Home » Frequently Asked Questions » Other Program Questions
FAQ: Other Program Questions
- What if my child has a special need?
- Do the teachers involved with this program have experience with how homelearning differs from school-centered programs?
- Is the program respectful of different homelearning philosophies?
- How do you accommodate unstructured homelearners?
- What is the SelfDesign Global Online Learning Community "Code of Conduct"?
- Q. What if my child has a special need?
- All learners are welcome in our SelfDesign Global program. Over our 25-year history we have successfully worked with hundreds of children who came to our programs with labels related to learning and socialization. We have discovered that in a nurturing home environment with support from SelfDesign Learning Consultants, most children thrive beyond expectations and many with learning challenges minimize those challenges. While we do not offer specific Special Needs services in SelfDesign Global, we encourage you to give our time-tested philosophy a try.
- Q. Do the teachers involved with this program have experience with how homelearning differs from school-centered programs?
- Wondertree Foundation, the parent organization to SelfDesign, has a long history of providing support to those who learn at home, and the Learning Consultants working in our program are familiar with and experienced in supporting home-based or alternative learning. A number of them also have children who learn at home, which gives them a very personalized approach to the strengths and concerns around a home-based approach. We also have family and consultant discussions in our online Village exploring various approaches to homelearning.
- Q. Is the program respectful of different homelearning philosophies?
- Yes, it is, and our programs are made up of families from different styles of learning at home including those who have "school" at home, those who are unschooling and those who are de-schooling.
- Q. How do you accommodate unstructured homelearners?
- Our program is organized around the SelfDesign Learning Plan, weekly observing, and commentary on the progress of learning. This makes it possible to provide detailed feedback on learning as it arises within a family's learning environment and a child's individual orientation. The underlying philosophy of our approach is that we need to pay attention to the child first in order to notice the learning that is occurring. The correlation with any curriculum or formal educational criteria occurs as a secondary experience. Conserving and nurturing the child's disposition for wonder and enthusiasm and passion for learning is paramount in SelfDesign.
- Q. What is the SelfDesign Global Online Learning Community "Code of Conduct"?
- This code will guide the online behavior and language of all participants, and will be geared specifically to respecting differing opinions, learning styles and ideas. It will be provided to all successful applicants with their program acceptance letter.
Bookmark:
