the homeschooling revolution

'Homeschoolling' has been around for a long time:
Jay Doubleyou: homeschooling more popular in uk
Jay Doubleyou: education happens beyond the classroom
Jay Doubleyou: the purpose of education: from china to prussia to the united states
Jay Doubleyou: schools as 'total institutions'

The BBC Education correspondent isn't impressed:
Coronavirus: The impossibility of home-schooling a nation - BBC News

And Deutsche Welle warns that "the digital playing field is anything but level. Access to education could leave a lot of people behind during the pandemic":
Learning revolution - but not for everyone? | DW News - latest news and breaking stories | DW | 22.04.2020

The longer-term effects are already being considered.

There'll be more interest in homeschooling itself:

Will coronavirus spark a homeschool revolution?

With children (and many parents) being forced to stay at home, homeschooling has suddenly become the norm. Whilst the situation is bleak, many parents will begin to see some of the benefits of homeschooling. Here’s what they’ll learn:

• There are thousands of resources for homeschooling parents on the internet
• Many of the resources are low cost or even free
• Learning can be done at any time during the day, taking breaks whenever is needed
• Spending quality time with your kids
• Siblings can learn together, when possible
• There’s less hassle getting ready for and traveling to school
• Kids are safe from bullying
• Kids can learn at their own pace
• You have complete control over what they learn

The Clever Tykes books, guidebook and activity packs have been a popular choice of resources amongst homeschoolers for several years. You can see and buy them on our homeschool resources page. Over the past few weeks, however, there’s been a noticeable increase in their demand. We believe that homeschooling can facilitate a broader base of learning and one that develops key personal skills such as resourcefulness, positivity and creativity – those we describe as ‘enterprising’.

Homeschooling in the long-term

Homeschooling in the long-term will not be an option for many parents. For some, however, it may now seem a more viable option than it once did, maybe even a preferable option. Some of the challenges those new to homeschooling will face include how to structure learning in the long-term, including developing a syllabus and working out how kids will sit examinations when the time comes. They’ll also need to ensure their kids get enough social interactions with other kids, which is something that the current situation restricts.

It’s a challenging situation for parents. This new homeschooling environment is not an ideal one. The home may be a stressful environment at the moment. It may not be set up well for remote working for parents and homeschool for the kids. Many of the freedoms we would have to take kids to places of learning have been restricted or even removed entirely.

The good news is that if you’re able to deliver great homeschooling in the current circumstances, you’ll be excellently placed moving beyond the crisis.

Will coronavirus spark a homeschool revolution? - Clever Tykes

The interesting thing will also be the longer-term effect on mainstream education:
Homeschooling during the coronavirus pandemic could change education forever, says the OECD | World Economic Forum

What Will Happen to the Education System When the Coronavirus Pandemic Is Over?

While virtual learning may surge, hybrid models with in-person elements may work best.

By Christian Barnard April 24, 2020

For the remainder of the school year, online learning is the new normal for most schools across the country. The coronavirus pandemic has caused nearly all schools to close and has created a captive, nationwide audience of families interested in exploring alternative online platforms to keep their kids occupied and on track.

Online groups such as Learn Everywhere were quickly created and immediately attracted thousands of members who are sharing resources with each other, from online music classes for young children to free engineering lessons to empanada recipes.

While this could be a revolutionary moment in K-12 for virtual learning and homeschooling, it’s hard to know at this point. Here are three possibilities for what comes next.

Substantial numbers of students leave in-person schools and begin a virtual or home-based education full-time...

Online education and homeschooling remain only marginally influential...

Hybrid schooling becomes more widespread in every sector

...

What Will Happen to the Education System When the Coronavirus Pandemic Is Over? | Reason Foundation

The last word goes to the

Coronavirus lockdown: From the demise of GCSEs to technology and AI, how the crisis has changed education

At some point, schools will reopen — but many people think education in the UK may never be the same again

By Will Hazell Saturday, 18th April 2020

The impact of coronavirus on education has been unprecedented. Since last month, schools across Britain have been closed for most pupils and exams have been cancelled. In Scotland, it is the first time exams have not gone ahead since 1881.

At some point, schools will reopen – but many people think education in the UK may never be the same again.

Some people are already predicting the demise of high-stakes exams such as the GCSE. Others think coronavirus will lead to classrooms being revolutionised by technology. With exams not taking place, a new way of awarding grades using teacher assessment has been invented from scratch.

In England, teachers have been asked to predict GCSE and A-level grades, which will be moderated by the exam boards. It is a remarkable volte-face. Under reforms introduced when Michael Gove was education secretary, the majority of teacher-assessed coursework was scrapped, with grades awarded almost purely on the basis of exam performance.

Many teachers have been critical of this system, arguing that it puts too much pressure on teenagers.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, believes the crisis could be a “transformational moment” for education, proving that putting children through 30-plus exam papers “was a whole paraphernalia of assessment that we really didn’t need”, he says.

Magnus Bashaarat, the head of independent Hampshire school Bedales, agrees. His school became so dissatisfied with GCSEs that it created its own alternative qualification, the Bedales Assessed Course. Mr Bashaarat thinks the Gove reforms were motivated by mistrust. “The reason why Conservative ministers moved away from coursework towards terminal assessment is because they haven’t really trusted teachers,” he says. Covid-19 has forced them to place their trust in the profession again – whether they like it or not.

... 

Perhaps the most profound legacy of coronavirus will be how we view schools. Teachers have come in over their Easter holiday to look after the children of key workers. Others have walked miles to deliver free meals. “In a crisis, schools have carried on doing what they’ve always done, which is being a major support hub,” Dr Bousted says. “The idea that we can go back to Government ministers saying schools are about academic excellence and nothing else, that’s really been shown for the lie it is.”

Coronavirus lockdown: From the demise of GCSEs to technology and AI, how the crisis has changed education | inews

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