Ref: https://www.alternativeeducation.

in/homeeducation

ALTEDUCATION

Is Home Educating legal in India?

In response to a public interest litigation, the Ministry of Human Resources

Development filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court stating that the Right to
Education Act does not come in the way of home schooling. “Parents who voluntarily
opt for alternate forms of schooling may continue to do so. The RTE Act does not
come in the way of such alternate schooling methodologies or declare such form of
education as illegal,” the affidavit stated. The Ministry’s response came after the
High Court directed it to respond to a petition filed by a 14-year-old girl, Shreya
Sahai, who opted for home schooling but contended that Section 18 of RTE Act does
not recognise any other mode of imparting education except the one through formal
schooling. ”

What are the different types of Home Education?

Unschooling or child-led learning

It means that you identify the children’s natural curiosities and interests and cater to
their interest in order to educate them. This approach is based on John Holt's book,
“Instead of Education: Ways to Help People Do Things”, originally published in 1976.
In this work, Holt criticizes the education system stating that, “it is the deepest
foundation of the modern and worldwide slave state, in which most people feel
themselves to be nothing but producers, consumers, spectators and 'fans'.in all parts
of their lives. "Holt says that education should be child-led and that the child's natural
curiosity should guide and inspire his/her learning. While Holt opposes the
regimented curriculum, he does believe that a parent's response to the child's
question will foster better learning. More information can be found in the following
links. http://www.unschooling.com/library/faq/index.shtml - Provides information and
support to unschoolers. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UnschoolingResources/ -
This is a yahoo group for unschooling families.

Traditional or School at home

Is the conventional method of home education. The families that follow this method
use a planned schedule, text book materials or curriculums to do assignments, tests,
report cards which would mimic the regular schools. Families that follow this method
typically purchase the curriculum materials from many of the companies that make
the same available to home educators these days or create their own curriculum
using materials from the library and on the web.
Classical home education

Originally started in the Middle Ages. The five tools of learning, known as the
Trivium, are reason, record, research, relate, and rhetoric. Younger children begin
with the preparing stage, where they learn basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. The
grammar stage is next, which emphasizes compositions and collections, and then
the dialectic stage, where serious reading, study, and research take place. In the
Rhetoric stage the primary focus is on communication. http://www.gbt.org/res.html -
Wealth of resources on classical home education.

Relaxed" or "Eclectic" style"

Home educators use a mix of different approaches, by using workbooks for math,
reading, and spelling, and taking an unschooling approach for the other subjects.
The advantage of this method is that the parents cover the subjects thoroughly of all
the subjects they feel that are absolutely necessary. This method allows the family to
choose textbooks, field trips, and classes based on their needs and interests.
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/clayvessel/index.html - provides more information on
eclectic home education

The Waldorf Method

Is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner. This method stresses the importance of
educating the whole child. The body, mind, and spirit. In the early grades, the
emphasis is on arts and crafts, music and movement, and nature. As the child gets
older, they are taught to develop self-awareness and how to reason things out for
themselves. In this method there are no standard textbooks used. Instead the
children create their own books. The Waldorf method also discourages the use of
television and computers because of the belief that they impair health and creativity.
http://www.rudolfsteinercentre.ca/ - Information on Waldorf Education.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorfhomeschoolers/ -Online community for
Waldorf home educators.

Unit Studies method

Uses child's interest and then ties that interest into subject areas like math, reading,
spelling, science, art, and history. For example, if you have a child who is interested
in ancient Egypt, you would learn the history of Egypt, read books about Egypt, write
stories about Egypt, do art projects about pyramids, and learn about Egyptian
artifacts or mapping skills to map out a catacomb or mummify a doll. This can also
be accompanied by field trips to the museum that contains Ancient Egypt related
materials. The advantage of this method is that it recognizes the fact that people
learn best when they are interested in the topic. The disadvantage is that sometimes
the unit study can become so long that the child might lose interest even before the
study is completed. Also, to create a unit study requires a lot of work and pre-
planning by parents. http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-
1255.html - This link gives a wonderful detailed explanation of designing unit studies
with ease using a little creativity.
Charlotte Mason Method

Believes that the children deserve to be respected and they learn best from real-life
situations. This approach believes that children should be given time to play, create,
and be involved in real-life situations from which they can learn. Children take nature
walks, visit art museums, and learn geography, history, and literature from books
that make these subjects come alive. Children are encouraged to show what they
know via narration and discussion and not by tests and scores. Books on this
method are, A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education,Â
both by Katherine Levison. http://simplycharlottemason.com/home/ - Web link with
tons of information on Charlotte Mason home education.

Montessori Method

The approach was characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within

limits, and respect for a child's natural psychological, physical, and social
development.In the Montessori approach, these human tendencies are seen as
driving behavior in every stage of development, and education should respond to
and facilitate their expression. Montessori observed four distinct periods, or "planes",
in human development, extending from birth to 6 years, from 6 to 12, from 12 to 18,
and from 18 to 24. She saw different characteristics, learning modes, and
developmental imperatives active in each of these planes, and called for educational
approaches specific to each period. In 1967, the US Patent Trademark Trial and
Appeal Board ruled that "the term 'Montessori' has a generic and/or descriptive
significance." Therefore, in the United States and elsewhere, the term can be used
freely without giving any guarantee of how closely, if at all, a program applies
Montessori's work. The ruling has led to "tremendous variation in schools claiming to
use Maria Montessori's methods."

Virtual schooling or Internet schooling

Is based on doing schooling on the internet via the many choices of online schooling
that are available. This is a popular choice for families with children who are in
middle or high school levels of learning. Anything from math, language, arts to
Physics, astronomy etc,is available online for families to take advantage of
http://ed.ted.com/, https://www.khanacademy.org/ are highy recommended.

Resources

https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-
secondary-2/cambridge-igcse/
TOPICS for Teaching

Food

Living things

How things work

Moving things

Natural phenomena

Natural resources are the themes in science

Tamil Month and Respective Days

Chithirai 31 days

Vaigasi 31 days

Aani 32 days

Aadi 31 days

Aavani 31 days

Purattasi 31 days

Ippasi 30 days

Karthigai 29 days

Margazhi 30 days

Thai 29 days

Maasi 30 days

Panguni 30 days

___________________________________________________________________
According to Tamil astrology study, there are 27 stars (Nakshatras)

1. Aswathi or Ashwini

2. Bharani

3. Karthigai

4. Rohini

5. Mrigasheersham

6. Thiruvaathirai

7. Punarpoosam

8. Poosam

9. Ayilyam

10.Magam

11. Pooram

12. Utthiram

13. Astham

14. Chitthirai

15. Swathi

16. Visaagam

17. Anusham

18. Kettai

19. Moolam

20 Pooraadam

21. Uthiraadam

22. Thiruvonam

23. Avittam

24. Sathayam

25. Poorattathii

26. Utthirattathi

27. Revathi