When Your Students Know More Than You Do

As a home educator, I quickly discovered that one of the problems with using a pre-packaged or "canned" curriculum is that they are usually sold by grade level. For each grade, standardization prescribes a specific set of topics within arbitrary categories (such as "math," "science," and "social studies"). There are various pros and cons to this approach, but one of my main concerns is that there's little consideration for what a child may already know. If the curriculum is designed for a preschooler who has had little exposure to the world, lack of novelty may not be a major concern: most of the material in a packaged curriculum will likely still seem new (although not necessarily interesting); however, for a high school student who has grown up with access to the internet, there's a very good chance that large portions of the curriculum will cover familiar subjects. Not surprisingly, students who aren't learning anything new are likely to become bored and may even resent being "taught" something they could just as well teach themselves.

I've always enjoyed pulling together a custom curriculum. I'm thankful to writers like Rebecca Rupp (author of Home Learning Year By Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum From Preschool Through High School) and others who have helped me with the do-it-yourself approach. I've seen how home educators who are willing to create their own curriculum can build on what their children already know. They save time by avoiding unnecessary repetition and seize opportunities to connect one learning experience to another. Almost unconsciously, we draw on our families' existing knowledge and shared memories to enhance our understanding of new problems and concepts.

Similarly, when I have offered brief workshops or year-long classes for homeschoolers, I've generally either known all of the kids well (as friends of the family) or have had an opportunity to get to know them as I continue to offer classes, year after year. This makes it easier for me to choose topics, readings, and activities that are most likely to interest them. There is, however, a difference between assuming I know what these kids will want or need to learn and asking them to tell me. Even if the kids are my own, or are kids I have known for many years, I usually ask them outright what they want to know or do. Recently, I made the mistake of not asking, assumed too much, and felt embarrassed by my ignorance.

I was busily planning a course on Digital Literacy (Building On Ted Talks) when I learned that several students who (I hope!) will be in my class next year were actively collaborating on a blog ("King Lear"). How exciting and humbling it was for me to discover that they were already sophisticated bloggers, skilled at writing interesting posts, incorporating eye-catching images and relevant links. Suddenly, my plan to ask them to read Tris Hussey's Create Your Own Blog: 6 Easy Projects to Start Blogging Like a Pro seemed lame. Sure, some of the other kids in the group—the ones who hadn't spent much time online or weren't yet experimenting with blogging—might need help, but they wouldn't need nearly as much tutoring or encouragement as I had imagined. They could just as easily learn from their peers as from me.

Now that I realize my mistake, I wonder what other assumptions I've been making. In what other ways are these teens "thriving online" (to use Howard Rheingold's phrase)? What do they know how to do, and what would they still like to learn? What experience or wisdom might I still be able to share?

I've started to re-examine my plans for next year. I intend to meet with the kids a few times over the summer to ask for their input, discuss what we will study, and decide how we will structure the class. Although I have some definite goals in mind, I'm trying to stay open and flexible.

In the future, I hope I will remember how essential it is to truly know students before imagining I have something to teach them. What interests them? What skills and subjects have they already mastered? What might they be able to teach me or their fellow students?