Is EFL or ESL English Teaching Practical for Home Schooling?

Home Schooling is Popular

Home schooling is becoming increasingly popular. Why? Because in some areas schools are too dangerous to consider. Parents want to have more control over their children’s learning environment. Schools in some districts lack essential quality in resources and staff to effectively educate children for the challenges of today’s global society. With home schooling, parents are able to expand the learning platform of their children to an almost infinite degree. School districts provide the required curriculum for children so that parents don’t go off on a non-productive tangent. This also helps to ensure that home-schooled children are on track with their peers of the same age and grade level.

What about those cases in which children have a first language other than English? Though not yet in supremely large numbers, the growing discovery of alarming numbers of children with illegal immigrant status raises the question of English as a Second Language (ESL) home-schooling and literacy. The task of developing fluency in English stretches from the children through the parents and even the grandparents in many cases. Immigrant families are cash-strapped. Often due to low levels of educational achievement, lack of marketable skills or even illiteracy, parents feel they are “trapped”. To earn more they must learn more, but how can this be accomplished without English language fluency?

Using A TBL Approach

One of many possible scenarios is home schooling using a TBL (Tasked-Based Learning) approach. In this approach, learners are taught useable, marketable skills using English as the language of instruction. In-demand skills such as Nursing Aids, Home Health Care Aides, Auto Mechanics, Electrician Helpers, Carpentry and construction trade workers, Cooks and even Teacher Aides could be brought up to marketable standards rather quickly. Certainly most would require less than a year of preparation to begin “giving back” to the economy that many now only abuse to the detriment of tax-payers and home owners who currently carry an over-burdened share of the economy.

Using a TBL approach, several problems would be addressed at the same time.

• Immigrants would learn a marketable skill

• Immigrants would learn English

• Immigrants would regain their personal pride and dignity

• Parents could set a valuable example for their children

• Children could be eased more into mainstream American society

• Children could more easily acquire useable English language skills

There are already quantities of online and low-residency English language and other programs available for both adults and children.

Certainly English taught as a second or foreign language is practical for home schooling. Teachers and tutors must make classes interesting, lively and on occasion even fun if they are to maintain the interest and attendance of these LEP (Limited English Proficiency) learners. In so doing, the problem of non-English speaking or LEP learners of all ages can begin to be addressed in earnest. Over-crowded, cash and resource-strapped schools need our help. Here’s one way we, as concerned TEFL professionals, can give it to them.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an ELT Teacher Trainer, English language learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. He has published more than 350 articles and academic papers and presented at numerous EFL teacher training and TEFL conferences throughout North America, South America and Europe. For comments, questions, requests, to receive more information or to be added to his free TESOL articles and teaching materials mailing list, e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Discovering The Benefits Of Home Schooling

Home schooling is in demand nowadays. You might be thinking of home school for your child. There are a lot of reasons why you should educate your child at home. Although this decision may not be an easy one, it may be something to consider. There are questions that need to be discussed and there are also some already answered for you. Before you can make this very important decision for your child’s education, you should think long and hard and get all the answers to your questions.

What are the benefits of home schooling? Here are a few:

First, your child will get all the attention and that attention will come from you. Although this depends on the child’s level of studying, he or she should be comfortable at home. You can have all his time and control his studies. Sometimes, children in school don’t pay enough attention to their teachers because they want their mommies to guide them. Some don’t trust their teachers and will not take their word. Friends and playmates may distract his learning process. All the issues your child experiences in a large class will vanish forever with home schooling.

Of course you know your child better than others do. You will be given the chance to tailor all the lessons that suit your child’s interest of learning. You can keep him comfortable the way he wants it which can never be experienced in the conventional classrooms.

If your child is among those kids who are prone to peer-pressure, then home schooling is the answer. Learning is acquired in school but if the child cannot learn the right way, it would be better that he stay home and be taught.

Your child may want a different type of approach to learning which he cannot get in school. The teacher in school will not of course treat every student differently with their different standards of learning. Your child is not the only student in school so if he wants to be treated differently, you may have to teach him at home so that the learning process will be easy.

You will be able to watch your child’s improvement. You can set a time frame or a limit which he needs to accomplish say, for example, a chapter in a book. Allow him time to absorb and finish the chapter in a week so you can finish all the lessons in a timely manner.

Your child may not be socially capable of mingling with the other students. This may be due to phobia or fear. If your child is like this, would you still expose him in a crowd to which you know that he will never feel comfortable no matter what happens? Of course you wouldn’t.

These are just some of the benefits of home schooling. The best way is still to ask your child what he really wants.

Alison Palmer has an interest in Family & Children related topics. To find out how you can become successful at home schooling your child please visit this Home schooling related site.

Home Schooling Can Be Fun Too!

Spelling Bees are great to have once a week or every other week. It is fun for the kids and challenging. They really try their hardest to spell the word correctly. My daughter who was never the greatest speller, has now changed significantly. She actually reads the dictionary so that she can do well on the spelling bee.

I also love Professor Noggin educational games. They have them for each subject. We play one everyday. They learn everything from science and nature to social studies and geography. I also found that Scrabble or any word game is fun and educational at the same time.

We recently did a project which was for science. My children took pictures and it had to be about nature or the environment. My daughter took pictures of animals, insects, trees, flowers, and rocks. Then she characterized them. My son took pictures of different types of pollution and energy. Then he characterized them. It turned out great and it was fun doing.

One thing I found out is that children do not know their state capitals. We do them once a week. We also do the presidents. This is hard, but I don’t test them on it. We just do it for fun

There is so much you can do at home school. Be creative. It can be fun and educational.

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