Category Archives: Education

My Name is Mina

Children's fiction, Home education

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My Name is Mina, by David Almond, is a wonderful, poetic story depicting home education. My Name is Mina is a rare book -beautifully written using language in an almost hypnotic way, quirky and with an instinctive understanding of unschooling/autonomous/informal education. Written as Mina’s diary, it reflects the main character’s creativity and curiosity. Mina loves words – the sound of them, their flow and patterns, reflected in the wonderful use of words, fonts and space throughout the book. She has a uncompromising sense of wonder at the world around her – from the blackbird chicks in her tree, to the sheer immensity of the universe. As a result Mina does not fit in at school. She is unwilling or unable to lose herself and her world of words and ideas in order to meet the requirements of school or fit in with the other children. So her mother takes her out of school to be home educated. The diary tells of her experiences leading up to leaving school, her coming to terms with the loss of her father and dealing with having been a square peg in a round hole, until eventually she comes to a place where she can reconnect with the world again. The descriptions of the quiet moments of contemplation and the time spent round the kitchen table making and talking with her Mum are something that strike a chord with my family.

Home ed magazines

Books and Magazines, Home education, ,

Here is a list of home education magazines.

EOS – new UK home education magazine.

Home Education Magazine Long running US magazine.

Life Learning Magazine Self-directed, life-based learning.

Back-to-Homeschool Magazine – magazine by girls for girls.

Secular Homeschooling Magazine – another US one, non-religious bimonthly magazine.

Growing Without Schooling – Archives issue (Aug 1977 –  Oct 2001) of the magazine founded by John Holt, one of the founders of the modern unschooling movement.

Also a mention for Green Parent – a mainstream(ish) parenting magazine that often includes alternative education, including home education.

Are their any others that you would recommend?

Learning Trust, Trusting Learning conference 2011

Home education, Parenting, , , , , , , ,

Spent yesterday at the LiTTLe Conference in London – Learning Trust, Trusting Learning.

Very nice to see some old friends, put some faces to Twitter friends and see some well-known autonomous home educators in real life.

  • Imran Shah – Social worker and active member of email lists, with an articulate passion for parent-baby attachment. Talked about the vital importance of parent-child attachment.
  • Sandra Dodd – US Unschooling guru. Talked about living thoughtfully in the present and fostering a sense of wonder.
  • David Waynforth -  Research scientist on human behavioural ecology. Talked about children’s food choices.
  • Mike Fortune-Wood – Home education veteran, advocate and editor. Talked about the challenges facing Home Education in a political climate of increasing State control of childrens’ personal lives.
  • Alan Thomas & Harriet Pattison – Researchers into how children learn and informal learning.
  • Schuyler Waynforth

Considered writing a bit more about each – but KP Nuts has beaten me to it! The LiTTLe Conference in London 11.6.11

 

E learnt to read…

Home education, Learning, ,

My nearly eight year old daughter E is a voracious reader. She disappears off into a book for hours, procrastinating when it is time to do anything, just to spend a few more moments reading, and regularly disappears only to be found reading in the bathroom.

But no-one has taught her.

E does not go to school, so she has had the freedom to learn in her own way, at her own pace. Outside school learning primarily happens through conversation and trying things out, so there was never any hurry to start teaching her to read!

E has always been surrounded by books, has spent sometimes hours a day being read to and regularly visits the library where all our library cards are permanently maxed out. Indeed ‘book’ was one of her first words.

Some days I will disappear into a novel, until at last I reappear, satiated for a while. And her father is frequently found to be missing, presumed reading on his i-phone in the bathroom. Reading is just something we all do for fun – both to ourselves and to E and her little sister.

I guess we have taken the ‘just read to them approach’! And it has gone something like this:

Step 1.

Read lots to E

Some days we may not read to her at all, other days we will curl up in bed in the morning and read … for hours. First picture books, then later adding in non-fiction and a chapter or more in the evening. Once upon a time it was the Far Away Tree, then Swallows and Amazons, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and most recently the Hobbit. With a sprinkling of lots of others books too!

Step 2:

Play at reading

When she was a toddler E would often play at reading to her doll of course. Just like anything else a small child sees others doing.

Step 3:

Follow her lead

As time went on we got a feel for what worked for her.

Which turned out to be absolutely no teaching, no getting her to read or try to sound out words. And definitely no asking questions, or interrupting the flow. As soon as we tried any of these E just closed down and switched off. Instead she just asked me to follow the words with my finger for a while. So we listened and just continued to read to her.

Step 4:

Find words everywhere

Reading started with E recognising her own name, then the word google when searching for pictures of animals online. Words are of course everywhere!

On one memorable occasion when she was four we were walking home down the street and she shouted ‘stop’. In a panic I turned, envisioning an oncoming truck, but found instead that she had just read the word off a car sticker.

E found words on the computer, the playstation,  in shops, in magazines, on board games, in recipes – just a few of her favourite things!

But mostly E loves books. We all still read lots of picture books, many of which we borrow time and again from the library. Indeed although E can now read Harry Potter she will inevitably spend the longest time browsing and choose to borrow picture books. I will choose the chapter books and factual books that I think might appeal to her when we get home.

Step 5:

Reading to others

As she became more confident E would read simple books to others – her sister, and her Grandpa. But not to me – oh no, never to me!

Step 6:

Fairy Magic

As her reading developed E immersed herself in the Rainbow Magic books. She worked her way through at least fifty of these highly formulaic books, building up her reading skills. Sometimes two or three per bus trip.

Step 7:

E can now read quite independently. She has read a few chapters of Harry Potter, and is reading and re-reading her current favourite – Tony Robinson’s Kings and Queens. Interestingly before she could read fiction was a firm favourite, but maybe that is more to do with the general lack of good factual picture books?

Step 8:

Keep reading to her

And of course I still read to her. Not for so many hours a day – but most days we will manage at least one chapter. The latest favourites are the Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan.

Our aim has been for E to see reading as a joy, not a chore. Whether it be a story to lose herself in or a factual book that feeds that thirst for knowledge. Her personality has dictated that this meant leaving her to learn to read, whilst sharing books with her, and  surrounding her with words and stories. For our part we have simply needed to read to her, provide books and maintain faith – faith that she would learn to read.

A few favourite articles on reading:

http://lisarussell.org/blog/please-do-not-read-to-your-child-for-20-minutes-a-day/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201002/children-teach-themselves-read

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201311/the-reading-wars-why-natural-learning-fails-in-classrooms

http://schoolingtheworld.org/a-thousand-rivers/

Other experiences:

This was written as part of Liveotherwise’s Reading Carnival.
Other experiences in Oxfordshire Home Educators’ Magazine. 

What to look for in a home ed home?

Home education

We are current searching for a new house, which has set me thinking – what makes a great home ed house?

Location? We want to be on a bus route that takes us to the places we want to go – friends and libraries and group, with a good local grocery shop. We also don’t want to walk as far as we do now to some wilder green space, and a handy playground would be a bonus.

On the outside we want a big enough garden for a trampoline, some space to run and do a bit of gardening too, with access fromt he outside for all the muddy bikes and things. An easy to use access from inside the house too, to encourage us all to get out there and enjoy the outdoors more.

We have been finding that many houses have only one medium sized or smallish reception room, but three bedrooms. As a family that work and play together I would much rather prefer that we spend time together downstairs than hiding upstairs in bedrooms! Bedrooms should be for sleeping, and having a little quiet or private time rather than playing or making. So more downstairs space than upstairs!

As for the living space – we want wall space for shelves and display – all those posters, maps and artwork that we produce. A place to watch TV or play with playmobil, lego or other toys. And space for two or three people to play on the computer/laptop at the same time. Would much prefer hard flooring – more fun for playing on, things stand up better and so much easier to keep clean, especially with paint. play dough etc.

Plus of course, table space for baking, making, playing, eating, chatting. We have seen a house with a lovely kitchen/diner. A big breakfast bar, as big as a table so that we can cook and make together, plus space for dining room table and chairs too.

EOS – Christmas issue

Featured, Headline, Home education, Magazines and blogs, ,

The latest issue of the home education magazine EOS is now out.

The latest big question is “how will they do their GCSEs?”

There is an article looking at an alternative vision for schools, unschooling and Shakespeare. Plus make a gingerbread house, story books to read together at Christmas and making Christmas memories.

Possibly my favourite article this issue is Paula Cleary’s joyful piece on the importance and joy of music.

Education Choices Pt 2: State school, independent school or home education?

Beyond babyhood, Education, Learning, Parenting, , , , ,

There are three main choices for educating your child in England – State school, Independent school or Home Education…

When to start:

Every parent in England has to, by law, provide an education from the start of the term following their child’s fifth birthday.

School stages and ages

(State schools and many independent schools)

Primary:

  • Key Stage 1: Reception, years 1 and 2 (5 to 7 yrs old)
  • Key Stage 2: Years 3 to 6 (ages 8 to 11)

Secondary:

  • Key Stage 3: Year groups 7 to 9 (ages 12 to 14)
  • Key Stage 4: Year groups 10 and 11 (ages 15 and 16)
  • Year Groups 12 and 13 (ages 17 and 18) are referred to as Post 16.

In many other countries formal education does not start until age seven, as it does in independent Steiner Waldorf schools. And within home education it is common for informal methods to be used for the majority of a child’s education.

If you prefer to start school later, you can delay your child’s school start as long as you like by home educating, then apply to schools when your child is ready. With pre-school aged children you may choose to do things full-time as a family, or supplement with play-based settings such as nurseries, playgroups.

How to Choose a School

Inspection reports, reviews and league tables can all be helpful, but you can learn far more by visiting a school and talking to pupils and observing the teachers and pupils.

Remember to ask lots of questions.
How does the school seem to you?
Do the teachers and children seem happy and how do they interact with each other?

It is important to remember that not all children will benefit from a high ranking academic school, and there is more to school than what you learn.

Any reports of a school, whether by writers or parents are subjective, based on their own opinion and background, and may not necessarily reflect your or your children’s priorities or viewpoints.

Mixing it up

Many parents will use a different option at different times, or for different children, depending on their individual needs. Another option is flexi-schooling, where a child is registered at school, but attends part-time at the discretion of the head teacher and is home educated offsite the rest of the time.

Find out more

 

<< Back to: Pt 1: What would suit your child and family?

On to: Pt 2a: State School >>

How do you rate you Local Authority EHE department and staff?

Home education

Many home educators have problems when dealing with their Local Authority. These often stem from the prevalent pro-schooling culture, lack of understanding about why parents choose to home educate and how it differs so drastically from school, and widespread misinterpretation of the law. Experinces vary drastically from authority to authority and with different staff members.

The HED : The Home Education Database (http://www.theartofsurvival.co.uk/hed/) website allows home educators to

  • Find out about the EHE staff at your Local Authority and read reviews of them.
  • Submit information about, and rate, the staff in your area.
  • Find home education groups near you.

1st issue of EOS – Education Outside School

Home education, Magazines and blogs,

The first issue of the eagerly awaited home education magazine EOS is now out.

It’s available in an online format only, at www.educationoutsideschool.co.uk, free of charge. It is hoped that it will be a much needed resource for new and experienced HE families, but something which also makes an informative and valuable contribution to how HE is seen in the UK, and beyond – a step towards normalising home ed and give it a more positive image.