Online High School versus Homeschooling?
When many people think about online learning, they envision college-age students as well as older adults. But what about high school students? Can they, and are they, taking courses online as well? Recently, the online high school vs. home schooling debate has begun to heat up, as educators, parents and students begin to ask questions about these two forms of learning. Some of the main questions being asked include: Can high school students get the same quality education from online classes as they would from homeschooling? Does it take more effort to do well in online classes than in home school classes? Should home schooling include online classes for high school kids? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
For families who have the time to put together materials, teach material and help with assignments, homeschooling can be a great option. Parents can control exactly what their kids study, how much they study and they can also provide personalized, one-on-one feedback and attention, something that is missing in many of today’s public school classrooms. Homeschooling can be a great choice for kids who need a large amount of supervision with their school work, as well as for kids who are very bright and independent and who want to move much faster than their classmates.
Some parents choose to incorporate online classes into their home school curriculum as a way of involving a trained teacher in their child’s studies, especially if they do not have the teaching background themselves. Or, the student can take a class online on a topic that the parent has little or no knowledge about, but that the student would like to explore. Online classes can also add a social component to home schooling; this lack of social interaction with peers is what holds some parents back from enrolling their kids in home school classes. However, with chat rooms, forums, discussion boards and web cams, students can discuss topics with other students all over the world and have the advantage of getting multiple perspectives on a topic easily and from the comfort of their own homes.
However, unless the high school student is particularly motivated and has excellent study skills, a home schooling program that is entirely online might not be the best option. With a lot of support from parents and from online instructors, however, online courses can certainly have a very positive impact on high school students’ educations.
I work for an online high school called the American Academy. I spend a lot of my time reading online articles just to keep caught up on what’s going on in the word of online schools.
Homeschooling is a great option for many families. It’s a way to make sure the child gets individualized attention and feedback on their schoolwork.
We get a lot of calls from parents of home schoolers who want to incorporate some of our online courses into their child’s curriculum. This is a great option for parents who may not be an expert in a particular field. This way, the child is still able to explore different areas they would like to know more about.
It’s interesting to see the trend of traditional home school classes blended with online courses to provide the best possible education for your children.
[…] are they, taking courses online as well? Recently, the online high school vs. home schooling debahttp://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/blog/2008/05/27/online-high-school-versus-homeschooling/Julie Gruenbaum Fax The Jewish Journal of Greater Los AngelesAmid a crush of photographers, a […]