UNSCHOOLING

When most people think of homeschooling, they probably picture several polite and disciplined children sitting around a kitchen table diligently studying important dates in history, writing research reports, or memorizing multiplication tables. Because most of us grew up attending conventional school, we tend to think that education must take on that same format with which we became familiar. We have a hard time realizing that education can take place in many forms.

Formal schooling was optional for most families until the "common school" movement, which began in the 1850s. By the turn of the century, this movement had resulted in compulsory attendance statutes nationwide. With the establishment of public schools, came the widespread belief that schools are essential for children to learn to function as citizens in modern society. While there was debate over the content schools should teach, there was basically no discussion of whether they were actually the necessity they had come to be seen.

Homeschooling became a movement in the 1970s when John Holt, disappointed in the process of school reform, became a public advocate. Holt believed the necessary child-centered educational reforms could not take place in compulsory school. Holt used the word "unschooling" to describe the act of removing a child from school. Over time it became synonymous with "homeschooling." The meaning of the word has now come to refer to the specific style of homeschooling, emphasizing child-centered learning, that Holt originally advocated.

The homeschooling movement has continued to grow since the 1970s. There are now an estimated 2 million homeschooled students in the United States. It is difficult to break homeschooling into categories based on the style of education, but it seems that unschoolers make up somewhere between ten and fifty percent of the homeschooling movement. (Griffith 1998)

So What is Unschooling?

Unschooling is not really an educational approach as much as it is a lifestyle. Unschooling recognizes that living life is the best source of education. Knowledge is gained through all sorts of activities, not just reading books and finishing worksheets (although that can be a part of unschooling, too). Basically, unschooling is allowing the learning to be directed by the learner. It allows the child to learn what, when, how, and where he or she wants, and for what reasons.

Characteristics of the Unschooling Family

Unschooling is different in every unschooling family. This is because every individual has his own interests and learning style. In fact, the experiences of children in the same family are often very different. Experiences may also change from day to day. Someone recently asked me what a typical day was like for us. All I can say is that in unschooling there are no typical days. Every day is different as the children grow and their interests change.

One common characteristic of unschooling families is that there are lots of opportunities to explore and experiment. Some families have an abundance of materials labeled as educational – books, toys, games, art supplies, maps, etc. Other families might choose to use things around them. They might use everyday household items or their own back yard, or community resources like libraries or museums. Most families probably use a combination of both. Whatever the case, unschooling children need access to what interests them.

It is also important to have adults as models and facilitators of learning. A teaching degree is totally unnecessary. The adults must simply be models of learning in the way that they live. The adults in the family should be naturally curious, asking questions and seeking answers. I’m sure you’ve heard the adage, "Parents who read have children who read." Children who see their parents reading for pleasure will most likely grow to enjoy reading as well. This is one way adults model learning for the unschooling child. Unschooling parents are also facilitaors. They must be prepared to hear thousands of questions and be willing to answer or help find answers.

Does the Unschooler Really Learn?

One last characteristic of the unschooling family is trusting that the child will learn. This is probably the most difficult aspect of unschooling and is mostly due to our own experiences with conventional education. It seems impossible to us that learning can occur anytime, and anywhere. But just remember your child as a busy toddler, into everything. It is that same curiosity which drives unschooling children to learn about the things that interest them.

Of course there is still that nagging worry over whether your child will learn everything he or she needs to know. What about all of those subjects taught in school? The truth is that what they learn will probably not be easily categorized into traditional subjects like social studies, mathematics, and the like. For example, a child baking cookies learns to follow directions, measuring, fractions, reading temperature settings and timers, heat convection and conduction, and division and subtraction as he shares the cookies with his siblings. How do you categorize this activity? Is it home economics, reading, mathematics, or physics? In unschooling, the lines between subjects are blurred. Any activity may cover several subjects at one time.

I am constantly amazed by just how much my children learn on their own. With minimal help from me, my six-year-old is learning to read and do simple arithmetic. He also has an excellent eye for symmetry, which is quite apparent in his LEGO construction. He knows more about dinosaurs than I thought there was to know. He can identify several star constellations and name most of the planets in our solar system. He has been driven to learn these things by his own curiosity.

Is Unschooling Difficult?

In many ways unschooling is easier than more conventional approaches to learning. There are no lesson plans to prepare, no grade book to complete, and no tests or reports to grade. There is also no pre-determined schedule around which you have to schedule activities. However, it can be difficult in that any activity at any time can turn into a learning experience. The parent must be ready to answer questions when they are asked. It also can take a bit of trust and patience to watch a child daydream for long periods of time without seemingly doing anything constructive.

 

 

Unschooling Links:

Unschooling.comnewsletter, articles, and support groups.

An Unschoolerish Approachincludes an unschooling journal

 

Unschooling Articles:

What is Unschooling? by Earl Stevens

Unschooling or Homeschooling?a great explanation of the difference between the two

Can A Christian Be An Unschooler?by Patrick Farenga

Developing an Unschooling Non-Curriculum - Math