Homeschooling that empowers parents and students

'True' homeschooling, by legal definition, is the parent taking responsibility for the student's education (within curriculum guidelines) so HomeLearn Launchpad is not 'school' and is not 'distance education' (which is really a 'school' reaching into your home to tell you what to do with your child - and that is not our style) … ie it is not about some 'authority' telling every detail of what to do, nor about one single programmed path as if the student is a package on a production line, or about 'hoop jumping' through test after test, and it is not even about 'teaching' … with HomeLearn Launchpad you are 'looking over their shoulder' as they progress on their learning journey, with our resources to help you do a great job!

HomeLearn Launchpad is designed to 'empower' students but under parental 'oversight', and this involves a bit of a 'balance' at this level. Yes, students at this age are encouraged to begin to take responsibility for their future and their own education, but the Education Department will still hold you - the parent - responsible for their education, so you do need to keep aware of what they are doing and how they are progressing.

Before considering this plays out for the parent on the 'Launchpad' program, it would be helpful to first consider what we say about the role of parents in the standard (junior) HomeLearn program.

So ... Think of us as the "bridge"!

Firstly we bridge you to the educational task. The HomeLearn approach is to help you to help your child in their education - not to take it away from you, but to assist you to do it. HomeLearn provides resources to cover all learning areas (Arts, English, Sport, Culture, Maths, Science, Society, and Technology), at different reading/literacy levels to match your child's current progress, and you can use as much or as little of these as you wish. You are connected to educational resources.

Secondly we bridge a thematic exploring approach to the curriculum. The HomeLearn courses are organised around themes that encourage exploration of interests and giftings, but these themes are matched to the Australian Curriculum, particularly for Science and Society, so you can still be assured of covering the curriculum. Exploring is great to encourage a love of learning but at some stage your child will need to connect with the "real world" and you need to know that they are ready and capable. Themes and exploration are connected to the curriculum.

Thirdly we bridge you to the technology. Support and guidance is an integral part of our service, as you get familiar with the way HomeLearn works and the possibilities. Intensive support is available to start with, and there will always be help available at the end of an email - technical help, educational help, ideas and more. You are the "expert" with your child - other "experts" are there to help you with the important task of educating your child. The Home Learn website connects you to extra expertise.

Fourthly we bridge the learning to the world around. HomeLearn courses should not all be done sitting at a computer - the website is the point to come to for the structure and the ideas, then much of the learning can be done in other ways and in the process of life. The "maths" lesson for today could be to print off a guide sheet, grab a calculator, and go out to do the shopping! The thematic approach and exploring through the internet, maths projects that relate to life, a focus on the working future and ways towards it these all take the student's eyes out of "the books" and into the world. The students are connected to the world.

Fifthly we bridge you and your child to others. HomeLearn encourages parents to share ideas with each other, and has forums to assist in organising activities that will get students together in outings and collaborative projects and the like. You and you child are connected to others.

Still scared? Don't be. If you have had the courage and drive to start homeschooling, be assured you already have what it takes to use HomeLearn successfully.

Now, with all that said as advice to all parents on HomeLearn, the difference that happens with 'Launchpad' is that there is an increased emphasis on the student being more independent and getting on with things a little more for themselves, so that the parent takes a more 'oversight' role ... in a sense, 'watching over their shoulder' a lot more than 'leading' the process. This understanding is subtle, but important for students at this age and who are ready to take this up.

Perhaps a last thing to say here is that if the student is not ready for this ... and you know they need a lot more parent leading and direction ... then you may be much better off working with our standard HomeLearn course, where your role in the process is more pronounced. This is nothing to do with 'academic' levels ... we have HomeLearn courses that have the same literacy expectation as the Launchpad ones.