Direct link to Royal Military College’s admissions page re: homeschoolers

Get the basics:
Quick scan of the main points of the 4 pairs of letters (E/I, S/N, T/F, J/P)

Short description of all 16 types in a grid

Two excellent places to get longer descriptions of the 16 profiles are  Typelogic.com, and PersonalityPage. (Note: you can also type any 4-letter personality code into a web search and you’ll find lots of results)

Take a Learning Styles/Personality test online:
If you aren’t sure of your type by just looking at the 4 pairs of preferences, or want to verify your selection, you can find several tests online that will give you a 4-letter personality/learning type. Here are just a few: short, longer, very long

Books for more about learning styles and MBTI:
People Types and Tiger Stripes, Nature by Nurture, Gifts Differing & Please Understand Me II (includes a very good test at the beginning of the book), Differentiation Through Personality Types

Teaching students of a different type:
It’s natural to assume that others are like us, so you will tend to teach your children either the way you were taught, or the way you would have liked to be taught. The trick is to try to teach them in a way that plays to their strengths and target their weaknesses. Remember, teaching is about THEM, not you.

At the conference, we discussed the example of a colour blind student. Just because teaching with colours doesn’t help this student, that doesn’t mean we can’t use textbooks with colour illustrations. It simply means that we have to be constantly aware that what might in some cases be a very helpful learning strategy (colour-coded diagram), may not be useful in every specific case. The colour blind student may even adapt and learn to get some value out of those illustrations, but it will require more effort on his part and he may never get the full intended effect. This is how we should approach suggestions for how to teach Introverts or Judging students: they are reminders about natural tendencies and preferences, not rules to follow about actions to always use or avoid.

With that in mind, here is how we can think of the 4 categories affect the learning experience:

The E/I difference: Students need energy and focus to learn, so keep in mind what drains or charges their batteries (people, solitude) and where they are likely to focus their energy (internal, external)

The S/N difference: Students need to notice and trust information to assimilate it into their knowledge base, so keep in mind what kind of information students are naturally attuned to (thoughts or data received through the senses).

The T/F difference: Students need to come to conclusions about the data they intake as part of the learning process. Keep in mind what students naturally value (facts and arguments, feelings and harmony) as they attempt to make sense of the world around them and form their conclusions.

The J/P difference: Students need to manage time and scheduling while completing learning tasks. Keep in mind how students naturally perceive time (fixed, flexible) and view the structure of their external world (open, closed).

Introverts teaching extraverts may need to consciously remind themselves to:
Provide collaborative learning and time for movement
Build in time for questioning and discussion
Value enthusiasm and expression that extraverts demonstrate during the learning process

Extraverts teaching introverts may need to consciously remind themselves to:
Provide individual tasks and assignments
Provide written venues for thinking and learning, not just discussion
Value reflection & demonstrations of learning that occur well after the lesson

Intiuitive teaching Sensing may need to consciously remind themselves to:
Provide hands-on opportunities and clear step-by-step instructions
Explain the practical application so students can use information
Avoid long abstract/theoretical lectures
Value the use of past experience to inform current thinking

Sensing teaching Intuitive may need to consciously remind themselves to:
Provide opportunities for creative thought, including creative ways of doing a task
Explain the “big picture” so students can make connections
Use problem-based thinking strategies
Value the use of speculation and forecasting to inform current thinking

Feeling teaching Thinking may need to consciously remind themselves to:
Don’t overuse praise or emotional “check-ins”
Provide specific, direct feedback
Accept a degree of healthy conflict in the learning process
Be consistent in application of principles, rules, standards
Avoid being overly personal until trust is earned
Value logic in written work as part of the learning process

Thinking teaching Feeling may need to consciously remind themselves to:
Show warm feelings and include praise
Avoid conflict/confrontation in teaching style and activities
Plan cooperative activities instead of competitive ones
Avoid being overly critical before trust is earned
Value feelings in written work as part of the learning process (journals, ethics)

Perceiving teaching Judging may need to consciously remind themselves to:
Provide clear, written guidelines for assignments that they can refer back to and plan around
Provide a timeline for assignments and try to stick to it as closely as possible
Prepare students in advance for any changes in plans (due dates, nature of assignment)

Judging teaching Perceiving may need to consciously remind themselves to:
Allow for flexibility in assignment format and negotiate if appropriate. Be open to changing plans
Allow for some “experience/exploration” that doesn’t lead to completion or mastery of a task or skill
Recognize that working at the last moment may produce some of their best work.

Below are some instructional/pedagogical strategies for working with various learning preferences that work with a student’s natural preferences. You may find these useful if you are encountering obstacles or when learning seems to be difficult. Not all learning activities should be easy for students, but if you need a “pick me up” to get things moving more smoothly, then consider some of the following ideas, many of which come from the books mentioned above.

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH E’s
Allow students to turn to a partner periodically to discuss what they’ve learned. This allows them to verbalize concepts, file in memory, and be ready to receive more input

They remember more if they read content closely AFTER participating in lecture/experience. Do not put emphasis on reading before hand to “prepare” but instead choose an activity or outing as an introduction to a topic.

Help them form a network of acquaintances since they like to connect with others as a research tool

Come up with strategies they can use to hold a thought (jot down idea, image, keyword) to help them recall what they want to say if they don’t have the opportunity to share immediately

Teach them about an internal “mute” button they can use so that not every thought has to be verbalized if their thinking out loud is disturbing to those around them. Compare it to the TV remote. They can mouth words without making any sound

Since they think out loud, their first thoughts aren’t necessarily their final thoughts. Let them “go with it” for a while, and then ask, “Is this your final answer, or are you still thinking about this?”

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH I’s
Ask direct, probing questions instead of expecting them to volunteer a response to a general question, and allow a longer wait time between question and response

Use a non-verbal system (red/green card) as a procedure for non-verbally requesting assistance or letting people know he is OK.

Introverts get more out of experiences if they have had time with the idea first – prepare for field trips (brochures) or classes (reading text first)

For every one thing he says, there are probably 5 more thoughts in his head. If an idea he shares sounds strange, spend some time discussing the reasons behind the thought (unverbalized) to understand where it came from

Come up with a signal to show “I’m still thinking” – introverts are not always prepared to spontaneously answer quickly, and often prefer that their thoughts are well-formulated before expressing them

Help them develop strategies for participation, reminding them that they don’t need to have fully thought something out before sharing (“I find that interesting, and while I’m not entirely sure what to make of it, something that comes to mind is. . .”)

Consider allowing I’s to work side-by-side instead of “together” – since they typically want to set their own standards, they can find a social outlet in having another person near, but not directly involved in their work.

Set aside quiet time for yourself as teacher/parent, so that he feels there is a time to approach you privately

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH S’s
Help them sort relevant from irrelevant details because initially, all ideas seem important

Let them develop a framework for organizing specific details first, then using that information to make general conclusions

Provide time for practice – they enjoy reviewing tasks they do well, especially after they’ve just learned it

Give brief, direct, sequential instructions/directions so they are not left wondering what it expected of them and know they are on task

Encourage them to approach problem solving by considering “what has worked in the past” as a first step towards problem solving. They value previous experience and build on that to discover new solutions or perfect existing ideas

Use language related to collecting and experiencing to motivate them (not “create” “consider”)

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH N’s
Allow students some time to explore various themes/big ideas before filling in details

They may have grander ideas/designs than their age/skill will allow them to complete. Consider allowing them to supplement work with a description of “what they would have done with more time, with more resources etc.”

Give limited instructions so they can take the task in the direction they want. Consider some activities where process is not evaluated (so they can feel free to try new methods, start and switch gears) as long as they complete the task objectives.

Include activities where a final project is not required to be finished, but allows them to report what they learned about trying different ways to solve a problem (even if the problem was never solved)

If they get discouraged by details, remind them to consider how details fit in with their overall design and use their larger ideas to motivate them to tackle the necessary details.

Motivate with language of innovation, coming up with a new product or new way of doing something

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH T’s
Present work as challenges to be overcome. Use the language of problem solving to motivate students.

They make their decisions based on logic rather than on feelings and values. If their choice doesn’t make sense to you, ask about the underlying basis for their choice. It may have been the result of a logical analysis you did not expect.

They thrive on personal challenges. Teach them to win fairly and lose graciously. Encourage them to pursue activities where they compete against a set goal instead of against others.

They typically justify their answers, and when challenged, they expect the other party to be able to defend their position. This isn’t necessarily antagonism or disrespect; it’s how they reach decisions and understanding

They require independence and like to try things on their own without “checking in” with authority figures. Let them create a “decision tree” to describe situations in which they do and do not have permission to proceed autonomously.

They are quick to find flaws, focusing on what’s missing or doesn’t work. Motivate them by asking them to identify what’s wrong with a design or plan, or to find the errors.

They need to achieve, to have a sense of mastery, to know some things deeply and do them well. They need to endure, to persist, to overcome and to prevail in things they are committed to. Allow them to “battle” for their learning.

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH F’s
Start activities with greetings, check-ins and other ways for Fs to establish relationships before getting down to business

They make their decisions based on feelings and values rather than on logic. If their choice doesn’t make sense to you, ask about the underlying basis for their choice. It may have been a value or feeling you did not expect.

Always provide feedback. Lack of feedback is the same as a negative evaluation to them. If nothing is said, they will assume the other party did not value his contribution.

Recognize their need for affiliation. Fs need a group with which to identify. Independence can feel like loneliness. Teach them self-comforting strategies as well as self-coping mechanisms.

They are motivated by work that helps others. Find ways to incorporate the human side into their studies. Fs want content they can personally relate to, stories of people, ethical issues, how the material can help society at large. For example, math and geology are used in early warning systems for natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis

They enjoy harmonious group work where tasks help each other, shared responsibility. Being accountable and feeling like they are contributing to a group is motivating, especially when their work can be seen as helpful outside the classroom

Rather than finding fault, they can be unifying forces finding common ground. Help them see their work as finding the best in something and/or bringing thoughts/people together

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH J’s
Use planning language to motivate them: “What’s your plan for getting that accomplished?” “What’s your plan for solving that problem?” “What’s your plan for getting through the trip to the zoo?”

Help them develop flexibility by helping them create backup plans. Rather than expecting them to become flexible, help them learn to create multiple contingency plans to fall back on if they have trouble with inconsistency or changing plans. Having multiple contingency plans will honour their natural tendencies and allow them to be flexible in a different way

They need milestones, completions and a sense of closure. They may find value in progress charts and tangible records to illustrate progress and persistence. Their need for closure may also make them rush through without hitting all the necessary checkpoints. A system for tracking their progress can help both motivate them to keep going and at the same time prevent them from glossing over tasks in an attempt to be “done.”

They need a system of accountability that is clear and made known in advance, They want to know what they are responsible for, when how and by what standards they will be judged.

SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH P’s
Use works such as “experience” ,“explore” or “attempt” to motivate P students. Words such as “work”, “practice” or “should” do not motivate them.

Understand that the P student has no inherent need to complete all the projects they begin. Just experiencing a part of the task is sometimes a sufficient learning experience. They need opportunities to be spontaneous and follow their curiosity (to adapt to what they perceive in their environment). Create situations where they can explore and find new facts without a pre-determined task or goal.

It may seem as if they are born without a natural sense of time. They will likely underestimate how long a task will take. Helping them learn to estimate task length can help if they are consistently missing deadlines. (Note that this is an issue of time management, not necessarily responsibility, effort or ability).

UniversityAdmissions.ca is my new website for all things related to university admissions in Canada… with or without a high school diploma!

Ironically, it’s no longer homeschoolers who are most in need of my help when it comes to university admissions.  It’s the students trapped by or within the system who don’t realize that there are other paths to university.  It’s the kids who, for whatever reason, just weren’t meant for the system because the system isn’t meant for them.  It’s the young adults who made certain choices that leave them in what they think is a disadvantaged educational position. It’s even the teachers like me who want to help students, not administer policy.

I think everyone can benefit from my university admission resources, but they might not think to look for help at a website devoted to homeschoolers. That’s where UniversityAdmissions.ca comes in.  It’s my chance to take these messages of freedom and choice to a wider student audience. It’s my attempt to move beyond labels like “homeschooler” and let the general public know that anyone can create their own high school experience without closing the door to university. I hope to encourage not only homeschoolers who worry that they have to go into the system for high school, but also students who have always been traditionally-schooled who need or want something different now, but who don’t know that anything even exists outside of the system.

I hope you’ll join me in bringing this message of empowerment mainstream.  The University Admissions.ca site is not specifically aimed at homeschoolers, but it strongly asserts that every path to university is an equally valid choice, and most importantly, reveals that going to a traditional high school and earning a diploma is a choice, as so few actually realize.  It also allows me to broaden my scope to include general student concerns like issues of learning, motivation, and success that I didn’t feel was my mandate on my previous website.  I think homeschoolers will find useful resources there, even though you’ll find that I less frequently refer to homeschoolers explicitly.  After all, the point is that you don’t have to be a “homeschooler” to be in charge of your own education!

So please, visit me at UniversityAdmissions.ca and spread the word to everyone, both inside and outside of your homeschooling network!

University Admissions Handout – Handy 1 page spreadsheet of all Ontario university admissions policies all in one place! Also includes list of websites and references.

Others will be added to the Downloads section as they are available.

I’ll post it here sometime after the conference because, as always, attendees are awarded first dibs. But if you’re going to be at the conference and you have (or someone you know has) any use for a paper copy, please come to Dining Room A at the end of the day and help take the leftovers off of my hands. I’ve been instructed to bring 60 copies, but I don’t really expect that many participants in the session. I would hate for them to go to waste.

Of course, they will be posted on this website after the conference and you can still download a copy of the contents of last year’s CD handout (from the “Downloads” tab above).

I hope you’ll like it!

Athabasca University has an open admissions policy – no formal schooling or credential is required to apply. The admissions page states that applicants should be 16 years of age, but student may apply even earlier with parental permission. For that reason, it is a great choice for homeschoolers, and many may wish to consider Athabasca instead of following a homeschool high school education/program through to completion.

You’ll have to do some work on the University of Lethbridge website to find their policy on homeschool admissions. First, navigate to their main high school applicant page. Once there, in the bottom left of the screen you’ll find a search box where you can ask a question. Just type in the word homeschool and click ask, and you’ll be directed to the following information:

Q: Admissions: What are the admissions requirements for home-schooled students?
A: Admission requirements for home-schooled students include proof of recognized secondary credentials, or some other means of satisfying the requirements of a U of L admission route.

For more information on this route of admission, contact Recruitment and Student Life

Unfortunately, this information does not appear to reside on its own, directly accessible page. (And yes, you’ll notice some meta data in the code where the answer is provided.) So while it’s not the greatest set up, the information can be found.

The University of Calgary does not have any homeschoool admissions information in the usual places, but if you navigate into the school calendar (published annually and includes all university policies, courses, degree requirements etc.) then you will find there is a short blurb about homeschool applicants in section A-13. Usually these sections remain consistent year after year, so when in doubt, look for section A in the university calendar (often found from the Registrar’s website) and probably subsection 13 (give or take) will be the homeschooling admissions policy.  The curent calendar reads:

University of Calgary Calendar 2010-2011 Undergraduate Admissions A.13 Home Schooled Applicants
A.13 Home Schooled Applicants

Home schooled applicants can qualify for admission by presenting provincial (diploma) examination results in appropriate subjects (Alberta or British Columbia) or by satisfying the requirements given under College Entrance Examinations. Applicants must normally possess a high school diploma and present acceptable scores and average on the five appropriate SAT tests.

Similarly, the University of Alberta will require you to do some digging to find the appropriate information for homeschoolers. In fact, I can’t find any mention of homeschoolers on their website at all.  Again, going through the official school calendar from the Registrar’s website gives us at least something to go on.  The calendar states that the university recognizes three categories of applicants: matriculated applicants from high school, matriculated applicants transferring from another post-secondary institution and non-matriculated applicants.  Of these three categories, homeschoolers fall into the third:

14.3 Nonmatriculated Applicants

The University of Alberta gives special consideration to nonmatriculated applicants for admission to some undergraduate programs. To be considered for admission as a nonmatriculated applicant, a student must be 21 years of age or older by the first day of classes of the term in which admission is sought. Specific Faculty requirements for those Faculties that do consider nonmatriculated applicants for admission are outlined in §15.

Nonmatriculated applicants must normally complete specific Alberta Grade 12 courses (or equivalents) appropriate to each Faculty with a grade of at least 50% in each required course and a minimum overall average of 70%. There is a limit on the number of nonmatriculated applicants accepted into each program; there is no guarantee that candidates meeting the minimum criteria will be accepted. Students are considered based on their academic merit and interview results where applicable. Notwithstanding the basis of admission, all students, once admitted, have the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities.

The application deadlines for nonmatriculated applicants are the same as for high school applicants (see §12).

 

For these and other institutions in Alberta, including university colleges, technical institutions, public colleges, bible colleges and apprenticeships, visit the comprehensive listing of institutions and homeschool admissions policies at Education Unlimited.

It was a list like only a list-maker can appreciate of every math topic you can think of, in such a sequence that you could teach yourself an entire high school math curriculum by going from start to finish.  Of course, if you just needed a little extra help instead of a full program, you could easily find the topic you needed and just watch that video for a quick lesson.

Here’s what the site looked like when I discovered it (and consequently, what I always thought it still looked like):

And here’s what the site looks like now:
(My first attempt to embed a video. If it doesn’t work, just visit http://www.khanacademy.org/about)

Of course, not every program is going to work for every student, but this one was pretty good three years ago and has really done some amazing things since. It’s free, though donations are gladly accepted.  I like their vision of self-paced education and the monitoring tools allow a parent or “coach” (tutor, mentor, uncle who’s good at math) to access student data and tailor their guidance. This website can be used in conjunction with your homeschool math program, or (dare I say) even instead of it as a stand alone academic math program.

It’s absolutely worth checking out at http://www.KhanAcademy.org and as with any homeschool resource, part of the point is that you can take from it only and exactly what you need from it.

I learned about Simon’s Rock “early college” even before I was very familiar with Canada’s open universities.  I think that’s why, although I always try to give personalized options and guidance to those who ask for my help, I’m just so keen on using our open universities as a way into Canada’s post-secondary system.

Bard College at Simon’s Rock doesn’t have an “open” admission system: students must apply and convince the admissions department of their suitability for the school.  But, there are no arbitrary admission standards.  You don’t need to write the SAT.  You don’t need a high school diploma.  (In fact, this school mostly accepts Gr. 10 and Gr. 11 students.) You don’t need to meet a certain GPA requirement. There isn’t a particular credential or indicator that all applicants must have.

Admission, for homeschooled and schooled alike, is based on academic information such as transcripts (official or otherwise), standardized test scores (if desired) and writing samples. The application also requests recommendations from anyone involved in the student’s education (home or otherwise), an interview with the student and anything the student wishes to share in support of their application (such as volunteer work, employment experiences, research).

Yes, I like that they’ve created a great example of a flexible admissions policy.  But even more so, I love that it’s specifically created for younger students and that it counters the tendency in today’s education system to hold students hostage in high school until a pre-defined, age-appropriate time for college or university studies.

Is every 16 year old ready for college? No. But, I bet a lot more of them are than we or even they realize.

I didn’t get much out of my partially-earned B.Ed., but one name I was exposed to was Lev Vygotsky. Although Vygotsky himself never used the current educational buzzword “scaffolding”, his concept of the zone of proximal development (the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help) informed the practice of instructional scaffolding: carefully constructed learning supports that are gradually removed when no longer needed.

With some thoughtful (as in, provided with thought) additional support, our students are capable of working at a higher level than their current abilities would suggest.  In order to promote academic development we should absolutely be providing challenges just beyond a student’s comfort zone, and it’s OK if a student needs a little help to meet those challenges.

Here’s where my background as a tutor kicks in, because of course, most of my time was spent simultaneously challenging and supporting my students. I’ve had to endure years of criticism that I was “doing the work for my students” or “creating dependencies” upon my services, but that’s simply not the way good tutoring works.  Traditional education models focus on the challenging but not the supporting.  If learning via support mechanisms were truly valued, then student assessments wouldn’t continue to over-emphasize “eyes on your own paper” test results. Yet, it’s often through support (from parents, teachers, mentors, and peers) that students become able to face and meet even greater challenges.

And let’s be clear on some of these nefarious, independence-killing strategies of support that I would employ:

• asking questions when a student is stymied (often as innocuous as: “What do you think you should do next?” or “What do you know how to do that you could do here?” or even just “What are you thinking?”)
• choosing for the student which question to attempt next (whether or not the teacher assigned it), maybe because it reinforces a concept just talked about or because it introduces a new idea or because it although it’s been dressed up to look different, it actually uses the same skill just mastered
• suggesting that a student write the question down in a different way to help with clarity and organization (for example, writing in “landscape” orientation for a certain notorious category of problems where students can never, ever fit one single line of math across the width of a page)

So what does this have to do with early college or open universities?

Kids can handle academic challenges, even really tough ones, if we’re smart about providing a support system.

This support system doesn’t have to be formal.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be anything more or wildly different than you’re already doing in your home education. It just has to be sufficient for the academic challenges at hand.

If simply turning a page sideways is enough to vastly improve one’s success rate in working with trigonometric identities, then we should seriously consider, really, how much (or how little!) it could take to support our 15, 16 and 17 year olds in an early college endeavour through one of Canada’s open universities.

Then, our kids could just be in university instead of worrying about how to get in. Instead of spending their “high school” years with curriculum packages, 12U credits, SAT scores, porfolios and home made transcripts, our kids could just be learning at the university level, receiving their university education and working towards a university degree if they so choose.  Or, they could use their university classes to transfer into a traditional college or university after a year or two and be no further behind than others their own age.

This won’t be everyone’s chosen path.  But, I think it should be one of the options that home educating families evaluate before making their post-secondary plans. What if your child really did decide that he or she wanted to start university right now? There are places, like Simon’s Rock, where this is happening in a formal setting. But you can make it happen right in your own home, whenever you want, without jumping through anyone’s admission hoops.

What if we rephrased our current thinking from, “How will my child get into university?” to “When and how will my child decide to take advantage of the guaranteed, immediate access s/he has to Canada’s post-secondary education system?” (If, of course, he or she chooses to make use of it at all.)

I look forward to discussing this at the Kitchener Waterloo Christian Home Educators’ Conference in a few weeks!

Session 1: I have nothing scheduled

Session 2: Learning Styles
This is a new session where we’ll chat a little bit about what goes on during the learning process, and how different types of people might experience the same situation from completely different perspectives. There are almost 200 recognized learning styles models, but the one I’ve always found gave me the biggest bang for my buck was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Although some think of it as a personality typing tool, it was originally designed with learning and education in mind.

This session isn’t about learning disabilities or abnormalities. All types are “normal” and “normal” learners can be any type!

Rather, it aims get us thinking and talking, through the use of just one of several possible models, about topics such as:

* how different learners may respond differently to the same learning environment.

* what happens when a student and teacher (teaching parent, facilitator, guide, mentor, etc.) have different styles

* balancing the conflicting notions of playing to strengths and improving weaknesses (both yours and your child’s!)

By understanding some very specific ways in which factors such as attention, motivation, engagement, perception, decision-making and work habits differ from type to type, I hope you’ll walk away from the session with something that helps you in your day-to-day homeschooling.

Session 3: University Admissions for Homeschooled Applicants
I’m thinking of reorganizing this session slightly, and adding a tiny bit of information on some new topics like admission to colleges (but remember, this session is still primarily about universities!), when you might or might not consider getting an OSSD (high school diploma) and academic alternatives to a university education itself.

But basically, this will still explain the university admissions process in Ontario and where homeschoolers fit into that process. You’ll find out what you need to know about what the policies are, how to apply, the different paths you can take to acceptance and if you’re so inclined, I’ve always got suggestions about how early to start, what to do to prepare academically and how to structure a high school level program of studies.

I do try to take lots of questions, so take that into consideration. If you want to ask a question, you might appreciate the session. If you don’t want to sit through others’ questions, you might choose to just read the handouts instead. (But don’t worry – I’m very attuned to the needs of the audience as a whole and avoid most rabbit holes.)

Session 4: Standardized Tests for University Admissions
Another session from past years, but one I like doing a lot. In this session you’ll try some practice questions from the SAT and ACT and through those, I hope to give you a sense of the task of preparing for a standardized test for university entrance, including where, when and how to write them. We’ll also discuss who tends to be more successful at which exam so you can think about which exams you may want to prepare for, or whether you even need them at all. Other tests we will discuss include Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations, SAT II tests (Subject Tests) and CLEP. I’ll also explain why I won’t be discussing the IB program, nor the GED.

Shameless plug

If none of my topics are particularly relevant to you at this point in your homeschooling, maybe you’ll find one of my cousin’s sessions more to your tastes. Jason McGibbon is a church planter, pastor, lecturer, worship leader, singer/songwriter and most proudly a home school father of four. After many experiences and experiments, some successful and some not, Jason has a passion to share the things he has learned and to encourage others who seek to bring the Bible alive at home. He’ll be presenting in Session 2 and Session 3 and a speaker I highly recommend, family connections aside. (Please don’t hold it against him!)

We will be following the Sudbury model of education, pioneered by the Sudbury Valley School (www.sudval.org), which has been running in Framingham, Massachusetts since 1968. The main tenets of the Sudbury approach are self-directed learning (which means students choose their own activities; learn what they want, when they want, and how they want; and self-evaluate) and participatory democracy (in which staff and students together make and enforce school rules, budget for resources, etc.).

We are currently looking for a site in central-east Toronto with green space and room for a variety of activities. We are also looking for interested parents, students, and staff, as well as people who would like to help get the school off the ground. More information is available on our website (www.reachsudbury.ca) or by contacting us at reachsudbury@gmail.com. We are hosting bi-weekly information nights on both Toronto alternative education in general and also Reach in particular, and also have a Yahoo group (GTAfreedemschools@yahoogroups.ca).

If you can help them with a location or want to get involved, please don’t hesitate to contact them directly. I’ve already offered any assistance I can provide remotely.