ProposedCourseforDevelopment.pdf

Proposed Course for Development

Taya Hervey-McNutt

Dr. Manuel Johnican

HDF 522: Theory & Practice of E-Learning

June 3, 2021

Introduction

Scholars have continued to debate on homeschooling for a long time. Some have faulted

the effectiveness of homeschooling while others believe in its effectiveness. Some scholars

believe that homeschooling nurtures half-baked students and discourages the fundamental

schooling processes for learners. This has created gaps and doubts among learners when

presented with the choice between a school environment versus learning from home. However,

this logic is unprogressive and based on the traditional approach to schooling processes. The

world has evolved and this evolution has set in different changes in the manner in which we do

our things. Among these changes include the schooling process. Embracing and accepting these

changes is a milestone towards realizing the new normal and aligning with these changes. This

online course on homeschooling digs deeper to understand the effectiveness of homeschooling

and how to properly execute it. (Blokhuis, 1).

The Goal Outcomes

To understand the holistic scope of homeschooling, reflecting on the many aspects that

come from homeschooling as well as the milestones that have been achieved so far is essential.

We will start by defining what homeschooling refers to and entails? Simply, homeschooling can

be referred to as a scenario whereby learners or students are taught at home or at the comfort of

their home by a professional covering the academic syllabus without attending to the physical

school environment. The main goal of this course is to educate the audience on the many

different teaching styles there are, explain how to become certified to homeschool, and show

them how to gain access to the proper resources that can be useful in the future when

homeschooling, such as a student coaching. Whereas homeschooling refers to and entails the

latter, student coaching refers to scenarios where the learner is assisted to learn through tutoring

by either a professional or a parent to cover school work. Student coaching can also be referred

to as a process for homeschooling with limitations to the physical school environment.

(Taghizade, 2).

Scholars have traced this learning style to as far as during the Roman Empire. Since

education was a privilege for the royals and the affluent, they appointed tutors and professionals

to teach their children how to read and write. Back then there was no physical school

environment and the royal children were taught from their palaces while the affluent were taught

from their homes.

To understand what are the benefits of Homeschooling?

Homeschooling is much more beneficial compared to the physical school environment.

Some benefits of homeschooling are; the parent can comfortably monitor the educational

progress of their children with much ease, the attention given to the student by the teacher is

wholesome, monitoring and analyzing the student strength and weaknesses is easy, students

enjoy a high level of education since the professionality in homeschooling ensures the best tutors

among other benefits. (Taghizade, 2).

Unlike the traditional physical school environment, which takes up most of the time in a

students day, homeschooling allows the students flexibility in their schedule, allowing them to

engage in extra co-curricular activities if they choose to do so. For instance, an “aspiring college

basketball star” student attending a public school – 5 days a week, only has time to practice in

between classes or after school, if they’re lucky. However, if that same student was able to have a

more flexible schedule that allowed him to separate his school life from his co-curricular

activities, it could potentially help that student train and learn how to attend to their focus more,

allowing them to focus on tasks a lot better in the long run.

Students’ Perceptions Towards Homeschooling

Another outcome goal for developing this course is to understand students’ perceptions

towards homeschooling. How many students would opt for homeschooling as opposed to a

traditional physical school environment? By the end of this course, students should have

compared and contrasted the two and have spoken their opinions. A lot of scholars have had their

say concerning the matter but what perceptions will students hold after the module. The

perceptions can either be positive or negative considering individual or group student analysis.

(Taghizade, 2).

Target Audience

The major target learners are the students but can also apply to others; the parents,

curriculum developers, and teachers as well. In best-case scenarios, the module targets gifted

students. This course outlines the benefits of homeschooling and highlights its challenges too.

Virtual Learner Needs

One of the unique needs for online learning is the informational gaps. There are lots of

informational gaps that exist specifically concerning homeschooling. Online learners want to

know the effectiveness of homeschooling and compare it with the physical school learning

environment. Secondly, they want to compare the costs between homeschooling and the physical

school environment. Normally, with homeschooling, the price ranges are low compared to the

physical school environment. Lastly, another need by online learners is to understand the concept

of homeschooling. What is “homeschooling,” what does it entail, and how may it possibly affect

me? (Brewer & Lubienski, 3).

Virtual Learner Challenges

The most common challenge is a societal perception that has misled many people to

believe that homeschooling is for the affluent. Online learners will likely have a presumed

mentality concerning the topic, potentially affecting their reception and understanding of the

matter discussed. Online learners will lack adequate referencing materials to expand their

knowledge on the matter. Homeschooling hasn’t been a favorite topic among scholars to date.

Finally, online learners experience boredom. Imagine online learning about homeschooling

alone. Generally, the process can be boring thus the module developer should highly motivate the

learners. (Brewer & Lubienski, 3).

Relevant Learning Outcomes for the Course

The understanding of homeschooling forms the basis for developing this model. If learners

fail to understand the purpose of developing this module, the goal it’s unattainable.

1. Understanding the differences between traditional physical school and Homeschooling?

By the end of the course, learners should understand and know how to differentiate

between the traditional schooling versus homeschooling. They should also have some knowledge

of other styles of learning.

2. To understand the benefits of homeschooling

Learners should be able to highlight the benefits of homeschooling as well as the

challenges that exist within the learning style.

3. Learners should be able to determine the best-case scenario for homeschooling

The learners should be able to determine the best-case scenarios for homeschooling. They

should also be knowledgeable on how to advise anyone looking for further information on how

to become certified to teach from home. The possibilities of whether homeschooling is the future

for education is endless.

4. Learners should be able to understand homeschooling’s contribution to the education

system and society.

Learners should be able to understand and advocate the contribution of homeschooling to

the education system and society.

5. To be able to determine the effectiveness of homeschooling

By the end of the module the learners are able to determine the effectiveness of

homeschooling. Does homeschooling realize and meet the education requirements for learners’

development? Defining how effective the course will impact the relevance of developing the

course for the learners.

6. Determine learners’ perceptions towards homeschooling

Completion of the course should gauge the learner’s perceptions of homeschooling. What

would be their preference; traditional physical school or homeschooling? The learners should be

able to reflect on the whole aspect on their own and make informed decisions.

Learning Theories

This theory helps to understand how people or learners learn. The learning theory focuses

on three aspects of learning; behaviorism, social constructivism, and cognitivism. Behaviorism

explains how to behave when learning. This focuses on student observations to predict their

behaviors during learning. Cognitivism on the other hand focuses on the learning environment

for the learners. Theorists argue that the learning environment has an important role in the

learning process. The theorists concluded that the cognitive processes of mind such as motivation

and imagination can bridge the environmental stimuli and student’s responses. Lastly, social

constructivism describes teaching and learning as one complex interactive social phenomenon

between learners and teachers. This aspect perceives learning as a problem solving and social

construction of solutions to problems through learning. It factors the teacher, the learner, and the

problem to be solved. Learning is argued to be a social experience through which learners

collaborate and reflect with others to learn effectively. (Picciano, 4)

Student Motivators

Coordinating online group activities: Coordinating these online group activities ensure that

students are following up and equally participating in the activities as well. Online group

discussions where the instructor coordinates it. (Xiong & Zuo, 5).

Following-up formative assessments with online peer reviews: The formative assessments

with other peers online help the students assess their progress. Additionally, this gives a

challenge to students as it encourages competition. Encourage learners by giving them

assessments on their online class inputs. (Xiong & Zuo, 5).

Virtual shows where students can share aspects of their home lines and activities: Virtual

shows help the student to participate more by encouraging them to share their aspects and

experiences as well. Encourage them to participate more easily. This should be often done to

keep learners interested.

References

1. Blokhuis, J. C. (2020). Homeschooling: The History and Philosophy of a Controversial

Practice by James G. Dwyer and Shawn F. Peters, Chicago: University of Chicago Press,

2019.

2. Taghizade, A., Hatami, J., Noroozi, O., Farrokhnia, M., & Hassanzadeh, A. (2020).

Fostering Learners’ Perceived Presence and High-Level Learning Outcomes in Online

Learning Environments. Education Research International, 2020.

3. Brewer, T. J., & Lubienski, C. (2017). Homeschooling in the United States: Examining

the rationales for individualizing education. Pro-Posições

4. Picciano, A. G. (2017). Theories and frameworks for online education: Seeking an

integrated model. Online Learning

5. Xiong, J., & Zuo, M. (2019). Older adults’ learning motivations in massive open online

courses. Educational Gerontology