The challenges of facilitating arts learning in home education

Abstract

Home education, or home schooling, is a rapidly growing global educational phenomenon. Given the emphasis that educators, policy makers and researchers have placed upon the arts as an important element in a holistic education, the ways in which the growing home education community are facilitating arts learning warrants consideration. Facilitating quality arts learning has been found to be extremely challenging, especially for generalist classroom teachers who may not possess background learning across the range of arts subjects represented in most arts curricula. Revelations from this study on Australian home educating parents identifies a similar dilemma with the facilitation of arts learning in home contexts, and a significant proportion of the home educating participants acknowledged little to no educational or artistic training. In this project, an online survey was conducted to develop insights into the ways Australian home educators (n = 193) approach arts education, the challenges associated with facilitating arts learning and the strategies they employ in light of these challenges. The research highlights that, while home education is pedagogically unique and distinct from traditional classroom education, the challenges participants expressed regarding teaching in the arts aligned closely with those expressed by classroom teachers in wider research; however, the uniqueness of home education contexts means that support structures for classroom teachers are less helpful for home educators. Implications arising from the research are thus beneficial in understanding the nature of support that might be tailored for arts learning in home education.

How do homeschoolers approach creative arts learning and how can they be supported? Developing a flexible framework for homeschool contexts

“…Five homeschooling families were selected for an in‐depth investigation into their arts teaching and learning processes. Recruitment occurred via the final question in a survey for an earlier phase of the project ( n = 193; see Burke, 2019), and selection of interview participants was determined based upon accessibility for interviews and observation, as well as a reasonably representational spread of a range of pedagogical approaches to homeschooling, which was identified through the survey. Targeting a range of pedagogical approaches was particularly important, given the challenges in developing a framework that might meet general homeschooling needs from a small range of contexts.…”

“…As such, it is typical for families to place much greater emphasis on personal interests than meeting externally imposed curriculum expectations by educational authorities (Burke & Cleaver, 2018; Witczak, 2017). It also shows that arts learning can present a number of limiting challenges, particularly when various artistic disciplines often require access to specialised tools or instruction (such as art and craft supplies, and musical instruments and tutelage), or collaborations with groups, such as group dance and drama opportunities (Burke, 2019; Pitt, 2017; Witczak, 2017). Further, families report a dearth of pedagogically sound support resources that are specifically designed for homeschooling, leading to recommendations that homeschool‐specific support from arts educators be developed (Burke, 2019; Kesselring, 2004).…”

“…The adoption of the above typical educational activities has been found to align closely with the wider use of educational strategies or activities used for other subject domains (Carpenter & Gann, 2016). However, while this similarity exists, Burkeʼs (2019) Australian research identifies that parents often find arts learning a more challenging domain, based upon the unique nature of the arts, which often necessitates the use of specialised resources and knowledge and group collaborations (which are not always accessible). Additionally, time constraints have proven particularly challenging, with arts learning sometimes overlooked by busy homeschoolers in favour of more ‘foundational’ learning areas such as literacy and numeracy.…”

“…Moreover, arts learning is significantly impacted by the parent/sʼ self‐efficacy, and those lacking confidence tend to seek support from external sources that are noticeably lacking in the home education market (Burke & Cleaver, 2019). As such, attributes and limitations in individual homes have been found to significantly influence how families approach arts learning (Burke, 2019; Witczak, 2017).…”

“…Earlier research has identified a call for homeschool‐specific arts education support (Burke, 2019; Witczak, 2017); however the above literature highlights that any support resource for homeschooling must necessarily be flexible, allowing families to adapt it to their unique contexts. As such, a key recognition was that a static or prescriptive resource would be inadequate, and instead a framework for learning that might be more readily adapted and adopted was deemed appropriate.…”