homeschooling is an English word meaning “homeschooling”. In Brazil, the term is also known as home or home education. Although it has been around for a few years, this modality of education has been gaining new adherents lately, after the emergence of pandemic of the coronavirus in March 2020.
In this modality, the child and adolescent do not attend the traditional school. Instead, they are educated at home, usually by their parents, who actively participate in their children's intellectual formation process. Homeschooling defends that, by having classes at home, children gain more safety, comfort and quality, as they have all the attention given to them.
According to the National Association of Home Education (Aned), in this type of modality, parents offer their children a personalized education so that they can explore the potential and talents of each of them. For this, Aned emphasizes that parents must invest time and resources.
In addition to intellectual education, the focus of homeschooling, according to Aned, is the parents' concern with the formation of their children's character and in
direct the values and virtues that these should embody.Check out our podcast: The transformations of education in the pandemic
homeschooling summary
In Brazil, the term is also known as home or domestic education.
This type of education has gained new adherents after the onset of the pandemic of coronavirus.
Homeschooling advocates that parents educate their children at home, actively participating in their intellectual formation process.
Home education is tailored to explore the potential and talents of children and adolescents.
In practice, homeschooling works through the application of interactive, dynamic activities and the use of tools at home.
Parents who have limited time available can outsource home education by hiring private tutors or adopting Distance Learning.
The idea of unschooling emerged, between the 1960s and 1970s, through criticism from Harvard University professor John Holt.
Homeshooling is present in over 60 nations around the world.
Bills that defend the regulation of home education in Brazil are under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies.
Homeschooling is criticized in Brazil for having controversial requirements such as that parents must obligatorily have higher education and children must undergo public evaluation.
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How does homeschooling work?
In homeschooling, the aim is for parents to teach their children to learnin the content and not to memorize it. As explained by the National Association of Home Education, with the implementation of this type of education, children and teenagers learn to study, research, question, reason logically, interpret texts and solve problems.
In practice, homeschooling works through application of interactive, dynamic and tool-use activities at home, such as:
Websites, blogs and apps
Video classes
teaching platforms
Teaching materials
In homeschooling, children and teenagers are not just at home. They can also attend parks, squares, playgrounds, clubs and libraries. In addition, they can play sports and learn music, arts and languages in other places. Parents also allow their children to participate in family groups who practice home education to interact with each other and share experiences.
See too: How to set up a study schedule?
outsourced homeschooling
In home education, parents play an essential role in the formation of the child, but there are some who have little time available to study with their children at home. In that case, it is possible to outsource homeschooling. See options.
Private teachers or tutors
Parents Hire One or More Private Teachers for the child to receive the same education he would have in schools. The difference is that the child gets the professional's full attention. In this case, specific teaching material is usually used.
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Classes via Distance Education (EaD) are another teaching modality option within homeschooling. In this case, the teacher is on the other side of the computer screen. Classes can be live or recorded. Children usually have physical teaching materials to accompany these classes.
It is worth noting that, according to the concept of homeschooling, it is essential that parents supervise the learning of the child and adolescent.. Therefore, those responsible must be aware of what the classroom or online teacher passes on to their child. To learn more about this discussion, check out our podcast: Is distance education for everyone?
Where did homescooling come about?
Home education was adopted before the implementation of schools in Brazil and in the world. However, not everyone had access to this type of education. Generally speaking, it was the elite who had this kind of opportunity. Schools only became popular in the mid-twentieth century..
Between the 1960s and 1970s, John Holt, a professor at Harvard University, criticized the schools, defending, for the first time, the idea of “unschooling”. In this ocasion, Holt led an international movement to publicize and legalize homeschooling. This episode is considered a milestone for the emergence of homeschooling.
Home education has gained visibility in recent decades and has been implemented in some countries around the world. Data from Aned show that it is present in more than 60 nations. Somecountries where homescooling is adopted and regulated they are:
U.S
Canada
France
Spain
Italy
Switzerland
South Africa
Japan
Australia
Homeschooling in Brazil
Constitutional Amendment No. 59 of the Federal Constitution highlights that the Basic education is free and mandatory and that everyone must attend school from four to 17 years old..
Data from the Chamber of Deputies indicate that the Federal Supreme Court (STF) recognized the constitutionality of homeshooling; therefore, does not prohibit, but also does not support the practice.. However, the STF reinforces that home education is illegal until a specific legislation so that parents are guaranteed that they can adopt this type of education with your children.
At the Federal District (DF), according to the decision of Governor Ibaneis Rocha, domestic education is released. Rocha sanctioned the law establishing homeschooling in Brasilia in December 2020.
Homeschooling Reviews
Bills that defend the regulation of home education are under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies. Both advocates of home education modality and critics point out that the projects are controversial and, therefore, must be debated a lot before being approved.
Among the criticisms of the homeschooling projects that are underway is the demand that the parents or guardians of this type of education must have a college degree.. Another point under discussion is that home-educated children and adolescents need to undergo a public evaluation.
Education professionals also emphasize that the monitoring of the education of children and adolescents by the State it is important for their rights to be met and not violated. Finally, experts criticize homeschooling for believing that this method is not intended to improve the quality of education for all Brazilians, but rather for a minority.
Read too: New High School: understand the reform
Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling
Like other types of teaching, homeschooling has advantages and disadvantages. Check out the positives and negatives:
→ Advantages of Homeschooling
Greater freedom of instruction and learning
Flexible hours
Use of more advanced technological techniques
Children's maturation and discipline
Improving academic results
Custom development
Greater economy and cost-effectiveness
→ Disadvantages of homeschooling
Lack of socializing with other children
Absence of dynamics and interactions carried out in schools
Lack of everyday experiences at school that help to mature
Absence of concepts of education as public responsibility
Lack of coexistence with diversity
Backtracking in some cases
By Silvia Tancredi
Journalist