Keeping Tabs on Self-Taught / Asynchronous Courses

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

DS has his first courses this year that are written to him, as well as his first online asynchronous / self-taught from video classes & I’m struggling with figuring out how “involved” I ought to remain.

How much attention do you pay to courses that are written to your student or that you’ve decided to outsource but that don’t have a live, synchronized teacher / classmates for your middle schooler? Do you…

A. Read everything in advance & keep notes so that you know exactly what material they’re engaging with each day & you’re able to hold detailed conversations with them about the material?

B. Loosely follow along in the TM / listen in on videos / skim readings or Cliff’s Notes so you can help in case they get stuck? 

C. Read over the syllabus, grade strictly off of provided rubrics (if applicable), & only track major assignments? 

D. Completely ignore it & encourage your child to look things up independently when stuck? 

If you have homeschooled through high school as well, could you describe whether  / how this changed as your student(s) got older? 

[luuknam]

Depends on the subject, the kid, how well things are going, my goals for the class, and quite frankly, my interest level in the class. 

[Gil]

We're in the last 3 months of The Boys highschool education.

The Boys have taken Autodidactic Studies for years and I used the "Autodidactic Studies" course as a catch all to provide the support need as their ability to study, learn and master material that's of interest to them developed.

Outside of Autodidactic Studies, my level of involvement with self-taught courses depended on the subject, the kids desire for the long-term outcomes, and my own interest/availability for that subject etc.

[wendyroo]

My experience probably won't help much because most of our experience is with math/science classes, and your questions are more geared toward humanities.

Things I do for both middle and high schoolers with those types of courses:
- Help develop a pacing guide if a detailed one isn't provided
- Keep tabs on pacing at least weekly
- Keep tabs on grades/performance at least weekly

Additional things I do for middle schoolers that I fade out over time:
- Ask to see notes, worked homework, etc.
- Hold on to the answer key and check assignments (high schoolers may be able to self-check)
- Help them redo problems that are causing them trouble (I would obviously help high schoolers too, but only after they tried longer)
- Watch lectures with them if necessary...and often it is
 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

3 minutes ago, wendyroo said:

My experience probably won't help much because most of our experience is with math/science classes, and your questions are more geared toward humanities.

So far the things we are considering are a pretty even-split: Upper-Level Math (AOPS), Computing (Hardware & Programming), Lab Sciences, & LOTE (Mandarin Chinese)… though if these other formats work well over time I’m open to including History, Composition, Non-Lab Sciences, & additional electives, as well. 

Overall I’d like him to experience a variety of formats for both core & non-core courses: parent-taught, self-taught, online synchronous, online asynchronous, in-person classroom, mentor / tutor, etc. 

[caffeineandbooks]

Given that you've posted on the Logic board, I'm assuming your DC is in that age range.  I think that if the subject matters to you, you need to choose an option toward the "A" end of your spectrum of options.  If it's purely an elective interest and you wouldn't mind if it wasn't completed, only then would I go toward your "D" end.

I have a 7th grader doing WWS.  It's written to the student, and this student has no executive functioning issues or LDs, but frequently misses key instructions.  SWB is very aware of this and explicitly recommends strategies to help the student succeed.  All the material is there for the student, but middle schoolers are often not that good at paying attention to details.  Mine also thinks better when forced to think out loud by discussing/explaining with me, instead of rushing into writing without reflection.

I've heard too many stories of parents who asked their usually responsible kid once a week "How's math going?" and received the reply, "Great, there are no problems."  Only at the end of the semester did they discover that the kid had barely cracked the book open and was months behind.  Kids this age still need support to understand instructions, and may not know how to say "Actually I didn't understand that assignment at all and I'm not sure how to get started."