Article by Bettina Langerfeldt

Whether it’s your little preschooler whose just starting to read, or your teenager son on his way to college, you want to be sure they learn to love their education and become self-directed learners.

Both of them have been endued with a remarkable capacity of learning virtually anything they propose themselves to.

Nevertheless, their attitude towards learning will depend on their mentors and the teaching methods they use.

That is why it is of vital importance that parents understand the difference between teaching skills and teaching content.

And they can kill their child’s motivation if they don’t.

Traditionally all the subjects are assigned according to a curriculum chosen by the parent.

Different guidelines and hours of study are neatly predetermined and the student only has to follow the step-by-step instructions to acquire all that knowledge and – voilá!- he is educated!

Is he really?

I mean, it would be great if education were that easy. Just stuff it all down their throat in 12 one-year chunks and off they go to an adult life with a fabulous education.

Judging by the vast majority of teenagers and young adults that are bored to death with their education nowadays, this method does not work.

The key issue here is the difference between teaching skills and teaching content!

Skills require daily practice and discipline. It will take years and years of practice, perseverance and consistency for a student to reach a level of excellence in a certain skill.

Math and language arts are skills. Parents have to require daily practice of these with difficulty levels and time schedules carefully designed according to each child’s need.

This way the student will develop excellent character traits like perseverance, diligence, responsibility, rigor and excellence.

Learning content, like nature or social studies, is a whole different story. It should always be fun and be chosen according to the students prevalent interests.

Don’t ever choose content for your child. Let him use his acquired skills like reading, writing and math to study the subject of his own choice.

Let him experience his favorite area of interest with books, practical experiments and real life situations.

Don’t worry if his chosen subject isn’t very academic to start with. Just let him enjoy learning about it. He will very naturally get inspired to use his language and math skills while he is enraptured by his topic of interest.

This will catapult him into a study habit that will eventually lead him to love learning.

About the Author

Bettina Langerfeldt has a passion for helping others to get free from their old mind-set, develop their God-given talents, and to fulfill the call of God for their lives. Get my free e-book “The Power of Self-Directed Learning” at:http://www.Self-DirectedLearningForSuccess.com

Article by marlene deidre

marlene deidre

Any working professional just might jump at the chance of taking on higher education. With a budget appropriately allotted for such an endeavor, everything should be smooth sailing, right? Wrong. This is because any working professional just might NOT have the time to go to university to earn a second degree.

There are inevitable time constraints when you are already working. Plus, there’s the fact that there are limited class schedules being offered by universities nowadays. With these limits, finding class schedules that would jive with your own working schedule could very well be close to impossible. This is where distance learning steps in.

Distance learning is another word for online learning. With distance learning, you will not have to go to your selected university or college physically. All you would have to do is enroll in a distance learning program being offered by your university of choice, complete the whole course online, and get your degree! Yes, it is as easy as that! All you would need is a reliable Internet connection and you are all set to go! Your very own bedroom can be your very own classroom!

The university or college itself does not really handle the online program they offer. Rather, they have certain companies under their employ to do just that. These companies actually specialize in handling distance learning programs. From the assignments and reports given, right down to the giving of tests and quizzes, outsourcing is the operative concept here.

There are actually ways as to how distance learning programs are offered. One such way would be credit courses. The main advantage credit courses have is that once you can complete them successfully, they can actually be credited towards your name, and they can even be used in earning a degree in the long run! Another way would be through noncredit courses, as well as courses that are given for professional certification. These courses are not really given in the hopes of earning a degree. These are given for one to acquire a learn a particular skill. These noncredit courses are the perfect steps in preparation for new career moves and such. The latest developments in the concerned industry are also taken into account when coming up with this particular distance learning class. This is because the skills acquired from noncredit courses would be applied in the chosen field of the professional upon completion.

Because of the lack of time constraints, more and more people are considering getting degrees through distance learning. It really provides more convenience, compared to the traditional methods of acquiring college degrees that we have become accustomed to.

Get more information about Financial Aid and Scholarships at ArticleArchive.com.

About the Author

Marlene Deidre is a contributor for ArticleArchive.com. She is an expert in Financial-Aid and Scholarships advice.

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Related Home Schooling Articles

Article by James Masterson

Studies show that the training or degree of parents is not an important factor in the success of homeschooled children. More essential than a degree or a college diploma is your concern, commitment and eagerness to give your child the best kind of education that he/she deserve.

The fact that almost all homeschool parents are not professional teachers, they should select a curriculum that best suits the child’s learning style, capacity and needs and find ways to support that plan.

The qualities of an efficient and effective teacher vary; however, they should possess good character, display enthusiasm in teaching and have dedication to work with their students.

Here are some guidelines to help you become the best teacher for your child:

1. Choose the curriculum for your child well. Make certain that you recognize the goals defined by a certain curriculum.

Examine it to determine if the goals match those defined by your State as standard for each level, as well as if it matches your child’s learning style and capabilities.

2. Be prepared. Study the curriculum well so that you are well educated when you teach your child.

3. Determine your child’s learning style. It is only through proper determination of your child’s learning style that you can effectively teach him/her.

Note that there are children who learn well visually, so in this case, reading and videos can be a better teaching tool. Some are listeners, in such cases, music, reading to them out loud and humming for instance their mathematic tables can be a better method of teaching.

4. Be creative. Homeschool instruction doesn’t have to be a one way kind of teaching. Encourage your child to ask questions so you both can discuss the subject matter in a way that the child does not only listen and get information from you, but that your child is actively explaining and expressing his/her own opinion or views.

5. Be understanding. When you feel that your child is having difficulties on a certain subject, then give him/her time and give thorough guidance, by asking her what she finds difficult so you both can work up a plan as well as enough time to solve the problem. Understand that children are not robots who easily absorb information. Allow them to have their “shortcomings”.

6. Recognize that above all, you are a parent. Parents do what’s best for their children. Following your instinct as a mom, will make you the best teacher for your child. And it comes naturally!

About the Author

It doesn’t matter if you just want to explore home schooling possibilities or have made the decision and are looking for a guide to point you in the right direction, “The Parents Guide to Home Schooling” will provide you with the information you require. http://www.free-online-course.com/homeschool

Check out my new book Radical Unschooling- Radical Unschooling – A Revolution Has Begun-Revised Edition (Volume 2) [Paperback] amzn.to or order one of my audio cd’s Order my new MP3 Audio CD www.willowtoys.com you will hear over 10 inspiring hours of the best quality Radical Unschooling Conference Discussions… This is a casual discussion about Unschooling by advocate, public speaker and writer, Dayna Martin
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Article by Clifford S. Magno

Did you know that American presidents Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Widrow Wilson were both educated at home? Other well-known home schooled names include Che Guevara, Ernst Schrödinger, Elizabeth II and Thomas Edison. A wide variety of resources are available to those involved in home schooling. Various websites provide useful information. These websites often list helpful resources and provide links to free home school supplies available online. With the help of some websites, you will be able to source that free home school book for which you have long been searching.

Study Findings

In 2003, the National Home Education Research Institute conducted a survey of 7300 adults who received home schooling. Of the adults surveyed, 5000 received home schooling for over seven years.  A large percentage of home school graduates serve their communities. Many serve their communities as sports coaches, volunteers at local schools, and members of a local church, or other neighborhood association. Whereas 37% of US adults who received a traditional education participate in community service, 71% of home schooled US adults are involved in local activities.

Unlike their public schooled peers, home school graduates are more active in civic affairs. Home school graduates also vote in higher numbers than their public school peers. The National Home Education Research Institute surveyed the voting activity of home school graduates between 18 and 24 years of age. They found that 76% of home schooled graduates voted in the last five years, compared to a paltry 29% of the US populace.

Finally, the study by the National Home Education Research Institute found that 59% of home school graduates consider themselves “very happy” with their lives compared to 28% of the general US populace. Of the graduates, 73% find life “exciting” compared with 47% of the national population.

Home Schooling and You

With luminaries such as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison emerging from home schooling, home schooling is a worthy consideration. Studies prove that home schooled graduates are more active in their communities, vote more often than state schooled graduates and are happier people who find life more exciting.

Parents schooling their children at home benefit greatly from the variety of free home school supplies available online. Free home school supplies can be accessed, not only off the World Wide Web, but from local museums, community centres, churches, science preserves, parks and other community resources.

A number of parents acquire free home school supplies from a co-op of home schooling families in their area. Such groups meet once a week to provide a classroom environment and also have family-centred support groups where free home school supplies can be shared. Such a community also provides support for new parents adjusting to teaching their children at home. There are a variety of free home school supplies out there, to aid both parent and child.

About the Author

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