampikaipakan wades into the debate with his latest post in the NST headlined, Master English by learning English, not others. He argues against the current arrangement and you can read what his counter proposal is. There is an undercurrent raging against English for Science and Math and there are similar sentiments shared by the ruling party UMNO. Well, all this flip-flopping is enough to drive parents up the wall.

However what’s emasculating the education system in the country goes beyond the language debate. Let Mr Ampikaipakan tell you what school was like for him. If it sounds familiar it’s because it is so true for so many of us. Indeed, it’s an indictment against every educator who believes schools are what our kids need:

But there is more to the problems that plague our education system than just the language in which we are taught. It is merely a distraction from all that really ails us. Our system is broken, in that it fails to educate our youth, let alone inspire them. We are shut up in our schools and in our colleges for years, and come out in the end with little else than a brief grasp of language and some memory of the thoughts of other men.

For 11 years, I, too, was held captive, cold irons bound, in the claustrophobic confines of the Kurikulum Bersepadu. My dreams tortured by the spectre of Afonso de Albuquerque. His disembodied head, muttering in Portuguese, insisting, over and over again, that his name is in fact pronounced: “Al-Buh-Kur-Kee”.

I can barely call to mind all the things I was taught in school. I remember being bored. It is the one compelling memory of those days. I remember being bored and I remember being sweaty.

I remember being cooped up in a little room with rickety chairs and a squeaky ceiling fan. I remember 44 other people. I don’t remember their names or their faces but I remember their smells. I remember that cleaning the blackboard after class would give me an asthma attack.

I would sneak storybooks into school, hiding them between textbooks, in those small spaces underneath those rotten wooden desks. I would read them, surreptitiously, while the rest of the class struggled with the base six number system. They were my only escape. The only way I could endure my sentence. Year after year, with no early reprieve for good behaviour.

I remember being taught to pass exams. I remember being taught the importance of the almighty “A”. I remember being taught to memorise facts. I remember being taught. I do not remember learning. I do not remember having to think. I do not remember why.

It is an unfortunate truth, but our education system gives birth to drones. Human computers that are able to regurgitate, with great efficiency and accuracy, everything that has been fed to them. And little else.

Therein lies our greatest failing.

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9 May 2009

What half-decent parents do

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: News; schooling.

Brit journalist Rod Liddle who writes for The Spectator thinks homeschooling is a farce and that we should leave teaching to the professionals. Titled, Who is right about homeschooling? you can read it here. Hmm. But I found a reply by one Amanda Craig to Liddle’s rather cynical take on homeschool (or ‘truancy’ as he prefers to call it). I’m reproducing her response here:

From Amanda Craig

Sir: I was interested in Rod Liddle’s article ‘Who is right about home schooling?’ (23 September) because I too have children at top private schools and have noticed large gaps in their general knowledge thanks to the detestable National Curriculum.

However, the solution is quite simple and does not necessitate removing them from their friends.

Stick a map of the world and a map of Britain up where they have meals, and they will learn geography. Make a time-line with them, and they will learn history. Listen to Radio Three in the car if you do a school run, and they will learn more about classical music than in a hundred music lessons.

Teach them, formally, how to draw. Watch familiar DVDs in foreign languages. Walk with them for at least half an hour every day, and talk to them about anything under the sun, including politics. Above all, keep reading to them every night, until they can read Jane Austen. It will only take an hour out of each day at most, is a total pleasure, and makes a huge difference to a child’s knowledge and self-confidence.

I went to a progressive boarding school where, as an academic pupil, I learnt almost nothing worth knowing. However, I got into Cambridge because I had a mother who followed these principles. All half-decent parents home-educate their children, in effect, until children learn to educate themselves.

Amanda Craig London NW1

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7 May 2009

Reasons to homeschool

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Education; Values.

Homeschool isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but there are so many good reasons to educate your child at home. I recently came across a site that carried a post titled, 100 Reasons to Homeschool. What started as a list back in 2007/08 continues to grow.

What’s interesting for me was discovering that a lot of reasons to homeschool went beyond academic achievements, keeping up with the Joneses. I can relate to that. Now there’s the other component that’s often missed – the development of values and character in one’s child, the joy of being there to see him learn, and simply enjoying a child’s growing up years. Sure, every parent wants their children to succeed academically, but academic success alone does not a complete person make.

It was Roosevelt who said, “To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” Values and character development may be taught, but mostly they are caught. Homeschool provides a safe place for parents to model values and intentionally make this the center of our education enterprise.

Back to the list. Here are some reasons that struck a chord with me. I’m using the numbering as they originally appear on the post:

1. You do not have to live up to the expectations of others.

4. Plenty of time to follow their passions.

6. I can be my kid’s biggest influence, not peers or teachers that may have different values than our family.

7. Homeschooled children are able to think, explore and discuss topics in ways not possible in a classroom setting.

10. Break up the day any way you desire and make it fit the attention soan of your child.

12. If you have a little boy who needs to jump up and down on a couch while he is doing math, he can do so.

13. Far fewer worldly/negative influences penetrate your children at an early age when homeschooling.

14. Avoid your child being given educational labels.

15. Your child’s achievements, advancements or academic pursuits need not be limited by age or grade.

30. We don’t have to wake up super early to be somewhere by a certain time everyday!

31. You can teach to each child’s learning style, thereby encouraging their strengths and improving their weaknesses.

33. You teach them how to learn and how to study, not just how to get through the next test. And, unlike the ps (public school) which teach this in a one-semester course called “Study Skills”, you teach it all year round…..giving them lots of practice.

34. Field trips, field trips, and MORE FIELD TRIPS!!

35. Real world experience, going to the grocery stores and bank constitute a math lesson, gazing at stars on a beautiful summer night and seeing bats inhabit our bat house is science. The list is endless!

50. The best for me… seeing the proverbial Light Bulb going off while teaching long division for a week in a row and my ds (dear son) saying Oh I get it now….and knowing I did that…I gave him that lightbulb moment.

104. Having children that are proud of who they are, and are comfortable in their own skin, so are true to themselves as a person.

106. They learn early on that only they are responsible for their education, actions, behaviour, and reactions. It’s up to them to choose the path they wish to follow, but they know that they have a hand to hold if they need it and a willing ear and heart for support and listening. They know they are never alone in any of the journeys.

Go ahead and check out the list here at the BabyCenter Community. And read the comments too (although the latest ones have veered into other issues). If you have more reasons to homeschool, you can add your own here.

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4 May 2009

Is it expensive to homeschool?

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Q & A.

I would say YES and NO to that. YES, in the sense that purchasing a full curriculum from abroad (usually US) may come up to RM3000 for a year’s supply. It can get more expensive as your child moves up to higher grades. And NO, because it is possible to home educate without packaged curricula if you really want to, at least until your kids are preparing for highschool and/or college.

Our experience

When we first started to homeschool our 2 boys, we did not buy any curriculum until they were about 10 and 8. When we finally decided it was easy to pick Sonlight which is literature-based for our homeschool since we were book lovers ourselves. I think we spent about RM2500 and both boys were tutored with that one set of books (almost 90+ books in a box) – paced according to their abilities.

I think we became less rigid with the passing years, and eventually ordered only the minimum books required. We began to supplement with equivalent titles sourced locally and that helped to bring our costs down. We scoured local bookstores like Popular, PayLess, Kinokuniya, Times, and MPH for bargains.  We also visited the National Library and carted home piles for our boys.  Actually we went to the Library a lot all through our children’s early years (then again, the Library was quite close to where we live).

But when you think about it, if you amortize the amount of money paid for curriculum, it’s reasonable expenditure well-spent.  Also, remember that homeschool saves you in other ways – uniforms, all sorts of fees for clubs and extra-curricular activities, endless tuition, canteen allowances, busing kids to-and-from school, etc.

And don’t forget the intangible savings when you homeschool – less stress,  fewer anxieties, more security, saving on time, etc.

Go online

These days, there’s so much you can get from the internet and local resources that it’s possible to homeschool without bursting your wallet. A family I know swears by the internet and hardly buys any curriculum (and if they do, it’s used books) and has managed very well, thank you!  As a matter of fact, there is no reason to buy expensive stuff for kids when they are still young. I understand the security that a packaged curriculum offers a homeschooling newbie – wah, lesson plans, education and developmental milestones,  curriculum goals, self-administered tests, etc – makes any parent feel like yes, this is sooooo very like school. Don’t get me wrong – all this is good.

What I am simply saying is, you can put off buying expensive curriculum in the early years, and the internet is where savings can be found. Forget that 46″ LCD TV or that expensive PS3. Instead, invest in a good pc and get a broadband account.  Get online and surf. Learn how to get around the net. If you’re going to homeschool, you’ll have to be resourceful. There are TONS of FREE resources available and the number grows exponentially everyday!

Here’s a little taste of what the wide wonderful world of the internet has to offer a homeschooler: check out DistanceEducation.org. The site recently posted a list of 100 FREE distance learning resources for homeschoolers. Divided into 10 sub-sections, you’ll find excellent links to Lesson Plans, Educational Websites, Test-taking Resources, Science Resources, Math Resources, Reading Resources, Online Highschools, Open Courseware, Social Studies, and Homeschooling Resources. All downloadable and all free for all ages. Okay, the Social Studies Resources may be too American to be relevant (Presidents of the US, Kids guide to US govt, etc) ………..but you get my drift.

So, one last word if you’re scratching your head about curricula: don’t panic.

PS: Just in case you didn’t know. Singapore has an online bookstore for homeschoolers now. Point your mouse at The Home Library.

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