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Homeschool Australia K-12 Curriculum
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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;
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:
The more control learners have over their learning activities the more likely they are to be successful. They need to:
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? What emphasis is placed on spelling? What about grammar? What errors should homeschooling parents correct? What about television? How can I help if I know very little about the subject my homeschooler is studying? 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:
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"Education is not a preparation for life. Education is life itself." John Dewey Please note that the opinions and articles included in the suite of Homeschool Australia websites are not necessarily those of Beverley and Robin Paine, nor do we endorse or necessarily recommend products (other than our own) listed in contributed articles, pages, or advertisements. Please visit the following websites for information on homeschooling in Australia: Homeschool Australia : SAHEN : Australian HS Curriculum : About the Paine Family Text & Images on this site
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