Teaching children at home is the dream of some parents and children. For others, a challenge. I see it as an opportunity.
UK flag.
In the UK, schools will close from Friday March 20 because of Coronavirus, COVID19. Everybody is aghast.
However, it is not that difficult, if you get organized. Let's look at the options.
US flag.
In the USA and UK home schooling is well established. You can join a group of parents and share information on resources. The pupils can keep in contact with each other.
French flag.
French Textbooks
In France it is easier for schools and teachers to organize. I heard that a set textbook is issued for every subject for the year. So you start on page one and work through the book at the required page.
School Teaching Pupils Online
In the UK some of the teachers are running classes at school for the children of hospital and health workers and families of those working in other essential services. The simplest thing for teachers to do is to carry on as normal, but online so the pupils at home can watch the lesson. And maybe participate.
You follow the same syllabus. You stick to the same timetable.
You take the register. The video I watched showed the teacher saying the pupils all sent her emails.
Singapore online Toastmasters.
We are practising giving speeches. We are logging in from Singapore and China in Asia, England and Greece in Europe, the USA, all over the world.
Here we are all adults, but ending every session with a photo pf us showing soft toys
Video Conferencing from Singapore
In Singapore I belong to Singapore online toastmasters. I have just started doing video conferencing using Zoom. We have members in Singapore, Hong Kong, Greece, and the UK, and the USA.
Everybody logs in and you can see their face on the screen like a chequer board. Everybody can see everybody else's face. You have a chat box which appears in the column on the side of the screen.
The host of the meeting can see everybody. So you could set up in the morning 30 minutes before the lesson. like a school assembly.
You could ask each pupil to say their name and their favourite school subject.
Assign one person to read a quotation. Other say their name and comment on the motivational quotation.
What about a morning prayer or grace before meals or a weekend session on Hebrew or Greek or Arabic or Aramaic (the language of Jesus).
You can learn Greek, Hebrew and Arabic from Duolingo and other online free language learning systems.
Religious Lessons For All Religions And None
In the case of a religious school you could have the life story or an incident of a saint, rabbi, or other noted person. In a secular group, any non-religious person and their achievements.
Obviously relevant examples would be those who have achieved academic success or education despite handicaps, such as Helen Keller.
Set Up The Desk
In the UK schools go to go home, and learn at home from tomorrow afternoon, Friday 20 th. Set up a clear desk and a laptop or mobile home. For those homes without, ask the school and everybody in the street if they can lend you an old phone or laptop or screen. Some schools or teachers might have spare equipment.
Borrowing Laptops
If you have younger children without equipment, they can watch the lessons of the older pupils, and use the equipment at staggered times, during the lunch break. Or the older pupil can act as a teacher, and teach the younger brother or sister.
Parents working from home could also lend a laptop to children during the lunch hour. Anything is better than nothing.
If all else fails, a parent can structure the day and teach subjects thought the day.
Time
Somebody has to keep time. At the end of each session you ring a bell. A bell is surprisingly cheap. I bought one for 2 Singapore dollars from Daeso, the Japanese all one price store.
Teaching Languages
For example, you can teach languages using the multi-lingual labels on food and clothes and household products.
Inexpensive DIY Notebooks & Stationery
You can create notebooks using the backs of envelopes. Or the white backs of advertising leaflets sent through the post.
Borrow laptops, if needed, on a temporary basis, no commitment on the part of the donor. Give receipts. Get the children started with sitting learning straight away.
PE and breaks
I was interested to hear that all classes could be taught at home, including physical education. You could do exercised, or on the spot zumba, or the sort of exercises for people in wheelchairs or office workers at desks. You could also have 5 minute breaks every hour to have a glass of water and stretch and go to the toilet and wash your hands.
English
I suggest everybody doing an hour on English to start the day.
30 minutes on computer skills, video conferencing, contests online. For non-English speakers, their own language comes next for an hour. For English speakers a foreign language lesson.
Homework
Homework could be what the Americans call Show And Tell. Each person in the class picks a topic. It could be simple cooking.
Or growing plants from seeds in a flower pot.
It could be the maths of coronavirus statistics from various countries.
If you have a computer, and internet access you don't need books.
You can download language lessons. And watch free Youtube lessons.
You can watch cookery online.
You can get exercise videos online.
You can research English classic books and authors from Wikipedia. Classic books are available from wikibooks. For younger pupils and those who speak other languages, you can use Simple Wikipedia.
Science, biology, maths - it's all online.
When I was looking for instructions on making puppets, I discovered that many schools in America put up games and lesson online free for their own school pupils and parents, and other schools, and educators worldwide.
As for getting children to sit still, it depends on the determination of either the parent or the pupil.
The tiniest tots will mostly happily watch the screen. Especially if they are teaching teddy or dolly. (Or even a cat or dog or parrot.)
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeschooling
duolingo.com
About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Teacher of English and English as a foreign language and beginner's French. Semi-retired home tutor.
