One of the most exciting parts of blogging is the discovery of something you had never heard before. This morning I read Colleen's Thursday Thirteen which included a link to Blogtations -- a site dedicated to notable blog quotes -- where Colleen herself was quoted. As I browsed those quotes, I ventured off into bloggerly by-ways until I stumbled on a new word: unschooling. Correction ... unschooling is a word new to me, but (lo and behold) it is beautifully defined in Wikipedia and illustrated by this photo of an unschooler teaching herself gymnastics. Kinda grabs your attention, doesn't it?
John Holt is credited with coining the word unschooling. Since he died in 1985, I guess I'm a bit behind the learning curve here. But I found the Wikipedia article to be quite interesting.
Unschooling is a form of education in which learning is based on the student's interests, needs, and goals. It may be alternatively referred to as natural learning, child-led learning, discovery learning, delight-led learning, or child-directed learning. ... Students choose how, when, why, and what they pursue. ... Unschooling expands from children's natural curiosity as an extension of their interests, concerns, needs, goals, and plans. ... Unschoolers commonly believe that curiosity is innate and that children want to learn what is necessary for them to become competent adults. Some argue that institutionalizing children in what they term a "one size fits all" or "factory model" school is an inefficient use of their time because it requires every child to learn specific subject matter in a particular manner, at a particular pace, and at a particular time regardless of that individual's present or future needs, interests, goals, or any pre-existing knowledge he or she might have about the topic.Okay, I've heard this argument against regular schooling and for homeschooling. But that word unschooling still fascinates me.
Unschoolers often contest that learning any specific subject is less important than learning how to learn. They assert, in the words of Alec Bourne, "It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated", and in the words of Holt:One who begs to differ is Bonnie Erbe, who wrote about Unspooling Unschooling way back on November 27, 2006 on her "To the Contrary" blog on the US News and World Report website.Since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.This ability to learn on their own makes it more likely that later, when these children are adults, they can continue to learn what they need to know to meet newly emerging needs, interests, and goals. They can return to any subject that they feel was not sufficiently covered or learn a completely new subject.
What do you think about this issue of schooling vs. unschooling? Personally, I'm into unlearning, a totally different thing in which I am actively having to unlearn some of what I was taught so that I can actually think new things in new ways. Wanna know more?
6 comments:
Thanks for the mention and link to Blogtations. I appreciate it!
We've unschooled for years, and I have no regrets. Sometimes it takes a lot of patience to see the fruits of it (one son not reading till age twelve, one daughter not learning algebra till eighteen). A friend called it the "academic surge" and it can take years for it to kick in.
But the rewards are so great (first book said son wanted to read was Pride and Prejudice), it's worth the wait. :)
Very interesting concept, Bonnie. I also had never heard of it. Worth pursuing, I believe. But I don't believe I can accomplish the feat pictured!
Your blog is always thought-provoking, thanks!
John Holt was a mentor of mine. I unschooled my sons when they till they were eight and then they went on to Blue Mountain School, a parent run cooperative that also featured hands-on and kid-led learning. They both started public in the 6th grade. Their choice.
We used the word "homeschooling when we did it because it was more understood, but technically we were unschooling. I kept a notebook about what we did each day and to read it it sounds amazing but it was really everyday life. Kids are natural learners.
In Floyd many of our kids who were homeschooled and went to Blue Mountain School went on to become high school valedictorians.
I did unschooling for a couple years. It's a remarkably educational experience.
I wish I'd been unschooled. maybe i wouldn't have so much to unlearn.
i clicked on the 'unlearning' label hoping there would be more posts regarding your experiences with it as that last question sounded like a teaser.
I stopped by to grab your link so I could hat tip you at Joystory for introducing me to Sue Monk Kidd's The Dance of the Dissident Daughter.
sorry i've been such a stranger since New year's. I've been hyper-focused on a series of related projects on the theme of 'make-over'. When not down with the flu the middle two weeks of February that is. First our room. Then time/schedule. Then computer files. Now the outer and inner self. Really they have been as much simultaneous as serial. Talk about a learning experience.
Sorry I misled you, Joy Renee, when I asked, "Wanna know more?" Since you DO want to know more, I'll try to write something about my unlearning. After our discussions, you probably already know some areas of thinking that I had to unlearn, which are pretty much the same kinds of things you have been unlearning, I'm sure.
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