BJU Press Blog

independent learning

What’s New in Distance Learning Online?

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New options in Distance Learning Online
I cannot begin to describe the blessing that BJU Press Distance Learning has been to my homeschool. It gives me the flexibility I need to keep up with the constant needs of my household. It gives me time to nurture my little ones. But best of all, it gives me the assurance that my daughters are getting a top-quality education with a biblical worldview. This year, we’re going to be using Distance Learning Online.

In the past, we’ve used the DVD program—and loved it! But the online program offers some benefits (and time savers) that the DVD program doesn’t, specifically in the areas of record keeping and lesson planning. And there are some new features this year that will give my children greater ability to manage their own learning and that will give me, as a homeschool mom, more control over their grades.

Encouraging Independent Learning

Most homeschool moms (including me) want their children to become independent learners. They want their children to be the kind of learners that can set goals, manage schedules, and meet expectations with little assistance.

Distance Learning Online encourages that kind of learning. In July, the online platform will unveil a new design that will help students manage their daily schedules. The new, simplified design will help students be able to easily pick up where they left off and will make it easier for them to move from one task to the next.

Another new feature will allow students to have more control over the speed of the video lessons. They can speed the video up or slow it down, depending on the amount of time they need with a concept or a task.

Giving Me Ultimate Control over My Homeschool

Part of the beauty of homeschooling is the ability to tailor the learning experience to each of my child’s individual needs. So, at the end of the day, I want to be in control of my child’s education. Distance Learning Online gives me that control. For example, the new design will even let me add items to the online gradebook. So if I want to add an extra project, I have the option of doing that.

I’m really excited about using Distance Learning Online this year. If you’ve used it before, what’s your favorite feature? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Helping Children Reach Independence Through Routine

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Fuller family photo

How do I teach my children to be independent learners? How do I handle the rigors of a homeschooling schedule? Where do I start? These are some of the questions Dynel Fuller, homeschool mother of ten, had to face before she could dive into homeschooling her first child. She soon found that the key to her homeschooling success would be creating a routine that fostered her children’s independence.

Where did she begin?

She started her first child (now a college graduate) on BJU Press Distance Learning. The Fullers wanted to give their children a quality education that would complement their unique skills and abilities. The clear structure of BJU Press curriculum was a perfect fit. As she began homeschooling more of her children, Dynel found that the structure allowed her to balance multiple schedules with ease. She could even incorporate music lessons and extra activities.

Where has her journey taken her?

Today, three of the ten have graduated and moved on, but Dynel still homeschools six children. Each child has an hour of practice time on the piano and an hour of another instrument in addition to regular studies. She even has a special time when all of the children still at home gather for Reading Corner, when mom reads aloud for about an hour.

A day in the Fuller household would never pass smoothly if all of her children didn’t always know what to do, where to go, and when. Their routine has fostered her children’s independence, so much so that Dynel has confidence that she can go about her errands and not worry about disrupting their education. Her children know how to complete their lessons on their own, and if they need extra help, they also know to move on to a different subject until mom is free.

What bumps in the road has she faced?

No routine can be expected to work perfectly from elementary through high school. A big challenge she has had to overcome is the transition from middle school to high school. During their elementary grades, her kids found it easy to complete all the lessons in the textbooks. In high school, they struggled to finish everything in the normal amount of school time. Her goal of having them complete every lesson was throwing off her routine—until she learned that most high school classes don’t finish the entire textbook. Instead of working to finish every lesson in the high school textbooks, she focuses on lessons that will be valuable for each child’s unique learning goals. Her adjustments have further fostered her children’s independence because their learning goals center on their particular talents and interests. Their routine encourages them to pursue subjects that they have an interest in.

Every homeschool mom has valuable lessons to share, and Dynel’s story is full of inspiring lessons. Look for more about Dynel and her homeschooling journey in future posts!

How to Encourage Self-Motivated Learning

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When I was growing up, I did my schoolwork in my parents’ bedroom, sitting at a cheap desk whose fake wood-grain pattern I can still remember today. Once I was past the early grades, I watched my video classes, did the reading, and completed assignments mostly on my own with some help from my mom if I needed it. When I reached college, it wasn’t a problem for me to prioritize time to read, study, and complete papers because I had already mastered the art of self-motivated learning. My mother inspired my siblings and me to enjoy learning on our own, and that eagerness for education has stayed with all of us to this day.

Natural Motivation

When kids are little, they are naturally eager to learn. Every part of their being is learning, whether they’re playing, running, jumping, reading, or helping around the house. As children get older, other things begin to compete for their attention. How can a parent keep this early motivation from slipping away? And once your child has lost that motivation for learning, is there a way to bring it back?

Whole-Family Activities

One way to develop motivated children is to present lots of opportunities for learning in various settings. I’m not talking about Mom serving as the chauffeur, dropping everyone off at different places for different pursuits, but about the kind of activity that involves the whole family, with everyone participating together at church, serving in the community, or just having fun.

A Listening Lifestyle

Motivation thrives in a home where the parents listen attentively to their children. Having regular family gatherings gives everyone time to present feelings or problems and share possible solutions. Talking together frequently as a family generates an atmosphere of trust and openness that gives kids the confidence they need for self-motivated learning.

Reasonable Expectations

Every parent wants his or her child to excel, but if a parent sets the expectations too high, the child may become discouraged and give up altogether. High expectations are good, but unattainable expectations are more harmful than helpful. When you let your children know that you believe in them and love them unconditionally, you may find that they’re more likely to take risks and push themselves harder to achieve their goals.

Work as Fun

Do you enjoy work? Maybe not, but there are ways that you can add in the fun factor, especially when you’re doing work with your kids. By your example, they will learn that work is essential but that it can also be exciting and rewarding. You want them to know the joy of completing a hard task because that sense of accomplishment is a key ingredient for future motivation.

Skillful Management

Time management and organizational skills are vital tools for motivating your children. You’re helping them succeed by setting expectations, creating deadlines and schedules, providing organized materials, and supplying opportunities for interactive learning. Learning can happen anywhere, but in the homeschool setting it should be well planned and enjoyable rather than chaotic and frustrating. Especially during the early years, kids need structure and direction to give them a foundation for self-control and independence later on.

How do you know that your children are motivated learners? When they ask you thoughtful questions, when they seek out answers on their own, or when they come to you with beaming faces to show off a completed project, you’ll know that the love of learning has taken root.

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

How to Build a Foundation for Independent Learning

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As much as you may love being a part of your child’s daily walk with God and carefully teaching him to seek God, it has always been your goal as a parent to carefully guide him to a place where he will be able to seek God on his own. You won’t always be standing over his shoulder and telling him what decisions he needs to make—as much as you might want to.

One day, your child’s relationship with the Lord will be his own responsibility. Education is no different. Just as you want your children to be capable of making right choices on their own, you want them to be able to learn on their own.

The process of developing a child into an independent learner  is sometimes called “scaffolding.” Often when you see a building under construction, you also see scaffolding around it. The wooden or metal framework supports the workers as they build the structure itself. For example, a bricklayer stands on a scaffold as he works on the exterior walls of a building. Though essential to the construction process, the scaffolding is only temporary.

Scaffolding in education works the same way. The teacher or parent provides support and makes connections to help learners continue making progress independently. Here are a couple of ways you can help your children become independent learners.

scaffolding

Help them make connections between old and new information

Have you ever told a funny story only to get to the end and realize that no one’s laughing? And then you remembered one small but crucial detail that changed everything about the story and made it funny?

One of the most important elements for any lesson is appropriate background information—which can sometimes be that small but crucial missing detail that keeps your children from understanding a new concept—like knowing a particular word’s definition before you can understand a scientific law. If they have all the information but still don’t understand, help them make the connection between what they already know and what they need to learn.

Sometimes, this part of scaffolding is as simple as reminding your children of the necessary information. Other times, it might mean referring back to previous discussions or asking a specific question about the missing information. You could also use graphic organizers, word webs, vocabulary lists, or even a metaphor to help make connections to ideas your children already understand, such as the comparison between your child’s growing faith and his education, or the funny story with the missing detail.

Help them discern how they learn best

Once your children have made the connection they were missing before, look back and see what methods helped them find it. Did a graphic organizer help them understand what a verb does? Or did using a word web help them brainstorm for a writing project? Teach them to look for those methods and apply them the next time they don’t understand a new concept.

Scaffolding isn’t a list of tools to use all the time. It’s a process for reaching the specific goal of making sure your children can learn independently. BJU Press Teacher’s Editions are full of resources that can help you scaffold your children’s learning.

Check out our TEs for science or English for some extra resources that will help your children become independent learners!