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your definition of unschooling?

1K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  Dar 
#1 ·
How would you define your approach to unschooling?
 
#3 ·
Miranda pretty much summed it up for me too. No forcing or coercion going on and the rest just happens.
 
#5 ·
I know for most people here this goes without saying, but I just want to clarify that (to me at least) being an active parent is also an important part of unschooling. Just telling kids they're free to learn whatever they want isn't enough, if you're not also interacting with them, helping them find resources and providing those resources, and learning new things yourself. MHO,

Dar
 
#6 ·
Kind of what Dar said...along with my own 'flavor'.... interest led learning,depending on whose interest it is at the moment,could be anyone in the family,for any reason,and if it's family affair,we all learn from that- -sometimes I feel I'm a little too coerced into learning the ins and outs of something
-like Pokemon,and I'm sure my kids feel the same about some other things,but in the end,it all seems to balance out.
So i guess I don't have big problem with dragging the rest of my family into whatever interest I deem thrilling for the day,or week,or year,and the same goes for them-
my kids wouldn't have learned so much Shakespeare,mandarin Chinese,Italian,Japanese,and all the words to all the Beatles songs if their close in age auntie hadn't been so obsessed,but she was,and they did!
I'm more relaxed than DH anyway,so I try to respect and encourage my kids own leadings- if ds2 is obsessed with Koalas,then we make a cross country trip to see them at Grammas local zoo....Dad loves old cars,so we stop at the classic car museums...ds1 loves videogames- head to NYC for Nintendoworld-I love Nature, so we visit Niagara Falls....etc etc etc....
I have a fascination for universal math- so my kids know more than they want to about that
 
#7 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by UnschoolnMa View Post
Miranda pretty much summed it up for me too. No forcing or coercion going on and the rest just happens.

Although, plenty of non-unschoolers will say they don't force or coerce either. So adding "not parent-led" is helpful in making the distinction between unschooling and everything else.
 
#8 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by fourlittlebirds View Post
Although, plenty of non-unschoolers will say they don't force or coerce either. So adding "not parent-led" is helpful in making the distinction between unschooling and everything else.
True, the words "force" and "coerce" are loaded, and not many people would admit to them. Perhaps "without specific educational requirements or expectations" would be a less negative way of getting at the same idea.

Miranda
 
#9 ·
For us, there is definately a non-coersive component. I don't tell my children what they must learn and they don't have a scope and sequence to follow. They learn what they must learn to do the things they want to do.

They read, talk, try things out on their own, ask for help when they need it, watch others doing what they're learning to do, watch movies, go to museums and science centers, ask questions, and use books, magazines and the internet to research what interests them.

I've had the most success explaining our unschooling by asking, "Think of something you've learned to do, outside of school. How did you you learn to do it?" THAT's what our approach looks like.
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by fourlittlebirds View Post
Although, plenty of non-unschoolers will say they don't force or coerce either. So adding "not parent-led" is helpful in making the distinction between unschooling and everything else.
Very true!


Quote:
True, the words "force" and "coerce" are loaded, and not many people would admit to them. Perhaps "without specific educational requirements or expectations" would be a less negative way of getting at the same idea.

Miranda

I agree with this as well.
 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dar View Post
...being an active parent is also an important part of unschooling..
Dar
I like to emphasise this aspect also. In describing what we do I like to describe it as the most hands on way of being hand off.

Stretching beyond education in its narrow form, for us it filters through to no coercion around food, activities, bed times etc etc etc.. Lots of pro activity in providing options/ ideas together, modelling and so on. However it is based on a consensual relationship with no coercion.

cheers,
arun
_____________________________________________

| anne + arun |
http://www.theparentingpit.com
 
#13 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Joan View Post
I've had the most success explaining our unschooling by asking, "Think of something you've learned to do, outside of school. How did you you learn to do it?" THAT's what our approach looks like.
I realize I have a different view than many here about the term...but I heartily agree with this point! I do tell people that everything I am now,that I learned and retained into adulthood,I learned from listening and just being involved with a very active family!
 
#14 ·
To sum up what we do, we're very relaxed, eclectic Autodidacts.

We, as individuals, are our own teachers, with support from each other, any tool possible, and others when we deem it.

It's individual led learning with support and guidance from others or tools in our home and outside our home, when ever possible, to fulfill a desire to know something. We, as parents, don't hand feed our children the food; they go out and forge for it, prepare it and serve themselves, and more often than not, they share it with the whole family and others as well. There are times they ask for assistance in the process, and we are happy to oblige. Along the way, they find more things to forge for and fill their minds with when they are ready to explore new things.
 
#15 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by reeseccup View Post
To sum up what we do, we're very relaxed, eclectic Autodidacts.

We, as individuals, are our own teachers, with support from each other, any tool possible, and others when we deem it.

It's individual led learning with support and guidance from others or tools in our home and outside our home, when ever possible, to fulfill a desire to know something. We, as parents, don't hand feed our children the food; they go out and forge for it, prepare it and serve themselves, and more often than not, they share it with the whole family and others as well. There are times they ask for assistance in the process, and we are happy to oblige. Along the way, they find more things to forge for and fill their minds with when they are ready to explore new things.
I appreciate this description. Much of it describes what I see happening in our family also, as far as learning goes.

As it applies to our family, I would add in that when mom or dad find something interesting, we also share it with the kids, just as they share with us when they find something interesting.

I think our version of unschooling could also be called "family centered learning", where we make use of our extended family relationships as a resource (grandparents and great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) and we include friends into our family circle, when appropriate.

Something else I would need to add into our unschooling philosophy is that we do what works for us when it works and are not afraid to make changes when something stops "working" or needs tweaking. I don't follow an unschooling "formula" (I avoid absolutes like "we never" or "we always"), just as I don't follow many absolutes in other areas of life.

Unschooling, for us, is living life and finding the tools we need when we need them. For instance, I no longer say "I will never use a curriculum with my kids", b/c I see it as a valid resource, it just depends on how it is used. I know there are probably other unschooling families who don't feel this way, but I know at least one--author David Albert's--that does. I have used bits and pieces of lots of ideas, whether called curriculum or books or people's ideas or what-not, and modified it to fit my needs and the kids needs.

For instance, I took what I liked from Oak Meadow's preschool/kindergarten curriculum and "left the rest". I began having more of a rhythm to the day and making a point to spend one-on-one time with each kid, and it really worked well for the kids and me. I also read some of the stories from Beatrix Potter, which led us to view a wonderful DVD made with ballet dancers in animal costumes, which my boys just adored. It made for an interesting foray into the arts (dancing and music), history, imaginative play, literature, etc., and we followed it as long as I or the boys were interested. It was cool to just dabble in, and I know that at some time, we may come back to the subject, or what we learned individually may contribute to some future learning adventures. Most of all, we had a great time together! My kids know more about Potter's works, some about ballet, and beautiful music, and it is a part of them now. Pretty cool!

It's funny, to me, unschooling is the way we learn normally, without someone telling us what we should be doing and when. I think it's what a person would be doing if they lived a thousand miles from "civilization" and was in tune with themselves and what they need intrinsically. It is learning that comes from inside, and makes wide use of the whole world. I think that it's also important with what one does with one's learning and growth. I see my purpose on earth not only to gain knowledge and experience, but also find ways to uplift and bless others' lives, starting with my family and moving outward.
 
#16 ·
I'm kind of half-awake and surfing while drinking my cup of tea...so please forgive me if someone said this already. When I think of unschooling, I also think about modeling that learning comes in many forms rather than just the school-oriented, workbook model that most of us experienced. Little kids are somewhat impressionable so I think it's easy to get them hooked on workbook learning. I mean, my kids have done workbooks. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but it's important to me that they know it's not the only way to learn something and that it is not the "official", preferred way of learning.

I want them to see that we learn from many things in life. And I also see that they have the unlimited time and the opportunity to invest their energy on learning what they want (I'm jealous!). So they can do things that they couldn't do in school or they can learn in a manner that is not allowed in school. Also, you can learn just for the pleasure of it and just not complete a task. In school, it was like connect-the-dots; you accomplished little things just to get to the next little thing. In unschooling, you are not limited by the mindset that learning must be accompanied by prescribed objectives and expectations.

This week, after finding a roll of tape on a plastic dispenser, my 6 year old made a paper airport and a paper museum. That's what he's invested his mental resources on this week. He's doing it because he wants to. He can stop when he wants to and he doesn't have to talk about what he's learned. I have no expectations that he'll find something educational about it. However, he's learning about things one often finds in a early elementary workbook: geometric shapes, symmetry and patterns. To me, if I WERE assessing learning about things like this, what he's doing seems more natural and effective than sitting with a pencil and workbook.

I'm still half-asleep so I hope this made sense. It's important to me, in the early years, that my kids don't get sucked into the school mindset simply because their minds are very open to things and there are so many things to learn from life and so many things to explore. I strive, in the path strewing department, to provide many well-rounded opportunities for them to exercise their brains in creative ways and to just have fun. I don't see a math workbook, for example, to be better or more important than playing with K'Nex or exploring nature. Also, and this probably works better for introverts (which I have), I try to give the gift of space. I want my kids to have adult-free space in which they can do their own thing. I try to avoid hovering or turning every random comment into an educational opportunity.

Ok, now I'm babbling and one of my kids needs something. I'll just hit "submit reply".
 
#17 ·
as my friend dayna puts it, i am my daughter's facilitator, not her teacher. i mean of course i may teach her things not meaning to or if she asks me to show her something or answer a question she is researching...teaching only means to guide anyway...but only if she wants this from me and i know the answer...or we research the answer together.

i'm a radical unschooler...hey if any of you are interested in radical unschooling and the law of attraction as mentioned in the secret, check out a new yahoo group...its a great group of us mamas... radicalunschooling@yahoogroups.com
 
#18 ·
to my unschooling means.......
giving the tools to learn but not forcing it, leting the dc learn at their own pace, following their intrests along with everyone else in the family learining, learning by things that are happening in our family (ex. being preg. learn all about it), not worrying about completing things by a deadline, not worrying about if your child is behind others but leting your dc be head of others in other areas, learning is a life long thing not a 8:30-3pm thing it is all day long everyday forever you never stop learning
 
#19 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftField View Post
When I think of unschooling, I also think about modeling that learning comes in many forms rather than just the school-oriented, workbook model that most of us experienced. Little kids are somewhat impressionable so I think it's easy to get them hooked on workbook learning. I mean, my kids have done workbooks. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but it's important to me that they know it's not the only way to learn something and that it is not the "official", preferred way of learning.
I think this is really true, and really important to remember...

Dar
 
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