Unschooling: An educational concept or a social journey?
Ok...I've been dying to write this one. Unschooling is something that has always intrigued me. Unfortunately, most of the people in my life are very criticizing of the concept, and they do not want to have their thought processes challenged!
What is Unschooling:
An educational approach that is rooted in the belief that children should be in charge of their own learning. It is sometimes referred to as "child-led learning" or "self-directed learning." Unschooling rejects the traditional classroom-based approach to education and instead encourages learning through life experiences, such as exploring the world, participating in activities, and engaging in conversations with others. Unschooling is a form of homeschooling and first appeared in the 1970s in the United States. It was popularized by the writings of John Holt, an educator, and writer who believed that children should be trusted to learn naturally, without pressure or coercion.
And...What is Almost Unschooling:
A term coined by author and unschooling advocate Tamara L. Andersen in her book, Almost Unschooling: A Bridge to Radical Unschooling. It is a way of learning and living that is based on the concept of unschooling, but with a few more restrictions. It is a bridge between traditional schooling and radical unschooling. It was created to be more accessible to those who are not ready to completely separate from the traditional education system.
Almost Unschooling is based on the idea that learning should be done in an atmosphere of exploration, curiosity, and discovery, rather than in a structured, teacher-led environment. It encourages a child to explore their interests, seek out information on their own, and work on projects that are meaningful to them. Almost Unschooling also focuses on creating an environment of respect and trust between the child and their parents or guardians.
One of the main benefits of almost unschooling is that it allows children to have more control over their own education. They can choose to focus on subjects that they are particularly interested in, rather than being forced to study subjects they have no interest in. This can lead to greater motivation and engagement, which can in turn lead to better learning outcomes.
As a Homeschool mom, who also has Narcolepsy, my days can be a bit of a roller coaster. Some days, I feel like I can conquer the world, and other days I can barely keep my eyes open. Literally!
I have been intrigued by the idea of unschooling, and specifically almost unschooling, for quite some time now. Our homeschool tends to sit right in between traditional homeschooling and unschooling. We do not have a set, specific curriculum, though we do have overall concept goals.
In general, my daughter is allowed to learn at her own pace and in her own way. I lay the outline for the month, quarter, year, and she directs the day to day activities and lessons. This method is based on the idea that children are naturally curious and will learn what they need to know in order to be successful in life.
Unschooling, or Almost Unschooling feels like a way to give my child the freedom and autonomy she need to thrive. I cannot expect my child to have critical thinking skills and be independent if I never give her the chance to practice these concepts.
The Shame, The Nerve...
Unschoolers often face criticism from people who believe that children need a structured education to be successful. Common criticisms of unschooling include that children will lack socialization, lose out on educational opportunities, and that they will lack structure in their lives. Critics also argue that unschooling does not adequately prepare children for college or the workforce. However, many unschoolers have achieved success in college and the workforce, and have often found that unschooling has allowed them to develop skills that they would not have learned in a traditional classroom.
Here are some common misconceptions about Unschooling:
Unschooling parents are not concerned about their child's education
Unschooling parents are just as concerned about their child’s education as any other parent. The difference is that unschooling parents believe in self-directed learning. Unschooling parents do not necessarily reject the idea of formal education, but rather believe that learning should be self-directed, engaging, and meaningful. Unschooling parents often go above and beyond by providing their children with educational materials, trips, annual paid memberships and other resources to support their learning.
Unschooling parents do not encourage their child to learn.
Unschooling parents actually do encourage their child to learn, but in a different way than the traditional school setting. Unschooling parents recognize that learning is a natural process and that children are naturally curious about the world around them. They provide their child with resources and opportunities to explore and learn without the pressure of tests and grades.
Tree Valley Academy, in their Beginner's Guide to Unschooling, writes "Children want to learn. Curiosity drives them. They watch, they listen, they touch, they explore. They have a tremendous capacity to learn the world around them. Why then would we interrupt this natural process and place them in schools which are artificially dictated places of learning?"
“the idea of special learning places where nothing but learning happens no longer seems to me to make sense at all. The proper place and best place for children to learn whatever they need or want to know is the place where until very recently almost all children learned it – in the world itself, in the mainstream of adult life”.
--John Holt, "How Children Fail"
Unschooling parents do not teach their child basic skills.
In March of 2022, Outschool.com, put out an article titled "Unschooling: A parent's guide to child-led education," in which the author states:
"learning is a side effect of playing, pursuing interests, and developing passions. People who practice unschooling closely observe what a child is already interested in, what they’re passionate about or what they’re playing and then bring more of that into their world. That might be through books, toys, or equipment — or it might be through connecting them with other people who share that interest.” The article goes on to explain that for Unschoolers learning happens everywhere, all day, and no matter what. Unschoolers get to learn from traveling, playing games, getting out in nature, talking to strangers, fixing things around the house, cooking dinner, and more.
Weed Em and Reap, a blog site dedicated to homeschooling and urban farming, states that, "We naturally learn by discovering an area of interest, and as we explore that interest, it crosses over into multiple subjects. By learning through an area of interest, we learn faster and deeper than we can ever imagine." The example given is perfect, and thoroughly explains how Unschoolers learn all subjects without a curriculum. Here is a summary of the example: If you would like to read the full article you can find it here.
Imagine you were interested in Animals. These are all the things you would do: read books on animals (Reading), learn various facts and classifications of species(zoology, phonics, while language), learn how different species were bred and discovered (history). You would also talk to other people about animals, because that is what your interested in (social interaction/speech/ debate). You would visit a Zoo or farm (here's your real life application). You would likely want to draw and learn to draw pictures of your favorite animals (Art) The example she gives continues on to include Science, Math, writing and more. It is well worth a few minutes of your time to at least go read the full example to give yourself some ideas. I was pleasantly surprised to figure out how much educational content we really get out of my daughter's passions.
Unschooling parents do not provide structure or boundaries
Unschooling parents provide boundaries and teach self-control by setting expectations and encouraging their child to take responsibility for their own learning and behavior. They do this by providing their child with clear expectations and guidelines for behavior, communicating with them regularly about their choices, and setting limits on activities and experiences. They also provide guidance, support, and resources to help their child develop self-discipline and self-control. Additionally, they offer their child opportunities to practice decision making, problem solving, and critical thinking, and they provide consequences for inappropriate behavior.
A few positive thoughts and possibilities on Unschooling:
- Allows students to pursue their individual interests and curiosity.
- Allows students to learn at their own pace and in their own way.
- Allows students to develop self-motivation and self-discipline.
- Offers flexibility in terms of time, location, and materials.
- Promotes creativity and critical thinking skills.
- Allows students to learn in a non-traditional, non-prescriptive environment.
- Promotes life-long learning and exploration.
In conclusion, because it is 2:30 am and time for me to wrap this up:
The unpredictable and often overwhelming nature of Narcolepsy(ie, insomnia at 2:30 knowing my kid will be up by 7:30) can make committing to a traditional homeschool schedule difficult, if not down right impossible at times.
Unschooling can provide a safe and comfortable learning environment with fewer expectations and more freedom with the added benefit of creating a little human who knows how to think critically, and outside the box. Unschooling allows for a personalized learning experience for my daughter and for myself.
Regardless of how she learns or how I do or do not sleep; we are in fact learning and bonding every single day. One of the most beautiful parts of this entire experience is witnessing a lifelong love of learning being built upon every minute of every day. We get to learn new things together and there is no better bonding experience than that.
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