One of the reasons many parents decide to homeschool their children is because they want more flexibility in shaping their child’s educational experience and the content they learn. The traditional public school system took its format from the factory model, which doesn’t leave much space for parent input, student individuality, or flexibility in content delivery.
In recent years, the number of homeschool students in the U.S. has risen dramatically as more families seek to customize their child’s curriculum, provide social and emotional guidance, and offer individualized attention to challenge or support their child.
Some researchers attribute this rise to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to an increasing number of families choosing online learning. Let’s explore the five main benefits of online learning for homeschool families.
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Flexibility
Breaking free of that factory model is one of the biggest overall benefits of online homeschool learning. Families are no longer tied to the typical school day timeline, standardized curriculum, and teacher-focused instruction. Learning online provides:
- 24-hour access to coursework
- flexible learning options
- access to multimedia tools
- access to instant support
- individualized instruction
- Customizability
Many parents turn to homeschooling so they can make more choices in their child’s education. Breaking free of the constraints of geographically tied school districts, online homeschool learning can be completed from anywhere. Many online learning options also put control of the curriculum back into the hands of parents, who can then shape their child’s education based on their moral and spiritual values.
Some ways online learning can be customizable include choice in:
- educational philosophy
- courses
- course content and features
- grading systems
- Online learning resources
When learning online, students have instant access to learning and other resources at any time. So often in a traditional classroom, students can fall behind or be overlooked as they may not understand a lesson concept, need additional learning support, or aren’t sufficiently challenged.
When learning online, students access additional resources to further study or explain a concept in a new way or from a different learning modality. For example, your child may be an auditory learner and coursework taught through podcasts could give you the breakthrough you’ve been looking for. Conversely, your child may be a visual learner who needs graphic organizers to connect the dots and understand.
Online learning provides access to all types of resources for different types of learners, including those with special needs. Online learning includes accessibility resources such as:
- text-to-speech screen reading
- text size adjustments
- screen color contrast adjustments
- image captions
- video transcripts
- Time-saving features
Online homeschool learning is typically the least time-consuming option for homeschool parents, as students usually complete their coursework independently. Parents may need to invest some upfront time registering or setting up their child’s school year, but overall, it’s a time-saver compared to other homeschool options.
Parents usually don’t need to complete much—or any—grading, and students may have access to teachers, tutors, or resources to answer questions and help them complete assignments. Some additional time-savers for online homeschool parents include:
- automatic student record keeping
- easy access to download student records
- online access to parent and student tech and academic support
- Support and community
A final benefit of online homeschool learning is the access to support and community. Many online homeschool programs have both program-led and parent-led Facebook groups, and many have internal student groups for academic and social support. You can also find general homeschool support groups through apps like Meetup and other social media platforms.
AOP’s two online learning options each offer a great deal of flexibility, customizability, and resources for homeschool families. The following options meet the diverse needs of today’s homeschool families.
Ignite Christian Academy is an accredited online school that offers core subject courses, electives, and dual credit college courses. The benefits of learning online with Ignite include:
- Accredited
- Teacher-led
- 24-hour access to courses, tutoring and academic and career counselors
- CTE, STEM, and other elective course options
- Dual enrollment pathways
- Summer school and camp
- Student center with academic and social resources
- No grading required
- Ignite Parent/Teacher Partnership Facebook Group
Monarch provides an online, Christian curriculum, with over 100 courses, including 60-plus electives. The benefits of learning online with a Monarch subscription include:
- Free 30-day trial
- 24-hour access to self-paced courses
- 50 core subjects
- 60+ electives
- Customizable lessons, tests, and grading
- Built-in website accessibility resources
- Student resource center
- Auto grading of most assignments
- Downloadable student records
- Monarch Parent Facebook Group
Online learning provides a fantastic, flexible learning option for homeschool families. Enjoy the benefits of self-paced learning, individualized support, and customizable curriculum that saves parents time and gets students excited to learn!
