A Glossary of School Terms for Homeschoolers5 min read
A glossary is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. So, when a student is studying a discipline or a particular subject, they can find the glossary of the same at the back of their books. These glossaries help the students understand and know the vocabulary of a subject better. Be it, someone who is studying in a regular school or someone who is being homeschooled, both require glossaries. So, if you are a parent who is homeschooling his/her child or a teacher who wants to keep his/her student equipped, then here is a list of words that would surely come in handy.
Contents
A
Absence Reporting: Just as in a regular school, many homeschooling institutions require the children to maintain a strict attendance routine. This happens when the educational system demands a compulsory attendance requirement which is a rule in many states. In such a case the parents or the teachers have to track the days on which the student has actively taken the classes and the days on which the student was unavailable. This process is known as absence reporting.
Academic Hours: This involves recording the number of hours which the students have in a day, week, month and year respectively.
Accidental homeschooler: An accidental homeschooler is someone who did not plan on homeschooling initially but ended up being homeschooled due to several reasons like bullying, emotional and physical challenges faced by the child, issues related to the security of the child and so on.
B
Boxed Curriculum: A boxed curriculum refers to a curriculum that covers everything that a student needs to be taught during a year. It can include various study materials like audio, instructional materials, books and so on.
C
Cooperative: Also known as co-ops are support groups made for homeschoolers and the students. These support groups hold up various activities for the homeschoolers, provide them with the books and study materials, help to arrange funds for all the study requirements of the students, they also arrange the teachers for proper homeschooling of the children and so on.
Correspondence School: Correspondence school is a form of distance learning in which the students can receive and send the study material and assignments through email instead of visiting the institution. The assignments are marked and sent back via email as well. Correspondence learning is one of the most flexible ways of learning as it allows the student to study from wherever they want and at a pace that comforts them.
D
Deschooling: Deschooling is the time given to the child to forget the negative impacts of regular schooling and adapt to his/her new environment. The time of deschooling would depend on the child’s adaptability and can vary from a few weeks to months.
E
Eclectic Homeschooling: When parents select the ways, types and methods of homeschooling for their children and combine a variety of homeschooling options then it is known as Eclectic Homeschooling.
G
Great Homeschooling Conventions: Great Homeschooling Convention is like a fest for homeschoolers. Both parents and students can gather together and listen to seminars, watch exhibitions, bond with each other and form a network. It is a way to give homeschoolers the exposure that they desire.
H
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA): To facilitate low cost legal defense for families who are homeschooling their students an association is formed. This association ensures that homeschoolers can benefit from the law with the least amount of funds being used.
L
Lapbook: Lapbook or mini office is like a study chart of a specific subject that includes the study resources, maps, pictures, formulas, definitions and so on. A lap book can be a great source of study for the students.
Letter of Intent: The letter of intent or (LOI) is a legal document that is sent to the authority of your district or city informing them when you plan to homeschool your child. This document must be submitted to the authority before the instruction of the student begins.
M
Montessori Homeschooling: Named after Maria Montessori, the person who developed this method of homeschooling; it is a child centered method of homeschooling that aims at using a child’s curiosity as the main way to teach them new subjects and topics. This method is based on exploration and aims to improve the creativity of the child.
N
Natural Learning: This form of learning aims at observing how children can learn naturally. In this type of learning students are taught subjects that are connected to each other. This way the students can relate to two topics and understand the concepts better. For example, Maths and science are together as they connect well.
O
Outsourcing: At times the parents cannot provide all the education that their child requires while being homeschooled. These are the times when a tutor must be outsourced. The parents can also outsource study materials or the information that the child requires. However, outsourcing any kind of teaching resource comes with a price for sure.
P
Pods: Pods are a group of younger kids usually between ages 3-10 who come together to receive education from a guardian or a teacher.
S
Sequential Learning: Sequential learning as the name suggests promotes learning the topics in a sequence. First, the child is made to learn the very basics of a subject and later on the teacher spirals back to the basics and teaches the subject in more depth.
V
Valedictorian: A student who graduates from the college with the highest marks and ranking is known as the valedictorian.
Conclusion
It is important for every child who is being homeschooled to know the vocabulary of homeschooling. Here are a few of the most essential words to be known by the ones being homeschooled and the ones who are homeschooling.
