Here are some resources for homeschooling your child:
The extraordinary situation we currently find ourselves in has affected all our lives, particularly young people, the vast majority of whom now find themselves being home schooled.
In order to assist home educators, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has made its extensive range of exciting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) activities and resources available, free to all children and parents.
Their resources provide home-learning teaching resources and activities for primary and secondary schoolchildren, including lesson plans, handouts and videos. They aim to ensure children can continue to be engaged and kept busy learning while their school is closed.
The IET is a registered charity and one of the world’s leading professional societies for the engineering and technology community with over 169,000 members worldwide in 150 countries. As part of our charitable mission, we offer a wide range of STEM teaching resources and activities for those teaching STEM subjects to young people aged 4-19 years.
The education materials can be accessed at:
- Primary: education.theiet.org/home-learning-resources-key-stage-1-and-2/
- Secondary: education.theiet.org/home-learning-resources-key-stage-3-and-4/
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1. Plan and prioritise: The core subjects
If you're not a teacher by trade, give yourself some realistic goals - trying to conquer the whole curriculum is probably going to make you and your child anxious (especially if you're juggling your work and this new teaching role). Prioritise the core curriculum - Maths and English.
There are lots of ways to cover the rest of the curriculum and you can get creative with these, for example, watching Horrible Histories or Blue Planet is a great way to cover some of the humanities.
You don't need to reinvent the wheel. There is an abundance of free online resources, as well as those that your child's school will probably send you. Instead, prioritise and plan what you're going to cover, and do your best to execute your plan. Like any new job, the first few days will be about finding your feet.
2. Beginning to Home School
We find that with the children we work with, starting with 'why' is key. It helps the children understand the purpose of the task and enables them to understand why they're being asked to do it. Each household's 'why' will be different: it could be "because when we go back to school, we need to be up to date with the learning," but just make sure you don't use "because I said so, or you're grounded".
After starting with 'why' we give the children an element of choice: we've found this to be a brilliant motivator. An immediate decision they could make is to give their new school a name and design its badge. Then, once they've done this, you can begin to have a discussion with them about what's going to be included in the curriculum. Spoiler alert: it's primarily Maths and English. Include your children in the discussion around the different topics you cover and when you're going to do so.
3. Setting routines
Children and adults react well to structure, especially a morning routine. Try to design the learning schedule together and if possible, allocate a specific work space for your new class - their new classroom. This way they can primarily associate this space with their learning, and will find it easier to switch off when in other areas of the house.
To try and maintain some links to their usual school experience, consider setting break and lunch times. Make sure you take into consideration any of your work commitments that may affect this if you aim to align your work with their learning time. If you can co-ordinate this time with other 'schools' (families), the children could regain some of the social elements by communicating with others and having some virtual playtime.
4. Tips on teaching core subjects
Champion progress. Fortunately, your class is small. This is a great opportunity for your children to not have to compare themselves with their peers. Instead, they can focus on doing their best and beating their own scores.
A great way to monitor progress and understanding is by flipping the classroom dynamic. After you've covered a topic, swap over the pupil/teacher roles and get the children to teach you what they've learned. This is another opportunity to give them choice: they can plan their lesson and teach it however they want. Additionally, if they use a computer to plan their lesson, without knowing it you're forging cross-curricular links.
A good teacher is reflective. Stubbornness is different to being firm. If things aren't working out, don't be harsh on yourself or your class. Try it and then feel free to tweak down the line if need be. Remember: there are no exams this year, so there's no need to 'teach for the test'. This is your opportunity to inspire your children and foster a love of learning.
5. Exercise and healthy eating
The school canteen needs to have brain healthy foods where possible, such as fruit and veg, lots of water and avoid sugar. Exercise is something we'd advise should place early in the school day to get your class energised, but not fatigued.
A good teacher also leads by example, so remember to put plans in place to take care of your staff too. Take time to relax, have a varied and balanced diet and partake in physical exercise.
In the past, we have found journalling, meditation and breathing exercises all to be very useful for reducing stress. These steps have really helped us to maximise our teaching ability and stay positive when times are tough. Remember: you can't pour from an empty cup.
It's the dream job you never expected. Stay positive, don't be too harsh on yourself or your class, and remember... your best will be enough.
Other resources
Click the links below to access a range of free content
TED-Ed - Lessons on almost any subject for any age group
Khan Academy - A non-profit organisation with remote learning resources for any student
Joe Wicks - The Body Coach TV - PE sessions
Duolingo - Learn another language
Art for Kids Hub - Many of the lessons are suitable for any age
KidzType - Games designed to help teach your children to touch type
BBC Bitesize - Study support resource designed to help with learning, revision and homework
Exploratorium - Museum and lessons exploring science, art, and human perception
XtraMath - Non-profit organisation offering short interactive math lessons
