As you listen to your child, you can assemble a program best-suited to meet your child's interests, skill levels, abilities, and learning style. When homeschooled students are accommodated for their different learning styles, they can learn in ways that reflect their particular strengths. For example, one student may want to build a bridge to learn and demonstrate knowledge about math and physics (not to mention art and history), while another student may want to write and perform a song about the Revolutionary War.
We know that some students are visual learners, some auditory, some kinesthetic. Independent Study provides more opportunity for kinesthetic (or hands-on) instruction. This type of learning often provides more long-lasting knowledge retention, not to mention that the process is usually more fun! For example, a student may want to build a model of an Egyptian pyramid using sugar cubes, instead of solely reading about pyramids.
Furthermore, in addition to hands-on activities, Independent Study often provides many opportunities for functional practice (real-life applications). When practice is relevant, students can easily see the connection between what they are learning and its use in real life. (A common classroom refrain heard by
the teacher is, "Why should I do this; when am I ever going to have to use this in real life?") Additionally, children's success in functional activities can be used to predict their success in adult life.
