Sixteen-year-old Ira is a homeschooler in Mumbai, joining Wolsey Hall Oxford in 2021 for her IGCSEs. She has just achieved an outstanding 6 IGCSEs all graded A* – Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics and English.
Ira plans to study abroad in the future but for now she is concentrating on studying for four AS levels (Economics, Chemistry, Physics, Maths with Mechanics). She gave us an insight into her development and progress as a homeschooler with Wolsey Hall Oxford.
Wolsey Hall Oxford has many homeschooling students in India.
“During primary school, I studied the national curriculum in India. I got the opportunity to study in London for a year, where I was exposed to an entirely different pedagogical approach – one which had critical thinking at its forefront, valued students’ individual perspectives and put learning before grades. Upon returning to India, I became a homeschooler to provide myself with such an education.”
“After two years of independent homeschooling, my father discovered Wolsey Hall when I was starting to prepare for my IGCSEs. It provides the ideal combination of freedom and support. The modules and the assignment schedule provide a helpful structure, while allowing me to still study on my own and complete the work in a manner that suits me.
“I needed help mastering exam technique, which Wolsey Hall provided through the exam-style assignments and valuable teacher feedback. I also appreciate that there are Tutors available to guide me and answer questions whenever I get stuck.”
“I have control over the learning method, which I can design to best suit me. I can engage with topics that interest me at much greater depth than I would be able to in a regular classroom setting; thus, it fosters my love for learning. It allows me to develop a keener sense of self, such as about my learning habits and thinking patterns. This also extends to my understanding of my own behaviour patterns, e.g. what helps motivate me when I have become demotivated. I believe having this knowledge of myself will be of great value and use throughout my life.
“Homeschooling also teaches me how to be independent, instilling values of having self-discipline, developing the habit of doing self-study etc. It also allows for great flexibility, allowing me to engage in extracurriculars of my choice.”
“Homeschooling makes it easier to succumb to laziness, as I am in an environment not solely dedicated to studying. I have learnt to rely on discipline rather than motivation, as motivation levels may fluctuate, but work still has to be done. If I find it difficult to concentrate, I set goals that become increasingly bigger till the correct pace is reached. For example, studying for three hours a day, then four and so on until I reach the adequate number of hours. Being on my own can sometimes be boring so doing extracurricular activities can counteract the dullness. I also find it makes it more interesting if I read aloud while studying.”
“I mostly highlight relevant parts of the textbook rather than make notes (unless I want to cover information not included in the textbook from other sources). So, to prepare I would review my textbook highlights and any notes. Then, I had my mum ask me questions from the textbook/ notes about the topic that I would answer, reinforcing my knowledge.
“I also completed several past papers. I highly recommend doing this and paying special attention to question types and the mark scheme. This helps in understanding exactly what the examiner is looking for and how much detail is needed in your answers.
“Doing multiple rounds of revision is immensely helpful, as I found it increased my confidence. I realised I needed some more time than what remained after finishing my courses. So, I decided to forgo doing the mock exams, and used the time to keep revising instead. This worked well for me as I believe it is extremely important to ensure that there is adequate time for revision.”
If you’re thinking of enrolling your child at Wolsey Hall Oxford and you’d like to know more about what we do or how to enrol, please get in touch. We’re ready to enrol new students throughout the academic year.
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