Educating at Home

It has been suggested that SoundWorks could be useful for parents who educate their children at home - even if there are no problems with reading and writing. What SoundWorks offers is clear guidance through the early stages of literacy teaching, plenty of games and activities, and teaching materials that are designed to engage the child's attention. Home educators who are new to teaching might find this back-up helpful.

SoundWorks is safe for every child

So far, we have stressed that SoundWorks is for children who find literacy difficult. This is because the detailed step-by-step approach in SoundWorks is unnecessary for most children as they are likely to pick things up in the classroom without any extra help.

However, if your children are not receiving classroom teaching because you are educating them at home, you might find SoundWorks useful. The programme follows the stages that all children pass through when they begin to read and write - it simply breaks down each stage into a series of smaller steps that are easier for those children who find literacy difficult. If a normal child works through the SoundWorks programme, he will be learning in the way that all children learn, but will cover the steps more quickly.

What SoundWorks offers the home educator

If SoundWorks is safe to use with any child, does it have something to offer parents who educate their children at home?

As mentioned above, if you're new to teaching, you might find it useful to follow a step-by-step approach to the teaching of reading and writing. It means you'll be able to relax and enjoy the teaching - safe in the knowledge that you're following a well-tried method and that if any problems arise, you'll be guided through the difficulties as they occur.
The teaching materials for SoundWorks have been specially designed to hold the children's attention, and the games and activities combine to add plenty of variety to lessons. So you'll never be stuck or run out of ideas to keep the children interested!
The back-up notes on how children learn provide a fascinating insight into what is happening while you're teaching - how children gradually change their understanding of language because of the activities you engage them in. The notes also explain what happens when things go wrong and what to do about it.
Children who have no difficulty with reading and writing will move quickly through the course. The fast pace should be motivating and generate feelings of success.
For children who do find it difficult, SoundWorks provides the careful step-by-step approach that is necessary if they are to make good progress with reading and writing.

When you begin to teach very young children, there is usually no way of knowing whether a child will experience difficulty or not. This becomes apparent once you have taught them for a while. It is useful to point out, however, that two groups of children are particularly at risk: children in families where dyslexia is prevalent (in parents or older brothers or sisters) and children with speech and language difficulties. SoundWorks was specially written with these children in mind. This means that home educators who work with SoundWorks will have a safety-net already in place should any unsuspected difficulties arise.

Value for money?

There remains the question of cost.
We list a few points that may help you decide whether or not the cost is justified.

SoundWorks is a once-off purchase with everything you require provided in the pack.
There are no worksheets or practice books to buy - you make these up yourself from the copymasters provided in the pack.
The SoundWorks pack is very durable and with reasonable care it should last indefinitely. It can be shared by several parents, or passed on to someone else once a child has finished with it.
SoundWorks is ideal for teaching children in groups. It could form the basis of early literacy work where home educators meet together and share the teaching.

It is stressed that, so far, we have not used SoundWorks in a home educating situation and are not aware of anyone who does so. We would be interested to hear from people who have tried this out, especially with children who do not have a problem with literacy.

The author of SoundWorks is keen to liaise with anyone who uses the programme in a home educating situation, and would be willing to provide on-going advice and support if this were useful.