WITHOUT tuition fees or text books, a group of boys and girls 9 to 18 years of age study together at Catherine Lamb's house in Shanghai.

　　They meet regularly, twice a week. On Monday, they are divided into different groups to study history, English, maths and science. On Friday, which is usually the fun day, these youngsters undertake physical training activities such as bowling and basketball.

　　Every time they start their group study, the first thing each child has to do is to give a presentation on what they have learnt during the past week and answer questions from their companions. Every Friday, parents of the students meet to discuss what should they do next to fulfill their children's educational schedule.

　　This activity took place at the Shanghai Home-School Association, launched by parents from five multi-cultural families, including members from China, Australia, the United States, Iran and Canada, in September 2003.

　　Learning at own pace

　　Although it has grown into a popular educational format in the US, home-schooling is still quite new for Chinese parents. In today's China, public education occupies the dominant position with non-governmental education sprouting up only in the past 10 years.

　　"We need multiple educational formats to meet the needs of parents and their children, since every child is individually unique," said Chen Lixin, one of the initiators of Shanghai Home-School Association.

　　Chen's eldest son, Exir, is receiving home-schooling. "It is fun to study in a home-school," wrote the 11-year-old boy in his personal web introduction. "In China, the school gives us a lot of homework that is not really useful."

　　Exir was already fond of science as a little boy. His dream is to be a scientist like Albert Einstein or a cosmonaut like Yuri Gagarin. He once studied in a local non-governmental school, but homework often took up so much of his spare time that he had no time to read his favourite science books.

　　"I like home school. In this way, I can learn a subject at my own pace," he said. While in school, Exir always learnt faster than other children in his class and he felt frustrated because he could not absorb new knowledge at his own speed.

　　In the classroom, a teacher is in charge of 30 or more students. Time and resources are limited.

　　"Children do not learn in the same way. Each has their own learning style," Lamb said. "When taught in schools, they sometimes have to spend time learning what they already know."

　　Lamb's home schooling experience started years before she came to China with her family. She discovered it made one-on-one study possible between her and her children. While receiving home-school education, children learn to focus on what they are really interested in, following what they have learnt naturally. Meanwhile, parents can discover the strengths and weaknesses of their children since they have a better understanding of their children's personalities.

　　Less stress

　　Another reason that Chen took Exir out of school was that she did not want her son to suffer from the stress of peer competition. "Traditionally, Chinese parents expect too much of their children. They hope their children will go to top universities, to get good jobs or to be outstanding at school," Chen said.

　　High expectations from parents often result in them concentrating on the requirements of success in exams. But Chen did not want her son to feel he had to compete too much with other children. "There are a lot of things children need to learn. In addition to academic study, they should practise their life skills as well," she said.

　　In home-schooling, parents, who play the guiding role teach children study methods rather than telling them everything. "Home-school has forced me to become a better parent. I like to be involved in home schooling to do my duty as a mother," Lamb said.

　　According to her, the more parents try to control their children, the more the children revolt. So when her children engage in home schooling, the only thing Lamb has to do is control their time.

　　When children are still young, parents in the home-school association select subjects for them. As they grow older, parents seek help from tutors to design programmes suitable for their children.

　　Being a social person

　　As an educator who has devoted many years to the education field, Zhang Qilian was happy to see that parents were trying out various ways of bringing up their children. "Home schooling is a new educational format. But I am a little worried children from home-school will not participate in as many social activities and learn to co-operate with other children of the same age, which might result in some psychological problems," she said.

　　"The social element is always the number one concern when (we are) talking about home schooling," Lamb said.

　　To avoid problems, she and other parents often organize children to take part in voluntary service projects or to take trips to different places.

　　The establishment of the Shanghai Home-School Association was meant to provide a platform for children of different ages to get along with each other. Their regular meetings on Mondays and Fridays are aimed at letting children help each other and gain experiences through communicating with others.

　　"Despite the fact that the development of home schooling in China has not reached a stage comparable to that of the US, we expect the appearance of multiple educational formats to create more favourable ways for children to realize their potential and develop their individual gifts," Chen said.

　　By Yang Yang