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• Exploring Unschooling.... - Mar. 15, 2006
I've been reading a lot about unschooling and I must admit I'm fascinated. The idea is the romantic approach to teaching on steroids. Basically it's this "let the kid do what they want, learn where they will, and they'll thrive."
Unschooling seems so... too good to be true. I was raised in a very structured enviroment - rules, order, schedules - all these things kept life running and made sense. The creative side of me though, kind of chafes at those things. I'd rather spend the day doing what I want, when I want to. That's what I love about blogging. I can read what I want, post what I want, think and feel what I want with little-to-no supervision.
Yet, unschooling puzzles me. While the Romantic approach is sound in a lot of creative ways, it fails to address the simple fact that life simply doesn't work romantically. Most normal people have jobs that they have to be at on a schedule, the have bills and expectations to be met. Adult life is hampered with rules and regulations. How does a child learn to play by the rules when they're whole life they've been anti-structure?
I'm all for coloring outside the lines as much as possible, but isn't it important to learn why sometimes you need to color inside the lines?
If I had my pick I'd do some combination of unschooling and classical education. I guess it fits with my nature. I'm a very organized creative person. I need unstructure and structure in my day - or it all goes to heck real fast.
Hi! Thanks for stopping by with the birthday tips. I loved them!
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with you. I love spontanaeity, but I need a schedule or routine to make sure I cover my bases...in housekeeping, homemaking and in our schooltime. I want my kids to enjoy some of the freedoms that come with homeschooling and get on those learning adventures they become intrigued in. But I also have heard and agree that "Lax learning lacks learning!" in regards to unschooling. I think to make it work, one would have to be very energetic, creative and proactively involved. And there certainly are moms/teachers/women out there with that gift. I, on the other hand, am prone to laziness. No structure and I'm coasting! Great insights you have!
*laughter* Oddly enough, we're currently trying a mixture of unschooling and classical. It's a hard thing to balance, however, as classical almost requires scheduling (at least, with more than one child) and unschooling is so very freeform. Then, again, maybe the problem is with the Mommy, not the student. I'm a scheduling QUEEN when given the option and having to fly without instruments leaves me a lot nervous.
If I figure out a way to make it mesh, I'll let you know. :)
I have some friends who switched from homeschooling to unschooling and the whole concept for me was really hard to grasp. The classical schooling tactics seem to kill a child's love for learning, which is why unschooling is so cool. However, I think that there needs to be some structure to it, especially when you're younger. I think when the children are younger you need to introducing them to different concepts: arithmetic, reading, grammar, science, history. Do it in ways which are fun for them but also educational. As they get older, you can back off some and let them start choosing what they want to learn. It's still a hard concept for me to be totally for, but it's starting to grow on me, especially when thinking about my future children and their education.
Mar. 21, 2006 - Unschooling isn't just about not having a schedual
Posted by Anonymous
We aren't strict unschoolers, but we definately lean very strongly that way. I think there are a few misperceptions about unschooling. First of all, the family definately keeps a schedual, it just might not include sitting at the kitchen table for "school work" most days. The kids still have to learn to be on time for activities, do their chores, brush their teeth and live up to the commitments they make. So, it's not like they're not learning to be responsible, do things they don't want to do or keep a schedual. It's just that education doesn't usually fall into these catagories.
The other thing is that younger children especially will naturally seek out information without being prompted. My 6 year old asked for a math book to work on after watching his 10 year old brother work on his own math. He's currently writing a loooong story about sea serpents and dragons. When we started the year he dictated to me and copied what I wrote into his notebook, now he's writing independently. He's been asking to learn cursive, but I don't think his fine motor skills are ready, so I've been putting him off. On a daily basis he asks questions about how things work which delve into anatomy, geology, physics, biology and on and on. Today's puzzler question was "since there's no air in space, where did the earth's atmosphere come from?"
My 10 year old, on the other hand, suffered through 3 years of school and 1 more of me trying to force him to "do school" at home. I really regret having forced him to do much more than keep up with math and a bit of writing. He's just now starting to ask lots of questions and start projects on his own. Up to this point, he's always been afraid that I would turn everything into a lesson with lots of boring work and writing! But, I finally started ignoring the nay-sayers and have let him alone and his natural curiosity is getting the better of him.
Some unschooling purists will actually allow their kids to do absolutely anything they want, including watching gobs of cartoons and playing video games for hours on end. I think this is unhealthy no matter what method you're using. I have found that a key to sucess is seriously limiting their access to really mindless things and filling the home with mountains of books (including carefully selected workbooks), materials for building and experimenting with and mind-challenging games. One thing which happens frequently with my 10 year old is he asks a question and I direct him to a couple of books which have answers. More often than not he not only finds his answer, but ends up reading several chapters on other topics from the book.
I do think that as kids get towards high school age, it is necessary for them to complete more formal courses on things like math, science and history. However, at this point I have a 10 year old who reads about 10 books a week, is almost finished with a pre-algebra course and often ends up lecturing the volunteers at the local science museum about the things they're supposed to be teaching. My 6 year old is a proficient reader, has completed 2 years worth of math work and has a better understanding of the physical world than most junior high kids. So, we're pretty happy with it.
Rebecca T
www.theupsidedownworld.blogspot.com
"I'm all for coloring outside the lines as much as possible, but isn't it important to learn why sometimes you need to color inside the lines?"
This is a great way to ask this question, a question I've encountered before, but have never heard asked quite this way. First, this question contains a premise -- that one *ever does* need to "color inside the lines". If one accepts this premise, there is also a more primary question that needs to be answered before your question can be tackled -- why *do* we ever need to color within the lines? That is, what constitutes a valid reason for accepting such a restriction?
As an unschooler, here's my answer: I do think that it's sometimes important to "color inside the lines", but only when doing so is a means to reaching one's goals. Therefore, I think the best way to learn this lesson is by discovering the "why" oneself and accepting the restriction because one recognizes its value. Life is an open book, and the message I want to send my children is that they can choose their own destiny. Certain behaviors are not compatible with certain goals, and reality itself will teach this lesson. You can't lose weight by consuming 3000 calories a day while burning only 1000.
True, some adults (perhaps even most) hold 9 to 5 jobs and need to follow certain schedules or other restrictions. But these are not metaphysical requirements of reality... these adults accept these restrictions because doing so is consonant with their goals (a stable career, earning money, getting onto a stepping stone to a better job, whatever). Adults who recognize that they have voluntarily accepted such restrictions are generally happy in their careers, hard-working, and proud of their accomplishments. Those who don't (who consider the restrictions under which they live to be other-imposed, arbitrary, or irrelevant to their goals), make excuses, do sloppy work, complain about their jobs/bosses, and lead unhappy, unfulfilling lives.
It's only important to color inside the lines when doing so suits one's goals and ambitions. If you want to be a good biologist, you may need to suffer through a course in organic chemistry. If you want to be a rock star, you may need to take some guitar lessons and practice a lot. If you want to take a ski vacation this winter, you may need to take on a part-time evening job to finance your trip. But this is very different from being forced to memorize the multiplication tables because somebody tells you "math is important" or being forced to wake for school at 6 a.m. because "lots of jobs require people to keep such a schedule". I think more so than schooled children, unschoolers recognize that unpleasant restrictions are sometimes necessary and worth accepting as a means to a goal... because they tend to face such restrictions only when the goal is their own. And as far as I'm concerned, that's the only valid reason to accept a "color inside the lines" restriction in the first place.
Blogging is my only addiction. Well, blogging and new books. I was homeschooled from K-12. I have an overactive imagination, read a page a minute and type 75 wmp. I've worked with kids since I was 13 and love writing about education issues. I'm an unpaid intern with MINDspriting. I steal paperclips to make up for the lack of a check.
