Parents who are not very familiar with homeschooling are often concerned about the kind of learning experience in homeschooling their children. They worry that they will not be able to give their children the adequate academic education needed for college. On the contrary, homeschooled children fare better when they reach college. Universities welcome the diversity of experiences offered by their homeschooled students who are academically-sound as well as actively enthusiastic in in-campus extra-curricular activities. When it comes to the academic course requirements of homeschooled children, homeschooling parents need not worry. The homeschooling kits from K to 12th grade are available in local bookstores, and even online. Furthermore, there are many free online curriculum for homeschooled children.

Social development is also one concern of parents who are contemplating on homeschooling their children. They fear that homeschooled children do not get enough interaction from their peers and from the outside community. What these parents don’t know is that homeschooled children and homeschooling parents can join a homeschooling support group. Here, relevant learning experiences such as going to theme parks, a trip to the zoo, a tour in the museum or library can be done together with other homeschooled children, thus, providing a more natural environment or scenario for children to both learn and interact with their peers and form social bonds in a highly-educational context. Community services with other homeschooled children in the area will also expose and immerse the child in the real-life situation of the community, allowing them a better and healthy view of what they can do as individuals and as a group, to help society.

Homeschooling is not for the faint-hearted parent as it requires much dedication. Homeschooling requires much time, patience and creativity from the parent. For working parents, homeschooling might be harder than one thinks. However, if you hear about the violence in public schools, gangs, the ratio of teacher to students and the inability of your children to absorb as much as they can due to distractions, homeschooling is definitely the only other option for parents who want nothing but the best for their kids.

While it’s typical for a student to declare a minor in a different field altogether-say, an international trade law major might choose a minor such as Chinese language if he or she intends to work within the Asian marketplace-a concentration is often closely linked with the major, more tailored to a specific job description. Someone looking to establish a career related to electronic teaching methods and new media in education, for instance, might pursue a masters degree in education with a concentration in distance learning, or instructional technology.

Credit hour requirements for concentrations vary greatly; programs typically require anywhere between 12 credit hours and 36 credit hours to complete degree requirements for a concentration within the primary degree program. This varies from one institution to the next, and of course, is dependent on the nature of the concentration itself.

Let’s take a look at a few education degree programs and concentrations to see what’s out there, and to help you better understand how selecting an education concentration might best serve your goals.

Educational Technology

Instructional or educational technology is a growing field that emphasizes the use of technology in education, both in the classroom and as a platform for distance learning programs. It encourages the design and implementation of a wide variety of tools to facilitate and advance students’ potential for learning. With modern curricula being built around the use of digital technology and new media, a master’s degree in education with a concentration in educational technology provides teachers with a valuable technological skill set and a solid working knowledge of e-learning methods. Those who understand and embrace these emerging learning methods are in high demand these days, whether it be in education or in private and corporate settings. Check out the International Society for Technology in Education’s Educator’s Resource page to learn more about this exciting, ever-changing field.

Curriculum and Instruction Strategies

A masters degree in education with a concentration in curriculum and instruction strategies can help teachers improve and strengthen their classroom practices. Exploring such areas as student literacy, inclusion and educational leadership, this concentration helps prepare instructors to better implement practical solutions to problems encountered both inside and out of the classroom. There are plenty of related concentrations in education that are associated with curriculum and classroom methodologies that can also benefit administrators, curriculum developers and department heads, among others. In addition, various teacher certifications are contingent upon completing concentrations like curriculum and instruction strategies.

Inclusion

As a practical theory, inclusion is another name for (or synonymous with) what may have been formerly known as “special education”. New educational models emphasize the inclusion of special needs children in the traditional classroom-built around the premise that children who learn together, learn to live together. A concentration in inclusion is designed to provide K-12 classroom teachers and administrators with critical theory and practical knowledge related to special education inclusion-offering educators the opportunity to study and improve upon professional practices, and in some cases, receive special education teacher certification as well.

Language and Literacy

Concentrations emphasizing reading, writing and literacy allow students to focus their attention on the study of how people develop, communicate and process written and spoken languages. This field explores complex relationships between these developmental processes, and how they reflect and relate to institutions, communities and cultures. Naturally, this field appeals to teachers of language and writing, but also has crossover value to those involved in studying new communication methods, particularly as they relate to technological advancement and ever-changing modes of communication. A concentration in language and literacy can prepare students for a broad array of career options, and also puts the graduate student in touch with the most fundamental elements of education: language and communication. The International Reading Association offers an excellent online resource, full of journals, publications and helpful Web tools for literacy and language professionals worldwide.

Hopefully this article has generated some ideas and gotten you thinking about how you can augment your education graduate program with a concentration-maybe you had already considered exploring one of the concentrations listed above. Again, it’s important to remember that specialization is the name of the game now, and while you’re beginning to pursue a graduate degree in education, give some serious consideration to setting yourself up with a concentration of study; you’ll be that much more successful and fulfilled as an educator in the long run.

Talking about Europe, it has carved a niche as a prominent destination for qualitative education abroad among international students. You name the education field and Europe has it- fashion designing, hotel management, engineering, management, study of medicine, etc. Europe is acting as an emerging education focal point. Scholars from all over are considering European education to be a push start for a successful career. It is undoubtedly becoming a hot spot for global students, Indian students being a major chunk of it. A study from the European Commissioner for Education reveals that every sixth student in eminent European colleges is an Indian.

The study also affirms that Europe witnesses a big dropout rate when it comes to higher education. Therefore, it has opened its doors for international students. This cross-cultural education system is being mutually beneficial. While Europe offers leading edge opportunities and resources for educational courses, there are thousands of talented students outside Europe who take benefit of the avant-grade facilities.

Lately, European Education is seen as an education extravaganza. This paradigm shift in the image of European Education is credited to the ever improving education programs by the European Parliament and European Education Commissioners. They are also attempting at increasing their associations and widening their campaigns with other countries so as to spread the scope of education overseas. The interesting thing however is that Europe is all keen on sending its students to India just as it wants Indians to pursue Education there. They deem good understanding of the education in IIT and other premier educational institutes in India, and are educating their citizens of the high esteems and scope of education in India.

Students and scholars have a wide market laid ahead of them. This educational cross flow is sure to bring major positive changes in years to come.