unschooling

[mizznicole]

How do you Montessori parents view "unschooling"?

Personally it seems like the polar opposite of Montessori. Even though it is child-led, it is highly organized and structured. Also, MM's view of the child is that he has sensitive periods for development, and should be given a rich environment to support those developmental milestones.

Anyhow, with the popularity of unschooling I've been interested in how it differs (or resembles) Montessori.

I have other philosophical problems with unschooling, but that's another story.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Koloe]

From what little I know of "unschooling" (a contradictory term if I ever heard one IMO) it seems a lot like Montessori for home schooling. Though they don't necessarily use the Montessori equipment, it seems like it follows the child lead and the adults in the child's life try to supple materials that will help the child learn based on what interests the child. Which is kind of what a director(ess) does from what I've read.

[Anandamama]

Like the PP said, I think that unschooling can resemble Montessori if the children's interests are encouraged and the children are given every opportunity to participate in family and community life. Maria Montessori thought that living on a farm is ideal for children, because they are included in all sorts of "practical life" activities where they aquire all the skills they need to be competent and confident in their environment, and also fluent in the cultural norms. For instance, we do lots of "pouring work" with the primary age, but children who participate fully in their family life will be doing pouring work as they give the animals water, fill up canning jars, milk cows, etc.

I don't know a whole lot about unschooling, but it seems like it could be as fantastic and supportive as a child's family is, or totally lame, lazy and unhelpful, if that's what their family is like. If a child doesn't get important math and language skills through their unschooling education, it certainly is doing them no favor, but will be a handicap to them throughout their lives. Children can, however, learn to read and do sums through integrated, daily activities, not just through lessons devoted solely to math and reading.

I sometimes think of the Montessori lessons as poetry of everyday life. Lessons condensed and succinct, designed to appeal to all the senses of a child and to present doors for the child to open as they are ready. The child shouldn't have such an overt feeling of "being taught", but instead, "I figured it out myself". Being a fan of Montessori, I think it is the rare parent who is so observant, intuitive, and devoted.

Then again, I know a family with 4 grown children who were unschooled, and you couldn't wish to find anyone who is more intelligent, confident, compassionate, thoughtful, and accomplished than these four.

[GuildJenn]

I actually think they're pretty related in that both allow the child to engage with the material on his or her own terms. At least that's what attracts me to both... that the learning is 'there' waiting for the child and then when the child enters a period of interest, bang, they can get into it right then and there.

I think where Montessori is different is that it does break concepts down into chronological steps (learn this, then this, then this) where unschooling may or may not.

[Lingmom]

Originally Posted by Anandamama

...it seems like it could be as fantastic and supportive as a child's family is, or totally lame, lazy and unhelpful, if that's what their family is like. If a child doesn't get important math and language skills through their unschooling education, it certainly is doing them no favor, but will be a handicap to them throughout their lives.

I totally agree with this. I lurk on the unschooling forum sometimes and have been alternately surprised by the fantastic stuff some families do as unschooling, and have just as often been shocked by the complete educational neglect some families consider to be unschooling (i.e., all day video games).

I think it's the same in the sense that both are at their core learner-driven rather than teacher driven. Both emphasize the idea that children naturally want to learn and do so at different rates.

Otherwise, it's completely different. It seems to me that Montessori is a single philosophy of education whereas unschooling encompasses many different philosophies and depends on the individual family. Montessori education gives students freedom within a structure. Students can move faster or slower, forwards or backwards on their journey to education. But there is a path that is laid out for the child. I think unschooling has a connotation that no path is there and the child should find their own way through the multitude of things a person might learn.

[MattBronsil]

Originally Posted by mizznicole

How do you Montessori parents view "unschooling"?

Personally it seems like the polar opposite of Montessori. Even though it is child-led, it is highly organized and structured.

So is Montessori...
Are you saying Montessori is highly organized and structured and unschooling is not?

From what I have seen of "unschooling," it is kind of hard to answer because I have seen a wide variety of explanations on what the term means and I can't seem to find one exact commonality other than the children don't go to school and they learn differently than the way of traditional education. Maybe someone that knows more can explain it to me.

Matt