Throughout my twelve years of being homeschooled I have experienced traditional homeschool, local co-ops, live online classes, and asynchronous online courses. My favorite by far has been live online classes, as they provide benefits that none of the other options have been able to match.
Traditional homeschool methods are great, but there comes a point when parents may not be able to teach students all that they need to know. For me it was when I needed to start taking classes like foreign language, and when I needed a more neutral party to grade my writing. Live online classes were the solution to both of those problems, as I was able to take three years of French classes and am still taking English courses online.
Making Connections
I have made several friends through live online classes because of how personal they can be. Through group projects, live breakout rooms, and class discussions, I have gotten to know a lot of other homeschoolers from all over the world, whereas in a co-op or local in-person class, I would be limited to only getting to know other homeschoolers in my area.
A qualitative case study published by the University of Phoenix found that amplified internet usage and the integration of online education providers have furthered students’ individualization and their connections to classmates similar in age. This has definitely been true in my experience, as online courses have helped me figure out things that I like or dislike, and I have made a lot of friends throughout the years I have been doing live online classes.
Dual Enrollment Options
Something new that I started last year was dual enrollment courses. Dual enrollment courses are classes that count towards both high school and college, and they are offered by several different online education providers. However, taking them through live online classes is far better than taking them through asynchronous online classes.
In asynchronous online classes, there is no scheduled class time, the teachers give out homework that students have a week to complete and then it starts over the next week. I have found that these teachers are much harder to reach by email or phone when I have questions about an assignment in comparison to live online teachers.
According to a scholarly paper presented to the U. S. Department of Education on the topic of dual enrollment courses, ”These programs can provide students with more advanced, rigorous coursework in order to improve high school education and prepare students for the academic and behavioral expectations of college. Also, the programs can promote high school student motivation and engagement in their learning through more interesting classes.” This has held true in my experience, as the dual enrollment courses I have taken have been more rigorous than usual high school classes.
Building Community
Through live online classes, I have been able to participate in a lot of online community events.
While some may think that communities need to be built in person, I have found that online education providers have been able to construct communities and give students opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities.
One example of such extracurricular opportunities is student newspapers. By working on the staff of a student-run newspaper like The Beacon, students are able to improve and practice skills such as writing, editing, and interviewing while strengthening their bond with their classmates. Attending community events like online hangout rooms, game nights, and even twenty-four-hour-long Zoom meetings are just some of the ways I found community through live online classes.
Facing Challenges
As students get further in their educational journey, they need to be able to face different challenges. The closer I get to graduation, the more complicated things seem to get. However, live online classes have prepared me for many of the challenges I have faced so far. For example, sending emails to my teachers when I had questions has prepared me for emailing my professors in community college.
I have also been able to face the constant challenge of improving my writing. Writing is one of those things that can never be perfect, which means that consistently applying good feedback is the only way to continue improving. As stated in an article published by Taylor & Francis, “Feedback is effective if students act on it to improve their future work and learning”. In an online class environment, students write several different essays throughout the school year.
Therefore, by applying the feedback they receive after each essay, their writing will continue to improve. My siblings and I have all taken English and writing classes in the live and online format, and I can safely say that we are all better writers because of it.
Deeper Understanding
Live online classes also led me to gain a deeper understanding of the material I am learning. Unlike online classes that do not have a live class, live online classes give students the opportunity to ask questions and participate in discussions with their classmates. I have found that these components of live online classes are what have helped me the most with retaining the information learned in class.
As found in a paper published by the University of Sydney, “Learning through discussions or conversations is a fundamental part of teaching and learning”. By utilizing methods such as discussion forums, in-class discussions, and my personal favorite, YellowDig, live online courses provide multiple ways for students to gain a better understanding of the subject material that don’t even feel like homework.
Summary
Live online classes are a great option for students who want to further their education from home, as the benefits they provide are unmatched by in-person co-ops or asynchronous online classes. From earning college credits and gaining a deeper understanding of the material to making connections with other students and being part of a supportive community, live online classes have been an excellent addition to the traditional homeschool curriculum I was exclusively doing before.
