HEA Courses for Home Educating Parents

Author: Editor

HEA provides education for home education families. Courses can be run anywhere in Australia provided a minimum attendance number is achieved, with participants paying the full amount for the course before it commences. It is expected that regional and support groups will organise venues for the course and appropriate billeting for course presenters.

Currently there are three courses available:

• Introductory Evening which provides basic information for families inquiring about or considering home education. If you are thinking about home education but want to know more, this talk will answer the most often asked questions and more.
• A 'Getting Started Course' covering the basic questions and needs of new homeschoolers and is run over a couple of days. Run by experienced homeschooling parents. This course is often the beginning of very successful support groups.
• A more comprehensive 'Home Education Lifestyle Course' which and is designed to give a thorough study of children's education and about homeschooling as a lifestyle. It is suitable for new and experienced homeschoolers and particularly for those feeling overwhelmed. The course will be applicable to both new homeschoolers and those who have been homeschooling for some time. It goes for about 10 weeks for about 4 hours at a time.

The HEA members who coordinate and present these courses do so to promote and support homeschooling. Cost is $100 (or $80 to HEA members) and raises valuable funds to help the Association maintain its many services.

Children remain the responsibility of parents at all times. Course organizers and the HEA will make every effort to ensure venues are child appropriate, but children remain the responsibility of their parents.

The Home Education Lifestyle Course includes exploration of the following topics. The subjects listed above are a guideline and may change according to the unique requirements of each group.

• Introduction to Course
• Research on Home Education
• Socialization
• Advantages & Disadvantages
• Approaches to teaching
• Registration Process
• Suggested Reading list
• Terminology
• Multiple Intelligences & Learning Styles
• The Learning Brain
• Lesson Planning
• People Influential in Home Education
• Unit Studies
• Support groups & magazines
• Teenagers
• Tertiary Education Options
• Learning Difficulties & Gifted
• Programming Workshop
• A Day in the Life of ....
• Homeschooling in the Media.

Course notes are provided and consist of a collection of independent articles and 'thinking exercises'. The articles have been written or researched by Colleen Strange, other home educating parents and course presenters. There are also valuable articles copied with permission from overseas sources by school based educators, home educators, and educational theorists. Examples of programs, and evaluation and record keeping techniques are also included. Notes for the introductory course are given on CD-ROM at the commencement of the course and provide extensive reading during and after the course. Examples of programs, and evaluation and record keeping techniques are also included.

Various HEA resources additional to the course CD-ROM are also available for sale on the day.

Introductory courses are run in the wider Sydney area over two days. The advanced course is run over several weeks one day a week. Notes are available during the course. Contact Cathy Chisari on 0417 264 564 , Esther Lacoba on (02) 95903762 or the HEA 1300 number for when and where the next course will be held. If you can arrange a group (min. of 4) we will organize a course in your area. One of this group will need to liaise with the course coordinators to arrange dates, venue, etc.

Although it is highly recommended to experience the courses as part of a group, if your situation prevents this, you may choose to purchase the course by post and access presenter contact via phone and email. Cost is $100 ($80 HEA members).