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Adolescent Literacy and Homeschooling

© Beverley Paine, July 2005

A hundred or so years ago, literacy meant being able to recognise your own name and write for purposes such as signing a will, recieving money or entering into a contract with someone. Now, literacy involves much more than this. It means being able to speak, listen, read, view and write well enough to participate in all learning activities and to get on in our complex society. For example, young people now need to write job applications, complete taxation forms, interpret timetables and invoices, occasionally speak in public, interpret the content and purpose of the many diverse messages relayed to them by the media, as well as know how to use computers for a number of applications.

Learning to be literate isn't only a skill that is learned during childhood: it is a life long learning process.

Well developed literacy skills will help an adolescent homeschooler to:

succeed with chosen studies;

• make informed choices;
• communicate ideas effectively;
• participate in decision making;
• access government and other services;
• use computers and other new technologies;
• be successful in the workplace

Literacy learning in the home school needs to go beyond the study of English and Literature as separate subjects. Every activity the learner engages in develops his or her literacy skills. As homeschoolers grow during adolescence they begin to access a variety of learning actitivities and resources, including seeking out adult mentors and tutors different from their parents. All of the people involved in the educational program are responsible for the development of literacy skills, including the learner.

It's easy to see how every subject uses language in a particular way and has its own way of organising and presenting information. Homeschoolers need to become proficient at reading and writing, speaking and listening in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes. An integrated, wholistic curriculum or learning program allows this to happen naturally. Literacy learning naturally occurs whether one is studying English or not. Taking advantage of the many natural, opportunities to read, write, listen and speak in all subject areas throughout each day assists with the development of literacy skills.

To help develop and build literacy skills the homeschooling parent can:

• show how information and knowledge are presented in many different areas of life;
• provide examples of writing for different purposes and identify their features;
• demonstrate how the learner can edit and improve his or her work;
• expect from the learner an interest in literacy, and that he or she will engage in reading and writing of different kinds for different purposes;
• let the learner observe more competent users of language and communication skills - especially reading and writing, speaking and listening activities;
• demonstrate the strategies they would use to complete tasks undertaken by the learner;
• respond to the learner's work by asking questions, helping the learner to clarify and by offering suggestions;
• encourage the learner to use writing and talking as a way of sorting out ideas;
• introduce new vocabulary;
• work with the learner on specific points of grammar, spelling, punctuation;
• work with them on how to be effective listeners and speakers.

The more control learners have over their learning activities the more likely they are to be successful. They need to:

• make sure they are clear about what they have to do in reading and writing tasks;
• ask questions and seek advice from others;
• know about the features of different kinds of writing;
• use a range of reading strategies to obtain information from written material;
• vary reading strategies according to their purpose for reading;
• write in ways appropriate to their audience, purposes and topic;
• apply strategies for planning, researching, drafting and revising their writing;
• proofread and try to edit their own work;
• read and write for their own purposes as well as tasks given to them.

It helps to have an environment conducive to learning - this relies heavily upon the learner's own learning styles and preferences, but generally means a quiet, comfortable place to work with adequate materials on hand. Organisation is usually essential to keep the flow and pace of ideas moving and recorded onto paper or computer. Having a dictionary and thesaurus in reach is essential.

Parents can encourage the development of literacy skils by valuing them, and personally exhibiting them, by talking about them and the importance of them in everyday life. Gifts of books, stationary, magazine subscriptions all help reinforce the message that good literacy skills are valued.

Specific concerns often asked about literacy at this level are:

How important is handwriting?
Handwriting skills are generally developed by adolescence, and individual writing styles and preferences appear. At this stage the focus is more on speed and legibility. Neatness counts in the final presentation.

What emphasis is placed on spelling?
Spelling is taught formally when new words are presented, reminding the learner of appropriate spelling strategies. There should be an emphasis on developing proofreading skills, so writers can edit their own work.

What about grammar?
The structure of language is taught through using language rather than through isolated grammar exercises. By exposing the learner to many different writing tasks and activities in a range of different areas he or she will develop good, clear communcation skills.

What errors should homeschooling parents correct?
Homeschooling parents should focus on correcting particular types of errors at different times. When many errors are made it is best to work on only a few at a time. This makes the learning task manageable. Correctness is expected in work that has had the time and opportunity to be developed through a draft process.

What about television?
Sensible television use needs to be encouraged, especially critical viewing. This can be done by talking about programs, characters, advertisments and story lines and by asking what the homeschooler is learning from watching television.

How can I help if I know very little about the subject my homeschooler is studying?
Asking questions always helps. This encourages the learner to develop his or her own understanding. Homeschooling parents are not expected to know or understand everything!

Literacy learning tasks are many are varied, ranging from activities derived from everyday life, to specific and formally structured exercises. The following lists offers some of the many literacy tasks (using traditional school terms) adolescent homeschoolers might engage in:

• Computing - describe the operation of a piece of software to someone.
• Photography - follow the instructions for mixing photographic chemicals for specialised applications.
• Home Economics - read research about nutrition and summarise main points for a poster or wall chart.
• Society and Environment - write a letter of complaint to the local council on an issue of concern.
• Mathematics - examine the graphs and write a report about your interpretation and recommendations.

... read more tips on learning how to read

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Pioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network. Beverley continues to write for homeschooling newsletters and magazines as well as hosting several websites dedicated to promoting and supporting home education in Australia. Her aim is to demystify the education process and make it accessible to all parents. Enjoy Beverley's wealth of practical knowledge, homeschooling and unschooling tips and ideas through articles and books and online at www.homeschoolaustralia.com. Since the late 1990s Robin and Beverley have been building their home education publishing business - Always Learning Books - from home with the help of their son Thomas.

"Education is not a preparation for life. Education is life itself." John Dewey

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