Record Keeping in Home Schooling. The issue on record keeping in homeschooling is one of the things usually raised during meetings and other gatherings. And why not? Record keeping is a very vital thing that cannot be simply disregarded as there are some States which do require record keeping in homeschooling. Aside from that, keeping a record of your child’s homeschooling progress shows us his or her educational history. A homeschooling that uses interest-initiated approach denotes diverse and varied topic of studies. Therefore, it is somewhat challenging to jot down quarterly reports to be provided to the school district when it is hart to categorize learning from a broader scope and subjects.
Keeping records is not only essential for regulations’ sake. It is but rather stimulating to keep track and file a record of your child’s learning process. A log book showing the child’s progress may also be considered when most of the learning happens during play times. Record keeping in homeschooling can be compared to keeping a plain daily journal or a detailed and complex software program. When you are in a support group, you may opt to have ready-to-fill-up forms and other requirements to facilitate easy record keeping. In such a way, reporting is made easy and well-organized.
Following are some common methods used for record keeping in homeschooling:
- Journal – can be kept and maintained by the teacher or the student. Basically, it is used to log the things learned and done. It would be a happy thought recalling the significant events that happened throughout the year recorded on this journal.
- Daily planner – this is where the teacher can draft weekly plans and assignments. Mark every item done. Always keep a page where you can scribble other important things to note such as field trips and educational tours, museum visits, film showing, etc. as well as those topics, which along the way of discussions, were incorporated. Then, make a quarterly summary for easy reporting.
- Portfolios – contains a collection of assorted materials showing the child’s achievement in the entire course of study. Portfolio assessment is an efficient tool outlining the child’s progress. It somehow arranges and organizes the lax and flexible way of schooling known as homeschooling. Keep a drawing portfolio that includes some of the best paintings or sketches in a particular quarter. Have a language portfolio consisting essays, stories, reading-logs, spelling samples or letters. Progress and development shown in Mathematics, Arts, Science, History, and Social Studies may all be document in this manner. The children are the ones in-charge of keeping this portfolio assessment, making them responsible enough is an advantage. These tangible records of how far they’ve reached encourage them more to climb up the ladder to the top of success.
Besides these methods, there are other available systems to help record keeping in homeschooling. There are those that permit the person to customize the organizer. At any rate, whichever and whatever methods you opt to use, record keeping is, no matter what, vital and necessary as these records you carefully maintained project the futuristic outlook of your child.
