Is there a difference between homeschooling and online schooling?
Education is such a crucial aspect of child development, and a traditional approach to school choice has long been the norm. Lately, we are seeing rapid changes in the educational landscape with far more choices becoming available to parents. The challenge is making sense of the options! Once ‘niche’ options, both homeschooling and online schooling have emerged as popular alternatives to traditional physical schools. While there is some overlap between homeschooling and online schooling, there are also particular distinctions which are helpful for parents to understand in the interests of making the optimal choices for their child’s education.
Homeschooling and Online Schooling offer distinct learning environments
Homeschooling: In South Africa, the Department of Education (DBE) uses the term Home Education and defines it on their website as when “a parent of a learner of compulsory school going age provides education for his/her own child at home”. While the DBE does allow for a parent to make use of a service provider or tutor to deliver the academic programme, traditional homeschooling has typically seen the parent operating in a very hands-on role as their child’s primary educator. They are responsible for the curriculum, selecting the educational materials and often delivering the lessons at home. Homeschooling parents are also accountable for running assessments and reporting on academic progress in order to meet government standards. A traditional approach to homeschooling is well-suited for households where one parent has the desire and has the capacity to take on this comprehensive role. Parents who provide homeschooling tend to highly value being able to adapt to their particular family’s needs and preferences.
Online schooling: In South Africa, online schools fall under the broader umbrella and legislation of Home Education, as the child is learning from their own physical home. In this sense, online schooling can be seen as a subset of Home Education. However, there are some key distinctions to make when a homeschooling family is registered with an online school. A good online school provides a structured but flexible virtual learning programme facilitated by professional educators. Through online schooling, learners can be provided with access to a greater variety of digital learning platforms and resources. Teaching and learning are in accordance with a particular curriculum and online schools should implement an assessment process that is recognised by the Department of Education. The optimum online school environment enables independent, mastery-based learning and facilitates digital literacy skills to prepare students for the real world. Like homeschooling, online schools have the capacity to provide individualised learning pathways and a high degree of flexibility, without the parents necessarily needing to take on the role of academic expert.
Transitioning to Online Schooling
At Koa Academy, 15% of our current learner cohort is made up of children who have transitioned from traditional homeschooling to online schooling. There is also a large cohort of families at Koa Academy who have come from a traditional physical schooling background. Some of the reasons why parents from diverse backgrounds have made this choice, seeing online schooling as not just a viable option, but the first choice for their families includes:
A higher quality of online education is now available – over the past years, online schools have evolved. While there may still be some that simply dump a curriculum online, or replicate physical schooling models on a screen, the standards and expectations of online schooling have improved significantly. To stand out, online schools must be adept at engaging learners, charting individualised learning pathways, tracking progress and proactively providing academic support when needed.
Flexible but focused structure for kids learning at home – target-setting and timelines provide daily structure, while still affording a healthy amount of flexibility for each individual. Koa provides a Dashboard for each learner where they, their Pod Teacher and their parents can monitor daily progress. This helps to quickly identify learning roadblocks and provide individualised attention and support. It also enables learners to proceed at their own pace. Koa families also enjoy a high degree of flexibility in terms of timetables, extra-curricular activities, travel and scheduling holidays.
Access to professional teacher support – online school is a good option for homeschooling families who have become aware that their child needs more academic support. Koa provides small-group access to Pod Teachers as well as Subject Specialists trained in online pedagogy. Through Pod Connect and Check-in sessions as well as content Masterclasses and one-on-one support during Teacher Time, learners can engage with a variety of professional teachers.
Access to best-in-class education platforms – good online schools curate and offer a selection of the top digital schooling platforms in the world. Homeschooling parents are freed from the work of having to constantly source educational materials, and from the uncertainties that what they can find is adequate for their child’s education.
Meeting assessment requirements – one of the ongoing challenges for homeschooling parents is fulfilling the education authorities’ assessment requirements and continually providing proof of educational outcomes. At Koa, we take on this role and ensure that learners rightfully progress through the schooling grades through an advanced and meaningful assessment process which is not reliant on constant, stressful testing. Koa Academy is registered with the Independent Board of Examinations (IEB), and we uphold the standpoint that assessment should be embedded in the learning process. Ongoing feedback empowers our learners to learn from ‘mistakes’ and a mastery-based approach ensures that no child is left behind.
· Improved level of engagement – high engagement online schools such as Koa Academy offer a more interactive learning environment. Our learners engage daily in small 8-person Pods with their Pod teacher and peers. Koa brings the school community together through virtual assemblies, presentations and educational expos. Regular in-person events such as Educational Outings and family-centred Socials enable parents to meet other like-minded families and form meaningful relationships.
Is online schooling a viable solution for your family?
Parents know their children best and are in pole position to answer this question. It’s important to make school choices based on your family’s values and needs. Transitioning from a physical school or homeschool to an online school will require some adaptations. Be clear about your reasons for making a change, and make sure that the online school offers you the benefits that you want to see from your child’s education. Always check that an online school is registered with a recognised assessment body. Reach out to us if you would like a helpful list of top questions to ask any online school that you are interested in.
Online schooling works well for families who want the combination of a flexible but structured learning environment, leveraging the benefits of learning from your own home, while still accessing the support of a community of educational professionals. It suits learners who can show age-appropriate self-direction and self-mastery capabilities. It will inevitably open up new and different learning opportunities through engagement with peers and professional educators, and new access to digital learning platforms. What is important is for parents is to thoroughly vet the online schools they are considering.
