| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp |
| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp. All rights reserved. |
| about the book |
| The Homeschool Diner's Guide to Self-Directed Learning: Independent Research for Homeschoolers by Julie Shepherd Knapp, copyright 2006 In Self-Directed Learning the individual homeschooled student has the primary responsibility for planning, implementing, and even evaluating his or her efforts. At one end of the Self-Directed scale are the Unschoolers (see the "Unschooling / Self-Directed Learning" section) who promote a child-initiated learning environment and place emphasis on the value of learning thru everyday life experiences. At the other end of the scale are Independent Researchers who incorporate a more scholarly view of self-learning, which often starts out with guided and structured assignments from their parents. As a student becomes more adept and effective at independent learning, the parent provides less and less structure. Independent Research relies on investigative and analytical skills that are developed thru hands-on practice in researching information, synthesizing knowledge, and either expressing that knowledge in new ways or applying that knowledge in a problem-solving manner. When students conduct their own research on a topic they learn where to find the information they need, and to how to evaluate the quality of that information. Along the way, they develop an integrated knowledge base that can be applied to future studies or projects. Independent Research promotes skills students need to become effective, independent Life-Long Learners. Many Unschoolers will naturally become Independent Researchers. The learning approach used by Independent Researchers is a great choice for homeschool students who are already interested in learning and are (by nature) motivated to learn about and explore new topics on their own. It may also be a good way to bring a bored or discouraged student back into action - by assigning research on favorite topics or investigations into real-world problems. Most students require considerable help and coaching with their first projects, but gradually gain the skills and initiative needed for independent learning. This homeschool approach is a particularly good match for students with goals that will require independent research in their higher education and/or careers. Students interested in law, political science, medical and scientific research, journalism, writing, and technology will all benefit from incorporating Independent Research into their homeschool curriculum. There is a lot of room for individual expression in Research-Based Learning. The end products don't have to be written reports - you can encourage students to be creative and innovative. Students can show their new knowledge by creating video montages, power point presentations, Letters to the Editor, poetry, dramatic readings, plays, short stories, narration, 3-D models, maps, time lines, unit studies for younger siblings, blogs, websites, or real-life demonstrations of new skills. Parents who'd like to help their students to become more motivated and self-directed in their learning can gradually incorporate Independent Research learning experiences into their current homeschooling method. Following advice in the articles listed below, parents can guide and coach their students thru the process and help them develop their confidence and effectiveness at Independent Research. Parents can lead their students toward the ultimate goal - that their students will eagerly accept the responsibility of their own education - the key to Life-Long Learning. Before you allow your students to conduct any unsupervised Internet research -- please read this article! "Caution: The Internet is not Rated G" by Julie Shepherd knapp If you or your student would like to become more efficient at Internet searching How to Search the World Wide Web is a nice online tutorial. Here is a special browser KidsCD that you can put on computers used by your children -- it is free to download and comes in three age levels Here are some articles to help parents introduce Independent Research to their students: "Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed" by Gerald Growe - discusses how to bring children thru stages of self-direction and end up with self-directed learners "Motivating Students And Teaching Them to Motivate Themselves" By Maurice Gibbons - how to motivate adolescents in a Self-Directed Learning environment - http://www.selfdirectedlearning.com/article2.html Resources: Here are some educational methods that encourage Independent Research, plus several free online resources for research projects. Also visit the "Computer-Based Learning" section for other online resources. A Thomas Jefferson Education - based on a book by Dr. Oliver Van DeMille of George Wyth College, entitled, "A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the 21st Century". This approach advocates a structured learning time that begins with math, ends with reading/discussing/journaling about classic literature, and has lots of time for "free study" in between. It is opposed to the "conveyor-belt" methodology used in public schools. The homeschool parent acts as "mentor". The approach strives to create "the leaders of tomorrow" - it is based on the education methods of George Wythe, who was teacher to 20 of the American Founding Fathers. Good for self-directed learners who can work independently. Promotes depth and breadth of learning. Purchase the book here, or from the GWC Bookstore Center for Integrated Curriculum - History-based, emphasizes journaling of thoughts/lessons, a "holistic education" which promotes "transdisciplinarity"and helps students to organize and make sense of complex reality, offers student-ready activities and course materials for adolescents (and others) designed to build cognitive skills and unique analytical tools. These skills and tools help students find the key systemic relationships that can link all knowledge TRISMS - Time-Related Integrated Studies for Mastering Skills - for middle and high school students, can be student or parent-led, does not include math, emphasizes critical thinking and analysis, provides structure but gives student choices, good for multi-level learning or teaching, no textbooks, emphasizes research skills, students create their own course book, including a time line, biography questionnaires, worksheets, quizzes and tests, quite a lot of writing, uses readily available real books (historical fiction, and biographies) and movies, science does not include Problem-Based Learning - In "PBL" complex problems rooted in real world situations are used to motivate students to conduct research and learn about various interconnected topics. The "problems" are developed by the teacher and are deliberately "ill-structured" or incomplete, to necessitate the need for student research and information gathering activities. PBL was originally designed for small groups of medical students working as teams, but the method has been used in traditional K - 12 settings, and can be modified for use by one or more homeschool students. In the process of solving the posed problem, students learn to analyze issues, identify and find needed information, pose and answer questions, share their research findings, and formulate and evaluate possible solutions. The end goal can be a formal project (a model, demonstration, report, or presentation) dictated by the teacher, or one decided upon with student input (perhaps a "multimedia scrapbook', a treasure hunt, or a collage). Actually, the end goal of PBL may not be a project at all... but simply a means to encourage self-directed research-based learning which will lead the student to further research on related topics. These websites explain PBL methodology and have sample Problems: Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy University of Delaware WebQuests - A WebQuest is an inquiry-based learning activity that leads students thru informational websites on the Internet. The WebQuest Model was developed in early 1995 at San Diego State University by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, and their philosophy is described here: "Some Thoughts About WebQuests" by Bernie Dodge A well-designed WebQuest will expose students to new information, extend their knowledge base, and, finally, allow them to analyze, transform and demonstrate that knowledge. WebQuests should be designed to use a student's time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support a student's development in the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Here are several WebQuest resources: The WebQuest Page - a website by Berie Dodge, the creator of the WebQuest WebQuest Portal by the San Diego State University - over 1500 WebQuests for K - adult, search by grade level and subject area BestWebQuests.com - the best 194 web quests gleaned from over 1500 found on the Internet TechTrekers WebQuests - K-12 - hundreds of free ideas for research-based learning using the Internet "4 2 Explore" Thematic Pathfinder - a collection of "lists of 4" websites useful for exploring over 200 topics, great for creating your own unit studies and webquests, arranged by subject area Evaluating Information on the Internet -- can you trust the information you read? This article has good tips for deciding Hoax? Scholarly Research? Personal Opinion? You Decide! - a fun 10 minute exercise in objective consideration of the validity and accuracy of Internet websites, created by the UCLA College Library A good article by with examples of how to cite Internet resources - "Citing Web Sources MLA Style" by Robert Harris, Virtual Salt, March 12, 2001 Literature-based WebQuests -- a nice listing from Eduscapes of online webquests related to specific books, K - 12 Other Resources for Independent Research: HowStuffWorks.com - explanations of how various objects, and processes,and concepts work - http://www.howstuffworks.com/ IPL The Internet Public Library -- a free collection of links in a variety of subject areas, this is a page dedicated to kids resources, they also have links arranged by subject area, and links to free online books MIT Open Courseware - free online course materials for actual MIT classes (no credit given) Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons -- free online courses in all subject areas, K - adult Mediasite.com - a search tool that helps you find free online expert presentations and lectures The Teaching Company - lecture courses available on DVD, video, and audio tape, "great courses by great professors", all subject areas, some items may be available thru your public library. Wikipedia -- explore, research and actually contribute to the largest reference website on the Internet Connexions by Rice University - contains educational materials in all subjects for all levels, from children to college students to professional. Information is organized in small modules that stand alone or can be easily connected into larger courses. Connexions is an innovative environment for collaboratively developing, freely sharing, and rapidly publishing scholarly content on the Web. All content is free. Colleges and Universities that Offer Free Courses Online (Oct 29, 2007) -- a nice compilation from Education-Portal.com Check the Homeschooling by Subject section of the Homeschool Diner for more great resources for Self-Directed Learning in each subject area |
| "Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants." --John Gardner "Education is about the only thing lying around loose in the world, and it's about the only thing a fellow can have as much of as he's willing to haul away." -- George Lorimer "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." --Howard Thurman |