Spinoff Quizilla: Is that really unschooling? - Page 2

[LeftField]

Thanks!!

Sorry for dragging this thread up again, but I wanted to say "thanks" for your reaponses. It was very thought-provoking. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around unschooling. I have Mary Griffith's, "Unschooling Handbook" right here in front of me. My child is only 3 and we are unschooling right now. He has no work. I just follow his lead, pick up books that I think would interest him (we got two train ones at the library yesterday), answer his questions, etc. He has, somehow, managed to learn a lot of things even though I don't directly teach him.

I guess the philosophical problem I have with unschooling right now is that I lack trust that he would learn math and stuff like that. Of course, this is the kid who largely taught himself how to use our computer at 2.5 yrs. I should trust him more, but as this is directly at odds with what we've been taught in our society about education, it just feels scary, YK?

I want to provide the perfect environment for him to play and learn in, "strew his path" with loads of interesting things that will help him learn, but I'm a bit nervous about that. Still, we've managed for three years. I bought him pattern blocks and some manipulatives, because he's really into spatial stuff, puzzles and shapes. Maybe I'm not doing too badly?

I don't feel entirely comfortable with unschooling for us right now, but I can't imagine saying, "We're learning math today." It doesn't feel right to me, personally, either. I figure I'll be winging it and at a minimum, following a largely child-led style. I can't imagine telling him what to learn, but I feel the need to keep mental tabs on what he's learning and casually introducing topics to fill gaps. Who knows what we'll do down the road? This thread has provided good food for thought. Thanks!

[UnschoolnMa]

Don't apologize, I think this is a great thread It sounds like the approach you have going is working well for you and your son. Trains are cool.. lol

I think alot of people panic about math (and sometimes science too) when it comes to unschooling. I know that I cannot ease your fears entirely, because I am not coming from your perspective and your place in life right now.. but I can say some stuff about math in our unschooling lives.

First of all, I grew up hearing things like, "She just doesn't get math. She is better at reading and writing." So after hearing that a few times over the years I grew to think math was hard, and worse .. that I couldn't be good at it. So I feared numbers, and I avoided them as much as possible. I didn't want that for my kids. They see math as a language, a tool, and just a regular part of living life... without a curriculum. Math is all around you if you think about it. Shopping, cooking, art, games (keeping score etc), building something, it can even be art..

Anyway, just wanted to share. For us, it's all about life and how you see something. Also, math is a constant.. meaning that any skill he didn't learn at age 8 is a skill that he could learn at age 14 if he needed it. The information isn't going away and he can go immerse himself in that information when it becomes important or relevant to him in some way. Wishing you well Kristi

[LeftField]

That makes sense

You know, I always feared numbers too. And while I managed to get a SAT score to get into college and I even managed to pass the math section of the GRE, I have retained very little of the "math" I was taught in school. I imagine that if I knew I had a standardized test to take in the next year, that I could study on my own to get a satisfactory grade.

My husband works in computers and seems brilliant to me. He loves all things math and also science. I asked him if he could figure the square root. He said something about commonly known square roots and I said, "No, I mean, could you take a random number and figure out its square root on paper, manually?" He admitted that he could not, that he did not remember how, because it's not a skill he needs.

I guess the same could be said for a child wrt math. If the child goes to school and is anything like me, the child would only remember math to pass a test and then dump the info. I would rather my child learn it in natural setting like you describe. Instead of approaching it in chapters, they would see the same math concepts in life and get a lot of reinforcement. DS1 cooks with me sometimes. Dh really likes building things and uses a lot of math with that. There are plenty of opportunities to learn useful math in a non-intimidating setting, I guess.

I guess if my child wanted to go to university, at some point, they might need to sit down and review a bit of math. But then, because they had set that goal, I would assume that it would come quickly, having set a firm foundation in practical math skills.

Anyway, thank you for reassuring me wrt math!

[Jen123]

re: math.
My dh and I disagree on this. He wants the kids to memorize times tables and he does a formal curriculum with them. I am intimidated by math and stand back unless the kids are frustrated. (rarely happens. they love math). I have found thru homeschooling no scratch that , I've learned thru LIFE that I know more about math than my teachers and parents told me I did. My children enjoy a freedom in learning math that I never did.

Did you know that in second grade in public schools children begin learning calculator math ? And what's the point in learning things longhand again ?

I follow these principles:
I carry a calculator with me if I'm going to go shopping.

If I forget the calculator I let the clerk tally my order for me. I can always put something back if I go over budget.

I live a happy full life without knowing how to figure a square root. I'm barely able to multiply two digits. Such as 20x32. No one needs to know that stuff. Even if they work "in the math field" they have a fancy expensive calculator at their disposal.

NOWHERE in my life do I have to "show my work" regarding math. Nowhere.

I cannot divide unless it is with manipulatives. I am an intelligent person despite this fact. No one calls me 'stupid' because I use my toes to get to a base of twenty. It's simplier easier to have a visual. Actually just the opposite I get many comments like "that's really clever" or "I wish I'd thought of that."

[UnschoolnMa]

What is really cool is that I find myself playing with numbers now, seeking out games and taking on a math/number problem just because I can... and because there is no Mrs.Roberts glaring at me to "hurry up" or sighing at me because I still "just don't get it". My son loves division, and I sorta think it's fun now too. Don't have any visions of me being a long division doer all day (lol when pigs fly through a frozen hell..) but I don't run away screaming from it anymore either.

There is this freedom to immerse yourself into something, especially something that is maybe intimidating to you, when the pressure is off or at least relaxed. When you know you can say "what the hell does that mean?" or "I totally screwed that up.. let me try it again" a hundred times... or you can ditch it altogether and go watch tv- well, there is a peace involved there that unschooling has given us. I really dig it...

Oh calculators are so cool.. my daughter likes them. She liked to do her "times" on them lol. I love mental math. Trying to figure problems out in my head is neat sometimes.. and sometimes I just want the dang calculator Smiles, Kristi

[PM]

I've never understood this unschooling-means-he-won't-learn-math thing. If he wants to learn math he'll learn it. If he doesn't, then what? What's going to happen? I'm sorry. I don't get it.

I failed math class throughout MS and HS. When I went to college my advisor wanted me in advanced English. So she gave me two or three points on my math placement test so I wouldn't have to waste time in Math 100. (I did get a decent score on the SAT, without studying - somewhere around 575).

When I took a position as Import/Export Manager for a leathergoods company, I needed to be able to figure cubic meters. If I screwed up we lost thousands. For the first time in my life I could add in my head.

I remember using Algebra for the first time, though I thought of it as using a formula. I used it for a purchase or for figuring out a foreign currency - can't remember exactly. But now I use Algebra pretty often. I got an F in pre-Algebra and never even tried the real class.

Also, I would venture to say, LeftField, that you're not quite in the unschooling frame of mind yet, a fact you obviously realize. Unschooling is also a lifestyle, a mentality. It's your child's life and he will figure out what he wants and doesn't want. You'll have to learn to trust him, not unschooling. Plus...he's only 3!

Vanna's Mom - Why are you so angry?