How to Teach an Independently Responsible Learner at Home

I find that I take for granted how independent each of my kids are in their homeschool work until friends are lamenting how they have to nag and remind their kids to do their work.  Our day is built on the routine of school that lasts as long as it takes you to accomplish your list.  The amount of time is up to you! 

Recently I was given a copy of Teach by Dennis Dinoia, also known as Mr D, from Mr D Math which gave me ideas on how to teach my kids to become more independent in their learning.  It was also encouraging to me to read how some of what we were already doing was successful for others as well, even in traditional classrooms.  

As I plan each year’s materials, I start by having conversations with each of my students about what and how they each want to learn.  While my students aren’t completely in charge we do, I do try to collaborate with them about what they will learn.  

What this looks like in practice is that while my teen is struggling through her Computer Science class right now, they haven’t asked to drop it or quit because it was something they chose to study and are invested in, because they are eager for the skills they will gain as they progress through it.  

How to Teach Self Discovery

One of the best parts of homeschooling is we can customize our children’s education to fit who they are as a person.  We can mold their lessons and even our daily routine to fit our families.  While reading Teach, Dinoia reminded me how important it is for me to be intentional to help my students become aware of their favorite ways to learn so they can learn more in those ways.  It was a brilliant idea I hadn’t thought of and will help prepare them for life after homeschool.  

There are assessments we can give our kids to find their learning styles for themselves.  We can also step back and see how they are reacting to the different curriculums we have offered them.  Do they rush to start their day with a video lesson or a pile of readings?  

Would they rather build a model or watch a video?  These are all clues to how they learn.  Helping our kids build this as part of their self awareness will help both of you in choosing future homeschool learning opportunities and planning for life beyond the homeschool years.  

Dinoia also reminds me that we need to help our kids look for career opportunities within their passions, not just hobbies.  While video games are popular in my house, programming and graphic design have also become interests for one of my kids.  

They are starting to learn the skills that go into video game design with an eye towards life after homeschool in that field.  It is also giving them skills in two growing and highly employable areas, as well: even if video game design doesn’t stay a passion, it’s motivating the exploration for now

The Student is the Teacher

When you teach a child to ride a bike there is only so much learning that happens when you are explaining to your child what to do sitting on the couch.  The student has to learn by sitting on the bike and finding their balance for himself.  The same is true for academic learning.  When we ask our students to teach the material back to us they are learning that much more by teaching it to us.  

This can look like asking open ended questions to your students or it can look like a formal presentation to the family or co-op class.  I know I am learning more about history and science as I teach my children and explain it to them.  We are learning together.  

Have you ever thought that when you teach someone something, that you understand it better than you ever did before? All of a sudden it makes sense to you in a way it did not make sense before. So, to practice being independently responsible as a young person is giving them the freedom, privilege, and the opportunity for them to be the teacher.

Dennis Dinoia, Teach

As our students approach the teen years I have found it rewarding to include my students’ own academic goals in their curriculum choices each year.  By leaning into what they want to learn I am supporting their own self discovery and explorations.  I can help them build life skills along the way by helping them set goals for independent projects that they want to pursue.  

How does this work for Outside the Box Kids?

Building an independently responsible Outside the Box learner is a great strategy.  I saw many of our personal homeschool philosophies as I read Dinoia’s words.  He isn’t advocating for a college bound formula, he is advocating for using our classroom activities for teaching skills that go beyond the classroom.  

For our outside the box kids who may need extra help learning book knowledge, working to empower them to seek out the knowledge they want and learn to present themselves well to the world around them are skills that will get them far outside the classroom. 

By practicing these skills in the classroom, our students become confident to use them outside our classroom as we launch them towards independence as a teen and beyond.  I had a chance to talk with Dinoia about how this work for Outside the Box kids on his Podcast episode, Equipped To Teach You Outside The Box Kids.

Grab your copy of Teach to learn more about helping your students become independently responsible learners.