Open Educational Resources (OERs) have become increasingly popular in recent years, as more and more people turn to alternative schooling and education methods. With OERs, educators and parents can access a wide range of free resources that can be used to supplement or even replace traditional textbooks and curricula.
In this roundup post, we will explore some of the best OERs available for alternative schooling and education, including homeschooling, unschooling, Montessori education, Waldorf education, Reggio Emilia approach, project-based learning, experiential learning, outdoor education, STEAM education, language immersion programs, special needs education and more.
Homeschooling
Homeschooling is a popular alternative to traditional classroom-based education. For those who choose to homeschool their children there are many OERs available that cover topics such as math, science social studies and literature. Some notable resources include Khan Academy which offers video tutorials on a variety of subjects; CK-12 Foundation which provides customizable content for students from kindergarten through 12th grade; Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool which provides complete curricula at no charge; Ambleside Online which offers Charlotte Mason-style materials for homeschoolers.
Unschooling
Unschooling is an educational philosophy where children learn through self-directed exploration rather than following a specific curriculum. There are many OERs available that support unschoolers in their learning journey. Some noteworthy options include Project-Based Homeschooling which emphasizes creative projects over rote memorization; Unschool Rules which explores the concept of unschooling from a parent’s perspective; Natural Learning Network which offers online courses on various aspects of natural learning.
Montessori Education
Montessori Education focuses on child-centered learning with an emphasis on hands-on activities rather than lectures or textbooks. There are several OERs available that align with this approach such as Montessori Compass – an online platform for organizing and managing Montessori classroom resources; Montessori Print Shop which offers a variety of printable materials including math, language arts, geography and more; NAMC (North American Montessori Center) which provides online training courses as well as free resources to support the Montessori method.
Waldorf Education
Waldorf Education is a holistic approach that emphasizes creative expression, storytelling, music and art. There are various OERs available that align with this approach such as Waldorf Today – an online magazine dedicated to Waldorf education; The Online Waldorf Library which offers free access to articles on various aspects of Waldorf education; Rudolf Steiner Archive which features lectures, writings and other materials from the founder of Waldorf education.
Reggio Emilia Approach
The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy that puts emphasis on student-led learning through exploration and collaboration. Some notable OERs include The Hundred Languages Project – an online archive featuring projects from Reggio Emilia-based schools around the world; The Reggio Children International Foundation which has compiled research papers on topics ranging from sustainability in early childhood education to documentation in Reggio-inspired classrooms.
Project-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching methodology where students work collaboratively on real-world problems or projects. There are many OERs available that promote PBL such as Buck Institute for Education’s PBLWorks platform which provides hundreds of project ideas across multiple subjects and grade levels; Edutopia’s PBL toolkit featuring videos, articles, case studies, lesson plans and more.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is a hands-on approach to education where students learn by doing instead of just listening or reading about it. Some notable OERs include The Experiential Learning Toolkit – an open-source resource designed for educators who want to integrate experiential learning into their curricula; Journeys in Film which provides lesson plans and resources for using films to teach a wide range of subjects.
Outdoor Education
Outdoor education is an approach that emphasizes learning in natural settings such as forests, mountains or beaches. There are many OERs available that promote outdoor education including Project Learning Tree – a curriculum designed for K-12 students that focuses on environmental education; The Wilderness Awareness School which offers online courses and resources on various aspects of outdoor education.
STEAM Education
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) education is a multidisciplinary approach to learning that combines different subject areas under one umbrella. Some notable OERs include PBS LearningMedia’s STEAM Collection which features videos, games, lesson plans and more on topics ranging from coding to climate science; TeachEngineering which offers free curricula targeting K-12 students with lessons on engineering principles; ScratchEd – an online community focused on teaching computer programming through the Scratch platform.
Language Immersion Programs
Language immersion programs provide opportunities for students to learn languages by being fully immersed in them. Some noteworthy OERs include Duolingo – an app-based language learning platform featuring gamified lessons across multiple languages; Open Culture’s Language Resources page which provides links to hundreds of free language courses ranging from Spanish to Mandarin Chinese.
Special Needs Education
Special needs educators face unique challenges when it comes to finding appropriate resources for their students. However there are several OERs available that address this issue such as Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19 – a resource hub developed by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) offering guidance on how teachers can meet the needs of all learners during remote instruction; AbleNet University which offers webinars and other training materials aimed at supporting special needs educators.
Open Textbooks in Alternative Education
Open textbooks are complete textbooks released under open licenses meaning they can be freely accessed copied modified and distributed without restriction. There are many OERs available that offer open textbooks in alternative education such as OpenStax which offers free peer-reviewed textbooks across multiple subjects and grade levels; BCcampus OpenEd which features open textbooks created by faculty from institutions across British Columbia.
Open Courseware in Alternative Education
Open courseware is a collection of educational materials including lectures, assignments, quizzes and other resources made available online for free. Some notable OERs include MIT OpenCourseWare – a platform featuring over 2,000 courses across multiple disciplines; The Saylor Academy which provides hundreds of courses with complete curricula and assessment tools.
Open Source Software in Alternative Education
Open-source software is software that can be freely accessed copied modified and distributed without restriction. There are many OERs available that promote the use of open source software in education such as Edubuntu – an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution aimed at educators; LibreOffice – a free office productivity suite compatible with Microsoft Office; GIMP – a free image editing software similar to Adobe Photoshop.
Creative Commons Licensing and Alternative Education
Creative Commons licenses allow creators to make their work more widely available while still retaining some control over how it’s used. There are many OERs available that use Creative Commons licensing such as Wikimedia Commons which provides millions of images videos and audio files under various Creative Commons licenses; Flickr Creative Commons where users can search for images released under Creative Commons licenses for use in educational contexts.
Collaborative Learning with Open Educational Resources
Collaborative learning involves students working together on projects or activities rather than competing against each other. There are several OERs available that promote collaborative learning such as Wikiversity – a community-driven platform where users can create share and collaborate on educational content; Google Classroom which allows teachers to create virtual classrooms where they can post assignments give feedback and facilitate discussions among students.
Assessment Strategies with Open Educational Resources
Assessment strategies help educators measure student progress towards specific learning objectives. There are many OERs available that provide assessment tools including Quizlet – a platform where teachers can create quizzes and flashcards covering a wide range of subjects; Kahoot! – a game-based learning platform featuring interactive quizzes and surveys for classroom use.
Teacher Training with Open Educational Resources
Teacher training is essential to ensuring educators are equipped with the necessary skills to effectively teach in alternative education settings. There are several OERs available that offer teacher training such as Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) which provides free online courses and resources aimed at improving teaching quality across African countries; The Open University’s Teacher Education portal which offers free access to materials on various aspects of teacher education.
Student-Created Open Educational Resources in Alternative Education
Student-created open educational resources allow students to become active participants in their own learning by creating content that can be shared with others. Some notable OERs promoting student-created content include Wikibooks – an open-content textbook project featuring collaboratively written textbooks across multiple subjects; WikiEducator, an online community focused on creating and sharing educational content under Creative Commons licenses.
Community-Based Learning with Open Educational Resources
Community-based learning involves engaging local communities or groups outside the classroom as part of the learning process. There are many OERs available that promote community-based learning such as Place-Based Education which encourages educators to incorporate local culture and history into their lessons; Youth Radio, a program where young people produce stories about issues affecting their communities using media tools like radio, video and photography.
In conclusion, there is no shortage of high-quality OERs available for those interested in alternative schooling and education approaches. Whether you’re homeschooling your children or looking for ways to supplement traditional classroom instruction, these resources provide valuable support for both students and educators alike. With so many great options out there, the possibilities for innovative, engaging learning experiences are endless!
Alternative Amie 
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