Oxford Home Schooling – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Learning Disability Week: How to support your child

This week is Learning Disability Week (20^th – 26^th June) and an education expert has shared five pieces of advice on how to support children if they have learning disabilities.

Interestingly, research conducted by Oxford Home Schooling revealed that while overseeing their children’s learning during lockdown, many parents spotted potential signs of a learning difficulty.

Nearly half (47%) identified symptoms of dyslexia (difficulty reading, writing and spelling), whilst more than one in four (29%) observed possible indicators of dysgraphia (impaired handwriting or spelling).

To help parents who now think their child may have a learning difficulty, Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, has put together a guide on how best to support your child and what your next steps should be.

Get your child diagnosed

If your child’s difficulties are having a significant impact on their learning, it’s a good idea to have them tested for a condition and diagnosed.

A diagnosis can open the door for your child to receive appropriate learning support in school. This includes allowing them extra time in exams and being supported by a teaching assistant, so it’s a good idea to look into this as early as possible.

If you’ve observed signs that your child may have a learning difficulty, you should speak to your GP, who can either make the diagnosis themselves, or refer the child for the appropriate tests.

Speak to your GP

Once a child is diagnosed with a learning difficulty, you should consult your GP. They will then be able to recommend and refer you to an appropriate specialist for support¹.

Specialists can include speech and language therapists, educational and clinical psychologists and paediatricians, among others.

Make the school aware

Once you have an idea of the areas where your child is struggling, you will need to make their school and teachers aware of the situation.

This will allow the school to put extra support in place should your child require it. They will need time to consider how the condition might affect the child’s learning and work out how best to adapt their teaching.

Talk to others

Many parents find it difficult to process the diagnosis of a learning difficulty and it can be a challenge to adapt to your child’s new needs.

Don’t be afraid to seek out the support of other parents who have experienced similar situations. There are many support groups and forums out there for advice, and you and your child can even build new friendships.

Support your child

The important thing to remember is that you need to support your child, whether this is with their learning, or any other aspects of life that they struggle with.

Being diagnosed with a learning difficulty is by no means the end of the world and children with such conditions go on to enjoy rich and fulfilling lives.

You will need to be patient, and it may be challenging at times, but with the correct support system in place your child will be fine.

For information on the benefits of homeschooling for children with learning disabilities and special educational needs, head to this page:

https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/special-situations/

Revealed: The facts you were taught at school that aren’t true

Ten things you learnt at school which are no longer true

Our knowledge of the world is constantly evolving, and as such, some of the things which were once taught in schools are no longer true.

Remember when Pluto (above) was declassified as a planet and you began to doubt everything your teachers had ever told you? Turns out, that was just the start.

From science and history to English grammar, Oxford Home Schooling has compiled a list of 10 ‘facts’ which you may have heard in the classroom but are now considered outdated.

1) Diamond is the hardest material

Correction: There are six materials on earth which are harder than diamond

It was once taught that diamond is the toughest substance on the planet, but, while it remains the most scratch-resistant, there are actually six materials now known to be harder.

These include wurtzide boron nitride – a crystal lattice formed during volcanic eruptions, which is 18% harder than diamond – and graphene – a carbon lattice that is only one atom wide but is the strongest material we know of, in proportion to its thickness[1].

2) Water can only be found on Earth

Correction: There is water in multiple places in our solar system

We used to think that earth was the only place where water can be found, but NASA has since proved its presence on some of our galactic neighbours.

In 2015, it confirmed water flows intermittently on Mars and then, later that year, discovered an ocean beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon Enceladus[2]. Many suspect that there’s also an ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

3) King Tutankhamen was murdered

Correction: He either died from a chariot crash or from genetic impairments

Some schools used to teach that King Tutankhamun of Ancient Egypt was murdered when someone struck him on the head.

However, a 2014 BBC documentary suggested that he died in a chariot crash that ultimately ended in an infection and blood poisoning.

Around the same time, a virtual autopsy of the pharaoh’s body indicates he may have died because of genetic impairments, with evidence suggesting his parents were siblings[3].

4) You can’t split an infinitive

Correction: It’s now acceptable

Star Trek’s famous line “to boldly go where no-one has gone before” annoyed a lot of hard-line grammatists by breaking a long-standing rule of the English language – that the infinitive form of a verb (I.e. to go) should not be split.

However, researchers at Lancaster University and Cambridge University Press found that split infinitives are now almost three times as common now as they were in the 1990s[4], and as language keeps evolving, most linguists now consider them acceptable.

5) There are three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas

Correction: There are at least five

One of the fundamentals of chemistry, most school students were told that there are three states of matter – solid, liquid and gas.

However, scientists now know of a fourth natural state, plasma, which despite not being common on earth, is thought to be the most prominent form in the universe.

There’s also a fifth state, the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), where molecular motion almost stops completely. BECs were discovered in 1995, but so far have only been found in laboratories[5].

6) Neanderthals were not very intelligent

Correction: They were skilled hunters with advanced tools

Many people used to believe that Neanderthals died out largely because they were less intelligent than Homo sapiens, but recent studies suggest they had similar cognitive abilities and were actually quite skilled hunters[6].

New archaeological evidence shows they used relatively advanced tools and were also better at socialising than once thought.

7) The universe is 13.7 billion years old

Correction: It’s actually 100 million years older

Science lessons used to teach that the universe is 13.7 billion years old, but it turns out we were out by around 100 million years. The European Space Agency’s Planck mission scanned the sky for radio and microwaves and in 2013 concluded that previous estimates were slightly short – the universe is actually 13.82 billion years old[7].

8) No-one knows where Richard III’s body is

Correction: He was buried under a car park in Leicester

For over 500 years, historians and archaeologists had been searching for the body of King Richard III, who died from injuries sustained in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

The long mystery was solved in 2013 when researchers from the University of Leicester announced that they’d discovered the controversial monarch’s remains beneath a car park in the city[8].

9) Nothing can travel faster than light

Correction: Things can move faster than light under the right conditions

It’s still true that nothing can travel faster than light in a vacuum or in similar conditions in space.

However, scientists have managed to slow light down by either trapping it inside waveguides made with photonic crystals or inside ultracold atom clouds.

This can reduce the speed of light from around 300,000km per second to near zero, so lots of things could outpace it[9].

10) We have five senses

Correction: We have way more than five

The five main senses – touch, taste, sight, hearing and smell – are still our most fundamental, but we also have lots of other mechanisms helping us to make sense of the world.

For example, we have proprioception – a sense of space. This is how our brain understands where we are in relation to other things. We also have others, such as neuron sensors, which help to control balance[10].

Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “Every year in every subject, experts are constantly learning and updating our knowledge. This means that some things which were once taught at school now don’t tell the whole story, or have even been proved to be wrong!

“This can only be a good thing, however, as it shows that we are developing a greater understanding of our world.”

For more ‘facts’ you learnt in school which are no longer true, visit:

https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/blog/15-facts-you-learnt-at-school-that-arent-true-any-more/

Animal Farm voted the nation’s favourite school book

Orwell’s classic novella narrowly beat A Christmas Carol and Of Mice and Men

JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls among the most popular for young Brits

Bronte books rated highly by women, but low down the rankings for men

George Orwell’s political fable Animal Farm has been voted the nation’s favourite ever school book, in new research commissioned ahead of International Children’s Book Day 2021 today (2nd April).

The study, conducted by Oxford Home Schooling, asked 2,000 UK adults which books they most enjoyed reading when at school and Animal Farm was selected by a quarter (25%) of respondents.

The novella was followed in the rankings by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (21%) and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (19%). Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the most popular school book written by a female author (18%), placing sixth on the overall list.

Orwell and Dickens both appear twice in the top 10, as does William Shakespeare, showing his timeless appeal to all ages. Romeo and Juliet is the UK’s favourite play by The Bard (19%), ahead of Macbeth (15%).

The UK’s top 10 favourite school books are:

Animal Farm (George Orwell)
A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
1984 (George Orwell)
Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
Macbeth (William Shakespeare)
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)

The majority of the most popular books are from the 1900s, but three 21st century works made the top 40.

John Boyne’s haunting Holocaust novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, published in 2006, was the highest rated work from this millennium (30^th), with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon – 2003) and Noughts and Crosses (Malorie Blackman – 2001) also featuring highly.

Men and women have significantly different tastes when it comes to books it seems, with their respective top 10 lists contrasting wildly. While Animal Farm is the favourite amongst men, A Christmas Carol tops the list for women, followed by Charlotte Brontë’s gothic romance novel Jane Eyre.

The Brontë sisters are generally far more popular with female readers, with both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, younger sibling Emily’s sole work, rated far higher by women. Despite both featuring in the top six for women, neither appear in the top 15 for men (Wuthering Heights – 18^th, Jane Eyre – 23^rd).

It appears that younger readers are also turning away from Jane Eyre, as it features in the top 10 for all age groups except 18–24-year-olds. It is replaced by JB Priestley’s crime thriller An Inspector Calls, with the classic 20^th century play ranking seventh for this latest generation. Of Mice and Men is the favourite among young Brits.

Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “The books we read at school can affect our general interest in reading in later life, so it’s really important that people enjoy the novels given to them.

“Animal Farm is an incredibly powerful story and it’s not surprising to see that people remember it fondly. It also topped our rankings when we ran this study five years ago, showing that its popularity is enduring.

“However, it’s also interesting to see other works creep up towards the top of the lists. We’ll have to see whether Orwell can complete a hat-trick in years to come, or whether a new favourite will emerge!”

For more information about the research and expert advice on how to get your child to read more, both in and out of school, visit:

https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/blog/how-to-encourage-your-child-to-read-more/

Ten tips for how to effectively homeschool

focused students doing homework at home — Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

If you had a hundred home educators in a room, each of them would likely have a different approach, but there are various steps you can take to get the most out of homeschooling.

With a third national lockdown closing most UK schools, Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, one of the UK’s leading home education providers, has given his 10 tips for how to effectively homeschool.

1. Take breaks

A bit of experimentation should identify what works best for you and the child. You might find 30-minute blasts followed by 10-minute breaks help to keep your concentration up. Alternatively, you might prefer to work for longer periods at a stretch and then enjoy a longer break.

Boring as it might sound, giving your learning a predictable structure and routine does help to make sure you get everything done!

2. Make a routine

Children get the most out of homeschooling when parents decide when and what they should be studying. At school, the typical day might consist of seven 40 minute periods – four in the morning and three in the afternoon. So should parents try to emulate this?

It’s important to remember that most children (and adults) are not able to concentrate for long periods of time, whatever the learning environment and kids do not concentrate on their studies for five hours a day at school. The average lesson is filled with interruptions and irrelevancies and the real ‘work’ might be condensed into 10 minutes. The same is true at home. Even if you have assigned 40 minutes to a subject, do not be surprised if the useful work is done in just 10 minutes and the rest is spent in (apparently) less productive activity.

Organisation is not simply a matter of time slots. It is a combination of timetabling and study objectives. By setting routines, children will find it easier to stay focused, engaged and make progress.

3. Get rid of distractions

It’s really hard to focus when the TV’s blaring, the radio’s on or there is lots going on in the place you’re working, so try and get rid of the distractions.

Also, concentrating is easiest when you’re in a quiet, comfortable place, so play around with how you and your child study – sitting, standing or lying down; inside or outside; with lots of light or without – and find a method that helps them concentrate.

4. Divide up the work

Sometimes it can be difficult to motivate yourself when faced with a really big or difficult task. The best solution is to break it down into smaller pieces, planning out the various stages that need completing before you start. This way, your child will know what needs doing and you’ll both get a good sense of progress as you work.

5. Get lots of sleep

It’s an accepted fact that if you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll find it harder to concentrate, learn and retain information. The trick is pretty simple – get some sleep! Most people between the age of five and 11 need 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night, while 11 to 18-year-olds need 8 to 10 hours.

6. Don’t multitask

Sometimes, particularly when there’s a lot of work to be done, it can be hard to resist the urge to multitask and try and get lots of jobs done at once.

This is best avoided though, as, in essence, you’re dividing up the amount of brainpower you have available to a given task, meaning you might miss out on important bits of information.

7. Meditate and reduce stress

Plenty of scientific studies have shown the benefits of sitting silently, with your eyes closed and the mind focused on the present. This can dramatically reduce stress levels – a factor that’s been proven to exacerbate tiredness and reduce memory retention.

8. Utilise TV and online learning

Technology is a massive part of education both in schools and at home. Sites like BBC Bitesize and Geography Games are great for delivering educational content in a fun, engaging way.

It can also be used to keep in touch with the homeschooling community to share tips and advice.

If you’re temporarily homeschooling, then tools like Google Classroom can help you interact with your class and teacher from school.

9. Stick to the curriculum

It’s important to try and cover all of the subjects your child is used to learning about, but don’t worry too much about spending an equal amount of time on each.

You will naturally have greater knowledge in some areas than others and it’s fine to lean on these more heavily. However, your child may have interests in subjects you are less familiar with, and it would be a shame if they were unable to continue learning about these during this period. Avoiding these topics altogether could result in your child losing their passion.

If you are unsure about any content, it can be quite refreshing to do some research yourself and learn something new, before passing on the information to your child.

10. Make it fun

Learning doesn’t have to be a chore, there are hundreds of games you can play to exercise your brain, including the following memory tests.

There are card games where you have to match pairs or groups of face-down cards, flipping two each turn and reverting them face-down if they’re not a pair.

You could also place a number of small, random items on a tray, memorise the items for a minute, then cover the tray, listing as many of the items as you can remember in a given time period.

Then there are two-player games, such as Memory Master, where one player stares at a picture (magazines, books or photos all work) for a minute, after which the second player quizzes them on all aspects of the picture.

Ten of the best online learning resources:

For more advice on how to get the most out of homeschooling, visit:

https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/revision-techniques/improve-memory-concentration/

10 expert tips on how to homeschool children while working from home

With almost half of English secondary schools sending children home to self-isolate last month^[1], many parents will once again have to balance homeschooling while still doing their own work.

So how do you balance home education and working from home? Oxford Home Schooling, one of the UK’s leading home education providers, has given its ten top tips on how to do just that.

1. Don’t worry about recreating the full school day

When they’re at school, children aren’t learning from the second they arrive until the hometime bell – they walk between lessons, have breaks and spend time settling into classrooms. So don’t worry about making them work non-stop from 9 to 3:30. One-to-one teaching is more efficient than normal group lessons anyway, so even a couple of hours can be really valuable, and these can fit in around your work.

2. Make use of online resources

A great way to keep your child engaged is to utilise the amazing variety of resources available online. Too much screen time is unhealthy, but technology definitely has a place. The BBC, for example, has recently launched an incredible array of educational content on BBC Bitesize and your child can work through the exercises on their own.

3. Encourage independent learning

This is most relevant for older children, but you simply won’t be able to get your own work done if you are supervising your child all day. Whether you invest in workbooks or make use of content their school sent home with them, find some tasks that your child can complete independently. Check-in occasionally, but trust them to get on with it. This helps with self-sufficiency and time management, while also giving you the opportunity to work.

4. Be in the moment

Quality not quantity is the way forward. When helping your child, you need to be completely focused and in the moment, not answering emails at the same time or checking your phone. Give your child your undivided attention and then you’ll both get the most out of that time. Otherwise you’ll spend longer having to re-explain tasks and answering questions.

5. Help them communicate with their friends

There’s more to school than just work and your child will undoubtedly be missing their friends and the social side of normal life. So help them reconnect by setting up video calls. They can catch up, have a laugh and chat about how they’re finding everything, all while you’re being productive.

6. Share responsibilities

This might not be possible in all households, but if there is more than one person capable of overseeing the homeschooling, take it in turns. Split the day up between you so you each have a few dedicated hours where you can get your own work done.

7. Be flexible

One of the benefits of homeschooling is that there’s no strict time schedule, so there’s nothing forcing you to teach your child during normal school hours. If you work 9-5, maybe teach them for an hour at 8am and then do a couple of hours after you’ve finished. Or perhaps do a couple of hours at lunch and push your work back slightly if possible.

8. Talk to other parents

There are millions of parents in the same boat as you so chat to each other and compare notes. See what’s working for them and share tips on how to make the most out of the situation. They may even be able to virtually supervise your child for a while, before you repay the favour.

9. Make lists

Make a to-do list every day of the things you want to achieve before you go to bed, both homeschooling tasks and your own work. This helps you prioritise throughout the day and ensures you at least get the most important things done for both you and your child.

10. Play to your child’s strengths

Your child is more likely to keep themselves entertained if they are good at the task they are doing. So when setting independent activities, tailor them to their strengths, whether that’s reading, writing or drawing.

Dr Nick Smith, Director at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “Homeschooling is still a relatively new experience for many families and, while the routine will certainly take some getting used to, there are lots of benefits and hopefully our tips show that parents don’t need to sacrifice their own work to help their children learn.”

For more advice on how to get the most out of homeschooling, visit:

https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/revision-techniques/improve-memory-concentration/