One of the most difficult parenting decisions involves choosing which school your child will attend. For centuries schooling has typically taken place in a brick-and-mortar classroom. The decision on where and how to school a child was typically not based on whether a school offered a Cambridge, British or CAPS curriculum or on the child’s preferred learning style but rather on the child’s geographical location, family traditions and affordability.
As society and education advance, parents are now presented with a variety of options to consider when choosing an education pathway for their child. In this article, we will look at some of the benefits of choosing an alternative education and how you can personalise your child’s education through homeschooling or online schooling.
The benefits of online schooling
The average South African class size is roughly 30 learners for every teacher. In order to accommodate all children in an average classroom, educators pitch the content to the ‘average’ student. This approach can leave many students behind as they struggle to comprehend the coursework, and it can leave many students bored as they grasp the concepts quicker than the average.
Some children may be gifted in academics whilst others might be musically talented or show outstanding abilities on the sports field. A huge benefit to online schooling or homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility that it brings, enabling parents to harness their child’s unique talents and abilities.
This is the reason why many top child athletes or performers choose homeschooling over a traditional schooling environment. To professionally compete or to excel in academics, learners need the flexibility to adapt their education to their unique schedules, circumstances and abilities.
Academically strong children
An academically gifted child will grasp concepts faster than the average student. A child who is bored in their learning will often lose focus and become a distraction in a typical classroom environment. The benefit of choosing an online schooling curriculum, like the Cambridge or International British curriculum offered by CambriLearn, is the freedom and flexibility to study at your own pace. Students can set the tempo of their learning, meaning they can speed up or slow down depending on what they can manage at the time.
When enrolling in a self-paced online curriculum, you don’t have to run according to a traditional school year with fixed terms, scheduling, lesson time or exam dates. Instead, the student’s school year starts on the day they enrol and will run for 12 months from that point. The syllabus is between 30 and 34 weeks long and allows students to complete the level before the 12 months are up.
Children with special learning needs
In the same way that a personalised education approach can be better suited to academically gifted children, the same can be said for children with special learning needs.
A child with attentional issues presents with a different profile of strengths and weaknesses, interests, and dislikes. With an online school, like CambriLearn, you can prune your curriculum choice of subjects to allow for the consolidation of core skills. This means you can take on fewer subjects to ease the cognitive load in terms of organisational and time-management skills, in which kids with ADHD/ADD may have deficits.
With online schooling, students can also enjoy continuous formative and summative assessments that are self-timed with no fixed deadlines, as well as apply for learning provisions and exam accommodations (scribe, reader, additional time etc.).
This method of schooling is a great alternative to a traditional schooling model as it assists learners with special learning needs, such as ADHD, in ensuring that they receive an internationally accredited education and helps instil a love for learning – throughout their schooling career.
Sporty or culturally gifted children
A huge benefit to online homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility that it brings. This is why many top child athletes or performers choose to homeschool over traditional schooling. To professionally compete, learners need the flexibility to train, travel and study. Online homeschooling offers exactly that, enabling parents to focus on their child’s talents, to help them achieve their goals and a professional career.
For instance, a child who is musically oriented can be given music classes through online homeschooling alongside their academic lessons, and at an hour convenient to them. This will widen the child’s education and make it a more progressive experience. Whereas a child who excels in swimming can personalise their academic schedule to accommodate their training and competition calendar. This avoids putting unnecessary pressure on the child (and parents).
Travelling families or expats
The self-paced learning style and flexibility of online schooling means students can move countries during a school year. With many families looking to explore international learning and travel opportunities, the CambriLearn British Curriculum offers an education solution that promotes freedom and flexibility whilst maintaining a syllabus and assessment objectives that are standardised worldwide.
There are many benefits to choosing an online schooling solution for your child’s education. By using online learning platforms like CambriLearn, either as enrichment for students attending traditional schools or as a permanent, full-time means of education, your child can enjoy a personalised education tailored to their unique learning needs.
If you would like to find out more about how you can personalise your child’s education through online schooling, then download this free Future-Ready Education e-book.
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