One academic challenge when home schooling is the limited pool of "peers", especially when it comes to peer feedback during formative assessment. I've been trying to implement high yield strategies like co-constructing criteria and offering descriptive feedback; we recently completed a longer piece of recount writing (read Alex's here, or Simon's here), and the boys each emailed their respective pieces to someone for online feedback before revising, editing and publishing them.
Now we are working on a new text form: The boys will prepare their first proper report of the year, in a poster format. This time, they'll each present their report to someone back home via Skype to get some feeback, again based on criteria we co-construct, then revise their report for a second audience. Whereas in a regular classroom, I would rely on the people already there in person (other students in the class or students from other classes, student teachers or support staff in the room, or other adults in the building), the people I recruit while away to collaborate via Skype could include friends from school at home in Canada, family friends or the boys' dad and/or grandparents.
By enlisting the help of people outside our little group here in the apartment to provide the boys with input and feedback, I endeavor to keep our home schooling circle from becoming too incestuous. Evidence that this is working is found in the quality and quantity of Simon and Alex's writing now compared to September.
Now we are working on a new text form: The boys will prepare their first proper report of the year, in a poster format. This time, they'll each present their report to someone back home via Skype to get some feeback, again based on criteria we co-construct, then revise their report for a second audience. Whereas in a regular classroom, I would rely on the people already there in person (other students in the class or students from other classes, student teachers or support staff in the room, or other adults in the building), the people I recruit while away to collaborate via Skype could include friends from school at home in Canada, family friends or the boys' dad and/or grandparents.
By enlisting the help of people outside our little group here in the apartment to provide the boys with input and feedback, I endeavor to keep our home schooling circle from becoming too incestuous. Evidence that this is working is found in the quality and quantity of Simon and Alex's writing now compared to September.