This is a question drawn from a ubiquitous issue amongst literacy researchers,
educational researchers, and rhetoric and composition researchers. Technology, having always changed how people practice and learn literacy, continues to change it at an incomparably rapid pace. For homeschooling, however, technology seems capable of playing an especially important role in the process of delegation rather than just as a tool for learning. Two examples of this occurred during my field study. The first happened before my interview with Rachel and Tess, when Tess told one of her younger, school-age daughters that she was now “allowed” to go play the ‘ABC game’ on the iPad while her mother talked with me. The second example presented itself when Laura explained that most of her children’s’ literacy learning in early childhood was facilitated through the Leapfrog computer programs she had them play. “I wish I had invested in Leapfrog,” she told me. From the Institute for Excellence in Writing, to Corey’s coding
education at WP3Schools.com, the ability to delegate literacy learning and practices to sources through technological means was a recurring event. No doubt this reality of delegation through technology is a pertinent issue for educational organizations of all types at every level and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
Literacy practices reveal something about the people who practice them, as well as the values of the institutions, influential figures, traditions and geographical contexts in which those people dwell. This is partly why a study of homeschooling and literacy is difficult to accomplish effectively; there are not a lot of clear boundaries in place like there are with long-standing or
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more centralized communities and institutions. Where does homeschooling begin, where does it end, and what resources or methodologies do families and groups most clearly draw upon? Homeschooling’s extreme heterogeneous make-up, clearly its greatest deterrent to substantial research, turns out to be closely connected with the literacy practices of its participants. When one looks at the literacy practices of homeschooling families, they are probably getting a glimpse of practices that have been selected, modified and delegated with a high level of awareness of how these practices fit into the specific child’s learning and life. This glimpse would reflect the family’s initial decision to homeschool, which remains a countercultural one, and as such, one that is usually undertaken with the knowledge that it is tantamount to “blowing it all up”. The literacy practices of its families – what they are, how they’re done, and where they are learned and practiced – are marked with that same level of intentionality.
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Project Title: Literacy in the Overlap: A Literacy Ethnography of Homeschooling INTRODUCTION
Introduce self, project, and review project particulars.
Introduce interview process: The goal of this interview is to help me get a better
understanding of what homeschooling means to your family, how it is practiced and any general thoughts you have on the movement. During this conversation I would like to specifically focus on your family’s approach to literacy instruction: instruction related to reading and writing. I will ask a few questions related to the types of reading and writing you routinely practice, whether for school or for personal use.
Describe eventual benefits: I hope that this study will help us better understand whether there is a difference in the way homeschooling might affect a student’s approach to literate practices, such as reading, and writing. This study might provide insight into how label, define and think of schooling and the types of reading and writing we do for school and the ones we do outside of it.
Parents
1. Why did you choose to homeschool?
2. How is homeschooling different from or similar to your own educational backgrounds? 3. What does a typical homeschooling day look like in your house?
4. What curriculum do you use? How did you decide upon it?
5. Why did you choose to join the homeschooling group you’re currently in now? 6. Can you describe your level of activity within the group?
7. What resources have you personally used to help you homeschool? Could you explain which ones were most beneficial and why?
Literacy Background & Practice
8. What was your writing education like growing up?
9. What types of reading and writing do your high school children do as part of homeschooling?
10. Is there any reading or writing that your high school children do that you consider separate from their “schooling”? What are those? Why are they considered separate? 11. Have there ever been moments you can recall when you had to decide whether some
reading or writing activity was going to be counted as “school”? What factors went into that decision?
Students
12. What kind of writing and reading do you do for school?
13. What kind of writing and reading do you do “outside” of school?
14. How is the writing and reading that you do apart from school different from the writing and reading you do as part of school?
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15. In your opinion, how would your reading and writing practices change if you were enrolled in a traditional school? Would they change at all?
16. Would you say you tend to enjoy writing? Would you say you tend to enjoy reading? 17. Have you ever written something for yourself that you later ended up using for school, or
vice versa?
Literacy Logs & Observation-based Questions (Exit Interview)
These are only sample questions. The exact content of the questions will change depending on what is actually observed during the observation, the content of the student’s literacy logs and any texts the student chooses to share.
Students:
18. Were than any reading and writing activities that you were surprised to find in your literacy log?
19. Would you say your literacy log gives an example of an average week for you? Please explain.
20. Why did you categorize [specific action of reading or writing] as [school/personal/work/chore, etc.]?
21. Was it difficult choosing to label your different reading and writing activities, or relatively easy?
22. Are there any texts you read or wrote during the week you kept your literacy log that you would feel comfortable sharing?
a. Can you describe this piece of writing and why you wrote it?
b. Can you explain to me how and why you would label this piece of writing? Would you consider it to be a personal piece, schoolwork, etc.?
Observations:
23. Would you describe what I observed on [date of observation] as representative of an average school day? If not, how was it different?
24. I noticed that you engaged in some activities that are necessary to keep the home going while you were homeschooling. How do you label these activities? Would you call them part of the process of homeschooling, disruptions, or something else?
25. [Other questions may be asked depending on the literate work observed during the observation].
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Text Domain/Type Description
Articles Personal Interest/School Reads articles on the internet and newspaper for school.
Blog Personal Scans blogs for school and personal interest.
Books (Read) Personal Interest/School Reads books for school and personal interest.
Character Journals Personal Writes journals from the perspective of characters.
Dance Schedule Required Reads dance schedules before teaching and practicing.
Devotional/Bible Religious Reads a devotional, or her Bible, usually at the start of the day. Essay School Writes essays for school, typically for her History class.
Idea Journal Personal Writes down ideas for stories, characters.
List Personal Will write "To Do" lists and important events on her mirror. Magazine Personal Reads magazines related to her writing and photography interests. Novel (Writing) Personal Writes novels that she will occasionally share on Wattpad.
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Appendix B (continued)
Text Domain/Type Description
Personal Journals Personal Keeps personal journals.
Postcrossing Personal Interest
Writes postcards to strangers around the world and receives postcards in return.
Quotes Personal Collects quotes in a journal.
Reading Log Personal Interest/School Keeps track of any book she's read for school or personal interest. Recipes Required Reads recipes in order to cook various items for the family.
Social Media Personal
Uses social media to connect with others and to help spread the word about her Mission Trip and receive funding.
Text Message Personal Texts friends.
Textbooks School
Reads and write in textbooks within the My Father's World curriculum and local co-op classes.
Wattpad Personal Post completed novels to Wattpad, reads and responds to feedback. Wikipedia Personal Interest/School She goes to Wikipedia "a lot", pretty much whenever "she asks anything."
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Text Domain/Type Description
Textbooks School Reads and writes in textbooks for his courses at the community college and VCA.
Essays School Writes essays for his college courses.
Novels School/Personal Interest Enjoys reading sci-fi, fantasy and historical fiction when he can find the time. "The thicker the better," according to his mom.
Code Internship/Responsibility Reads and writes HTML and CSS code as part of his internship at a web- design company.
Wikipedia School/Personal Interest Reads Wikipedia for school and personal interest. He often visits wikis related favorite franchises, such as Star Wars and The Inheritance Cycle.
Kickstarter N/A N/A
Articles Debates Reads articles in preparation for upcoming debate competitions. Boy Scout
Handbook
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Day Literacy
Activity Type How long? Time of Day?
W Read devotion Personal Interest 20 mins 7:45-8:05 am
W Read school
book
School 15 mins 9:40-9:55 am
W Read music Music Lesson 30 mins 10-10:30 am
W Read history
textbook School 25 mins 11:25-12pm
W Read school book School 5 mins 12:05-12:10 W Read history textbook School 30 mins 1:30-2p W Answered history questions School 25 mins 2-2:25
W Read a postcard Personal Interest 2 mins 2:30p
W Wrote school
essay School 35 mins 2:30-3:05 pm
W Wrote book Personal Interest 40 mins 3:10-3:50pm
W Read dance
schedule Priority 5 mins 5:55-6pm
W Read a book Personal Interest 20 mins 10:15-10:35p
Th Read devotion Personal Interest 20 mins 7:50-8:10 am
Th Read history textbook School 45 mins 10-10:45 am Th Answered history questions School 30 mins 10:50-11:20 am
Th Read recipe N/A 5 mins 11:30-11:35 am
Th Read school
book School 15 mins 12-12:15am
Th Wrote school essay School 30 mins 1:30-2pm Th Read school book School 30 mins 2:05-2:55pm
Th Read journal Personal Interest 5 mins 4-4:05 pm
Th Read a book Personal Interest 15 mins 9:30-9:45p
Th Read/wrote
book
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Day Literacy
Activity
Type How long? Time of Day?
F Wrote in
journal
Personal Interest 1 hour 9:30-10:30a
F Read history textbook School 45 mins 2:15-3p F Answered history questions School 45 mins 3:30-4:15p Sa Texted someone
Personal Interest 30 mins 3:30-4pm
Sa Wrote
postcards
Personal Interest 30 mins 10-10:30p
Su Wrote in
journal Personal Interest 40 mins 8-8:40a Su Read a book Personal Interest 1 hour 40
minutes
8:40-10:20p
M Read a book School 30 mins 10:15-10:45a
M Wrote essay School 50 mins 11-11:50 a
M Read history textbook School 25 mins 11:50-12:15p M Read history textbook School 20 mins 1-1:20p M Answered history questions School 30 mins 1:30-2p
M Read a book School 1hr 2:10-3:10p
M Wrote a book Personal Interest 1 hr 3:30-4:30p
M Texted
someone
Personal Interest 10 mins 8:45-8:55a
Tu Read Bible Religious 30 mins 8-8:30a
Tu Wrote in
journal
Personal Interest 45 mins 9:30-10:30
Tu Read history
textbook School 40 mins 10:30-11a
Tu Answered
history questions
School 30mins 11-11:30a
Tu Wrote essay School 45 mins 11:30-12:15a
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Day Literacy
Activity
Type How long? Time of Day?
Tu Character
development
Personal Interest 15 mins 2:45-3p
Tu Wrote a book Personal Interest 30 mins 3-3:30p
Tu Read a book Personal Interest 10 mins 3:35-4:45
Tu Read dance
schedule
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