Transitioning from homeschooling little ones who can’t read and need you for nearly every task to homeschooling older, independent learners is no small task. Trust me. I have two in high school now, and my youngest is in fifth grade this year. Independently responsible learners are not created overnight. There is definitely a process involved, which is why I was excited to get my hands on Dennis DiNoia’s book Teach: Creating Independently Responsible Learners. I’m always on the lookout for books that help me to be a better homeschool teacher, and this book definitely fit the bill. Teach is an easy-to-read resource with lots of practical ideas for “creating independently responsible learners.”
Dennis DiNoia (perhaps better known to many of us as Mr. D from the online courses Mr. D Math) writes a compelling autobiographical sketch of his journey as an educator of high school students. From public school educator, to tutor, to online homeschool course creator, Dennis provides practical tips that he has learned and put into practice in multiple settings.
Disclaimer: I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been compensated for a positive review.
Homeschooling Independently Responsible Learners
Dennis DiNoia’s book Teach is easy-to-read. I flew through it in just a couple of afternoons. The whole book is about 136 pages and 10 chapters (plus, a bonus chapter). Each chapter addresses a different aspect of training independently responsible learners. He uses simple sentences and simple vocabulary to get his ideas across, though I did find it a bit meandering, with lots of autobiographical bits that didn’t always seem related. I found myself skimming a bit to get to the practical tips: “searching for nuggets” and “mining for gold” he mentions in the preface. But there are plenty of nuggets to find.
(One other caveat I’d mention, simply because I’m an editor and these things stand out to me. The grammar and writing was a bit distracting for me. I had a very hard time reigning in my inner editor. That might not be a problem for you. But if you have an editor-bent, I thought I’d let you know.)
Key Take-aways for your homeschooling high school journey
I found a number of helpful ideas in DiNoia’s book Teach: Creating Independently Responsible Learners.
One of the practical ideas I really enjoyed was his strategy of having his students grade their own daily work. (He still graded tests and quizzes.) By allowing them to grade their own work, he found that students were more engaged in the learning process, more interested in what they got wrong and why, and as a result, they learned far more in the process. And it was a process. He details exactly how he went about it and what he discovered as he went. And yes, he does cover the issue of integrity. It was really fascinating, and probably one of my favorite parts of his book.
Another section of the book I really enjoyed was his tip about the importance of presentation in learning. He describes how a student truly takes ownership of what they learned when they are required to present that learning in some fashion. “When the time comes to show your work…[sic] it is more than just submitting an assignment. The purpose is not just to give the work to someone else, it is for the student to take ownership of the work and present it.” (pg. 54) He goes on to show how the nature of presentation requires that we are more present and focused; there is no opportunity for distraction when you are the one presenting. This section really gave me pause and made me consider how I could incorporate presentation into our homeschool more.
Though his examples most often related to math because of his personal experience with that subject, they could obviously be implemented in any number of subject areas. And I found my mind jumping to those applications often as I read along—what if I let my child grade their own grammar work? What if I had Fridays be presentation days for each subject?
Recommendations for your homeschool reading list
Because I did find a number of helpful ideas from the book Teach, I would recommend it for a variety of homeschoolers and homeschooling situations.
- I would recommend this book for anyone homeschooling an older student, middle school and above. Whether you are transitioning from homeschooling younger ones to homeschooling older ones, or whether you are jumping into homeschooling for the first time with an older student, Mr. Dinoia’s ideas will encourage you and challenge you to think through these years a little differently.
- I would also recommend Mr. D’s book to anyone taking his online courses. Within the book, he expresses in detail his teaching philosophy and approach. If you are planning on taking his courses, this book would be immensely helpful to know how he views teaching in general and specifically independently responsible learners. I would also have your child read it over, as a few of the chapters are addressed to the student specifically.
- Lastly, I would recommend this book to anyone participating in the Challenge programs of Classical Conversations. The ideas in this book so closely align with that educational approach, that I honestly wondered why CC hasn’t decided to partner with him specifically in his online courses. I could see many of his approaches appealing to those within the Classical Conversations model, including his ideas on the power of presentation and taking ownership of your work.
Teach is definitely a helpful resource to add to your homeschool bookshelf for your own professional development. Even if your kids aren’t quite at the independent stage, reading this will help you know what you are aiming for and give you some great strategies for getting there.
Dennis DiNoia’s book Teach: Creating Independently Responsible Learners is available for purchase on Amazon, and you can also view a long list of his online course options on his website.
