When it comes to remote education, parents, children, and even teenagers may debate about distance learning vs homeschooling and which of the two arrangements work best. At first, these two may seem similar — instead of the usual classroom setup, learning and education are done at home. However, there are some major differences, especially with the way classes are conducted, how education is delivered, and who manages the learning outcomes.
What Is Homeschooling?
In homeschooling, the lessons and activities are taught and supervised by the child’s parents. Parents may make use of pre-packaged curriculums provided by their local homeschool providers, or they may create one that’s specifically tailored to their child’s learning needs. Homeschooled children will usually devote a set amount of time during the day for their lessons, and may take standardized tests for assessment.
What Is Distance Learning?
On the other hand, distance learning is taught by a licensed instructor or educator in the comfort of their own homes. Students may be provided with an online platform where they take quizzes, submit exams, and write papers. For this type of learning, the interaction between student and teacher is always assisted by different forms of technology, such as a video communication platform or a mobile learning app.
Still on the fence about which of these two kinds of schooling can benefit your child’s educational development? It’s important to understand the differences between each. Read on to learn more.
Workload
When it comes to the workload, here you will find that distance learning has the slight advantage. When your child is enrolled in a school that provides distance learning, you can trust that their respective teachers will be responsible for creating curriculums, forming lesson plans, and coming up with engaging activities for the students.
In homeschooling, parents do have to prepare for the lessons themselves, but the goal is always to empower the students to become independent and lifelong learners. In fact, there are several education methods where parents just serve as a guide, and present books, ideas, and material to their children, while the children are the ones who do most of the learning and the work for their education.
Personalized Education
Students who may have struggled to learn in the typical classroom arrangement may find that homeschooling offers a breath of fresh air. This is because parents who homeschool their children have the time and effort to tailor fit the lesson plans and goals to their children’s individual needs. Homeschooled children may also feel less pressure when expressing their opinions because they don’t have to face potential criticism from their peers.
Although in distance learning, educators will teach entire class sizes through a computer screen, this doesn’t mean that the curriculum can’t be personalized. There are some school institutions, for example, that offer distance learning for small class sizes with an acceptable student-teacher ratio. This enables teachers to attend to the needs of each student, even remotely.
While one-on-one teaching may not always be present in distance learning, it’s still more than capable of allowing different students to learn at their own pace with the help of specialized programs.
Structure
Parents who homeschool their children can benefit from pre-made curriculums that they will simply follow and teach their children. These same parents have to ultimately see to it that the home environment is conducive to their learning. Teaching concepts, both simple and complex, will be of little difficulty in any organized homeschool setup.
In much the same way, distance learning also offers organization in that students benefit from following a set structure. Schools that are accredited to carry out distance learning can provide students with proper materials, such as requirements, exams, homework, and the like — all for the benefit of the children’s education.
Since distance learning instructors are also licensed and accredited, the students will also take advantage of organized learning goals that gauge whether or not they’re prepared to advance to the next grade level.
Key Takeaway
In the short guide above, you’ve been introduced to just some of the key features that differ between distance learning vs homeschooling. Both forms of education are legitimate and have proven to be effective alternatives to the traditional classroom.
With this in mind, you have the responsibility as a parent to choose the better option for your child. It’s crucial that you assess their needs and the practicality of the situation. Weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of each educational style and determine which might be better for your child’s academic performance and development in the long run.
