Re: [seul-edu] Home schooling question: parents better than professionals?

[Leon Brooks <leon@brooks.fdns.net>]

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 08:28, Downes, Stephen wrote:
> Well, if the conclusion implied by the argument below holds, that
> home-schooled children in the SATs do better because they were
> home-schooled, then it follows that parents - who typically have no
> professional or teaching credentials whatsoever - are actually better
> at teaching that professionals who typically undergo years of
> university education in order to qualify for the same position.

You make the same mistake that you condemn. The educational environment 
is NOT just the teacher - it's a very long way from being just the 
teacher. There are a whole swag of other factors which go into it.

For example, how many teachers know every one of their students from 
birth right through their academic years to graduation? How is a 
teacher to know that some non-academic factor (a romance, acne, a 
hobby, who knows?) might be vastly helping or hindering a student's 
performance in one or all areas? Who taught the children to speak, 
dress themselves etc before they arrived at the school gate? Are 
teachers free to give a despondent student a big bear-hug? If one 
student takes an interest in lepidoptery, is it practical to stop the 
whole show every so often and cart 30 students off into the wilds for 
the day with butterfly nets?

The whole environment is different. The few studies which have directly 
addressed the issue hint that professional teaching qualifications do 
not help and may on average *hinder* in a home-based educational 
environment. I'll bet big money that's not a result you expected. (-:

So, as with the statistics, directly comparing not so much apples with 
oranges as apples with apple pie is dangerous. Kneading doesn't help an 
apple, and eating a pie as soon as possible only gets you burnt lips.

As I mentioned in my previous post to the topic, there will be bias in 
the SAT scores, but they are at least notionally objective. Your 
statement was entirely subjective.

Cheers; Leon