COVID-19 homeschooling

The community quarantine was declared right before the summer break, leading to the cancellation of out-of-town trips and an assortment of summer activities in sports, music, the arts.

That has left many parents and adult guardians in a fix: what to do with so much time in homes.

For parents who homeschool, myself included, the lockdown hasn’t been too much of a challenge because we’re used to teaching from the home, so I thought I’d share a few experiences, and suggestions, on how to keep the kids’ minds active. That’s something we should be doing anyway, lockdown or not, during school breaks.

First and most important, homeschooling requires parents to put in time for the teaching, which is a catch-all term that covers planning what to include in your quarantine homeschool, and what learning methods to use. A regular homeschool follows subjects prescribed by the Department of Education for all of the country’s schools for each grade, but you can be more flexible with a quarantine homeschool. I will show later how you can actually use COVID-19 to teach all kinds of subjects!

Second, homeschooling requires some structure in terms of schedule, and a lesson plan that you can work out together with the kids. For older children, set aside time for independent study. The schedule can include limited “screen time” for television, tablets, cell phones.

Third, homeschools use textbooks just like other schools but you can be creative as well, especially during this lockdown. Pick and choose from the New York Times’ very useful resource guide for stuff to do during a lockdown (what to watch, to cook, to listen to, to read). Search “nytimes.com” and “coronavirus quarantine what to watch.” They will update that page from time to time, and they have a specific section on what to do with kids.

The guide is amazing: I learned you can even “take” the kids to watch opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; its website has free operas online. After this crisis is over, our museums, universities, and cultural groups should look at how we can upload more learning resources online.

Fourth, homeschooling can and should include Mapeh (music, arts, PE, and health). Exercise is especially important. Search “nytimes.com” and “6-minute workout” for exercises that adults and children can do together.

Fifth, the beauty of homeschooling is that learning and teaching moments surround us 24/7. Grab every opportunity to point out something new to learn. Instead of lecturing, ask questions: “Why do you think this is happening?” “How do you think that works?” Parents can be students, too, by asking kids to explain what they’re doing, or watching on TikTok or streaming video.

Sixth, the big question: Do you need tests in homeschooling? Yes, you do, but not necessarily as quizzes. In homeschooling, integration is more important. Ask your children to summarize what they learned, and encourage them to produce scrapbooks, PowerPoints, audiovisuals, to show what they’ve learned.

COVID-19 offers many opportunities for teaching. I’ll name some of them, but you will have to look up materials on the internet. For science and health, you can talk about viruses in general, and the prevention methods we have. Here’s an entertaining video demonstrating proper handwashing, and with painless biology and chemistry, why soap bars are so effective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIwdf3WKe3Y.

For the social sciences, you can talk about how culture affects the way disease complicates disease control (handwashing not quite a habit, spitting a widespread habit, even our love of crowds). But you can also talk about how certain values help to fight the disease by feeding in values education: why we need social solidarity, bayanihan, compassion.

For reading, whether in Filipino or English, look up materials being produced around COVID-19. Ask the kids to read and to evaluate if the health messages are clear and doable. See if they can spot fake news. Teach them fact-checking. Search the World Health Organization and myth-buster sites to get some of the misinformation that need to be corrected.

An excellent example of integrating different learning areas around COVID-19 is the story of how Hycinth Clor de Arta, a mother in Davao del Norte, brings in quarantine, social distancing, and social responsibility at home with a sari-sari store where the kids “buy” stuff with points earned through chores. Search: Rappler and “stuck at home.”

A Filipino homeschool is lively; laughter is encouraged. Look, too, at this quarantine homeschooling as an opportunity for the family to spend quality time together.

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mtan@inquirer.com.ph