Homeschooling is an incredible method of delivering quality education. There are very few educational methods that allow for the same degree of one-one-one, individualized attention to a student’s learning. As many a homeschooling family will tell you, there are an abundance of rewards that come from shaping and forming their children – both academically and personally – through homeschooling. However, it is not without its challenges and should therefore, never be entered into rashly. Looking at the “why” or “why not” issue of homeschooling, there are several things that you will want to have in your personal skill set in order to begin homeschooling. Six, in fact. If you spend time to build a solid foundation with these six “C’s,” your homeschool program will be off to the right start and everyone in your home will be better off because of them.

The first thing that you will need is to have identifiable core values for your home and homeschool. Some things will be foundational to your needs and desires. You must start here. Create a personal vision statement for your homeschool. Identify the skills, traits, and knowledge base that will be the expected results for your children, and then be sure to include the training that they will need along the way. Aim high, but do not waiver on your core values.

Commitment, the next requirement, will also be called for. Once you know what your values are and where you are going with your child, then you will need to make the decisions and choices necessary to fully commit to your homeschool program. This may mean adjusting an income, reducing expenses, juggling careers, or other unique adaptations to fit your program, but the adult members of your family will need to be “sold-out” and dedicated to the goals of your homeschool program. It is also extremely helpful to have the commitment and support of extended family as well.

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I remember my first teaching assignment. I was an ESL teacher in New York City, at one of the worst high schools in Manhattan. Kids would come in from some of the toughest areas – mostly in the Bronx and Brooklyn – and they most definitely did not have studying on their minds. What made it even tougher was the lack of funds, which meant classes of 40+ kids – only five of whom probably wanted to be there. My biggest problem, by far, was getting the students to stop talking so that I could actually do some teaching.

But if you think it was the fault of my administration for putting so many kids (illegally!) in the same class, consider this: I also had a class of six kids, and during that first semester, I never quite mastered how to get them to stay seated and do their work.

Thankfully, all that changed by the time my third year came around. Here are some tips for the beginner teacher who just can’t seem to get her kids to stop talking – as well as for the more seasoned educator who experiences these types of days here and there.

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Oral instruction has four main purposes: to introduce, to reinforce, to use, and to bridge the gaps for working on sound, word or text elements.(i.e. a sound/letter correspondence, a word, a sentence or a paragraph of a text.) Teachers should link oral instruction with other aspects of the reading lessons such as developing fluency. For example, if a teacher’s primary focus is to teach the word core, teachers can present the words orally before the stage of reading when students learn to recognize the written forms of words either embedded within a context or in isolation. Teachers may also consider introducing lexical items via games, and activities which can be spread over a number of lessons. “To learn a new language, there must be opportunities to communicate about real things and events” (Barone, p. 89).

Once teachers know what lexical items to focus on, they can examine their progress as they effectively design a program that provides needed instruction for developing oral proficiency for both ESL and ELL students.

Pedagogical considerations:
1. What is the purpose of oral instruction? To practice mechanical reading or to review the meanings of new vocabulary?
2. What is the motivational element for learning?
3. Is the methodology meaningful? Does the oral follow-up complement either the receptive or productive areas of language learning?
4. Does the oral instruction provide sufficient amount of practice? (i.e. reinforcing targeted vocabulary words)
5. New vs. known material. How many words have been taught and stressed?
6. Do the oral follow-ups include any of the learning stages of: repetition, recognition, (semi)production?
7. What is the expected mode of interaction? (i.e. pair work, group work)

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