XplanaZine

Obviously, this is going to be a rather controversial topic. Some would argue that no single ordinary mortal is really equipped to guide a student from kindergarten to 12th grade.Others would say that what matters is the parent’s ability to motivate the child, and to structure his or her environment. After all, the education comes prepackaged - either in books, CDs, or over the internet in carefully prepared courses and curriculum.

In other cases, though, the parent dispenses altogether with time management and pushes for creative exploration. The child engages in play and active self-guided exploration in whatever stimulates and/or piques his or her interest. This falls into the realm of “unschooling” and and “unlearning.” This is an idealistic approach and it seems to work for some. For others, it’s a disaster. The kids down the street from me are homeschooled. I never see them inside, but I have seen them playing on the roof of the house and prowling about on private property. I suspect it’s “unschooling,” and it is the sort of high-profile activity that makes proponents and detractors alike very nervous.

I have my own prejudices about homeschooling. I have seen it work really well, with extremely positive results.

That said, it has been my experience that the best students come from environments where the homeschool teacher (or better said, facilitator) has a broad background. This is most often an interdisciplinary degree, and has included study in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

I don’t want to imply that the topics and concerns of traditional education degrees are irrelevant. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. I believe that including courses in motivation, curriculum development, assessment, and cognitive psychology allows the facilitator to bring all the courses together and to create the environment that fosters deeper learning.

Here is a list of course areas I believe to be vital for an the interdisciplinary master’s degree for the homeschool parent or facilitator:

Master of Arts Degree - General Course Categories / Themes

Foundations of and Topics in Humanities (3 hrs)

Foundations of and Topics in Social Sciences (3 hrs)

Foundations of and Topics in Natural Sciences (3 hrs)

Motivation and Goal-Setting (3 hrs)

Technologies of Creative Learning (3 hrs)

Writing and Research Methods - (3 hrs) - (how to use databases, online libraries; how to evaluate one’s sources and information from the Internet; how to write term papers and cite sources correctly)

Philosophy of Curriculum Design (3 hrs): structured courses vs. “unlearning” or “unschooling” (here is an article on unschooling herehttp://elearnqueen.blogspot.com/2006/03/e-learning-in-2016-unschooling.html )

History and Philosophy of Education in the U.S. (3 hrs)

Basic Psychometrics (3 hrs): Structure, Design, and Function of Tests and Assessments

Current Social Problems and Issues (3 hrs)

History of Values: Philosophy, Ethics, or Religious Thought (3 hrs)

Total hours: 33 hours

I would not advocate including a thesis. In this case, I believe that it is better to have the student pursue more electives which align with his or her needs. A thesis can be construed as needless torture for both student and mentor(s).

I’m not aware of any schools that offer a program shaped in this way. In a way, perhaps this represents “unschooling” on the master’s level.