Unschooling
I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions
in which they can learn. ~ Albert Einstein
Unschooling is not easily defined. The range of homeschoolers claiming the unschool label vary from "radical unschoolers" who disdain any form of curricula or textbooks to those who prefer child-led learning but might also be called eclectic. All homeschooling was originally called unschooling by John Holt, one of the pioneers of the movement. Gradually the term has come to mean those who use no formal curricula but make liberal use of the learning opportunities that present themselves in daily life. Without outside intervention in the form of forced teaching, learning naturally happens. Unschoolers attempt to provide the best environment to allow that natural learning to take place. It is often called child-led learning.
Suggested Reading:
Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarksonamazon.com review: A handbook for Christian home education. A commonsense, disciple-based biblical approach to home schooling using real books and real life. Filled with Scriptures, anecdotes, insights, ideas, methods, lists and charts to make living and learning at home natural and enjoyable. Read more at amazon.com
The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffithamazon.com review: Unschooling, a homeschooling method based on the belief that kids learn best when allowed to pursue their natural curiosities and interests, is practiced by 10 to 15 percent of the estimated 1.5 million homeschoolers in the United States. There is no curriculum or master plan for allowing children to decide when, what, and how they will learn, but veteran homeschooler Mary Griffith comes as close as you can get in this slim manual. Written in a conversational, salon-style manner, The Unschooling Handbook is liberally peppered with anecdotes and practical advice from unschoolers, identified by their first names and home states. The book also includes resources such as one teenager's sample "transcript," a typical weekly log of a third-grader's activities, and helpful lists of magazines, online mailing lists, Web sites, and catalogs... Read more at amazon.com
The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellynamazon.com review: While many homeschooling authors hem and haw that learning at home isn't for everyone, this manifesto practically tells kids they're losers if they do otherwise. With the exception of a forwarding note to parents, this book is written entirely for teenagers, and the first 75 pages explain why school is a waste of time. Grace Llewellyn insists that people learn better when they are self-motivated and not confined by school walls. Instead of homeschooling, which connotes setting up a school at home, Llewellyn prefers "unschooling," a learning method with no structure or formal curriculum... Read more at amazon.com
Unschooling resources from other websites:
Endless Summer
This Salon.com article from 2005 is just as relevant today as it was then. "Since 1960, when A.S. Neill published 'Summerhill,' a chronicle of life at his "free-learning" British boarding school, and American educational reformer John Holt coined the phrase "un-schooling" in his books of the late 1970s, the philosophy has emerged as the rebellious twin of the home-schooling movement. While paired in many people's minds, the two have distinct agendas and ideologies..."
A Mother's Hope
"I?d like to share with you the homeschooling tale of our 18-year-old son, the most difficult child I?ve ever taught. It?s a story of hope, the lessons that both my son and I learned along the way, and the rewards at the end of the journey. I think there's a little bit of truth in it for all of us..."
Education of the Founding Fathers of the USA
From Raising Explorers: "I read Obama’s speech to the schoolchildren – and this line caught my immediate attention.
"'It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation.'
"I thought, 'Really? The founding fathers sit where our schoolchildren sit today? I highly doubt it.' So, I researched some biographies of the men, considered to be the founders of the United States. I thought I’d share my information – gathered mostly from government resources, such as library of congress and such."
Education as a Rat Race
Thoughts from Stephanie of Throwing Marshmallows regarding an article in the Baltimore Sun about unschooling
Unschooling with Sandra Dodd
Sandra Dodd is one of the strongest voices in favor of unschooling. Her writings and talks have instpired many parents to consider unschooling as a natural choice. Her website is full of thought-provoking resources.
Unschooling.com
Where parents and children have learned to trust themselves and each other!
Unschooling
This page with information about unschooling is a collection of thoughts and letters written by unschoolers and reprinted on home-educate.com. If you are curious about unschooling, this is a great place to gain some insight. The link to the FAQ page is broken but the article links are all very informative.
Encouraging Delight-Directed Learning
How can you encourage a passion in your children without making it into a school subject?
Waiting for Unschooling to Work
Remarkably, the best homeschooling advice I received came when my first child was a baby. My friend Barb, an experienced homeschooling mom who loaned me stacks of Home Education Magazine and Growing Without Schooling, told me that to homeschool I only had to "provide a rich environment, involve children in everyday living, and help find answers to their questions." That sounded very simple, and it is; the challenge is in trusting that such a plan is enough.
Going Our Own Way
How Ann Zeise went from school to school at home to unschool with her son.
The following articles on TheHomeSchoolMom give a view of unschool life:
Teenagers - You Could Direct Your Own Education
by Daniel Yordy
Real learning comes when the people in your life need you, when they need what only you can provide. When your genius solves the problem, when your labor provides the food on the table, when your skill gives the people you care about a better life, that is real learning. Self-directed education, then, begins with a purpose. You want to accomplish something of value, and so you reach for the knowledge and the skills you need. When you have accomplished your purpose, you know you have added value to your life and to the lives of those around you.
Letting Go of Teaching
by Lee Binz
Do you sometimes long for an “escape from teaching?” I sure did, especially as my kids got a little older. The good news is that your days playing the “teacher” role will someday come to an end. Instead your role will evolve to that of a “learning facilitator.”
Unschooling Flowers in the Spring
by Lill Hawkins
Well, a lot of people predicted it and now it's happened. My daughter's unschooling has led her to a dead-end job at low pay. Yup, she's a hired hand on a farm. She didn't tell me that she was taking the job. I found out about it when I came across a list of her chores that she'd written out. In addition to feeding the pigs, chickens, horses and cows, she has to haul water, milk the cows and even chop wood! And for all this, she only gets room and board! Okay, so she's just pretending that she's a hired hand like Nellie, a character in one of the American Girls books that she's reading her way through.
Waiting For Unschooling To Work
by Shay Seaborne
Remarkably, the best homeschooling advice I received came when my first child was a baby. My friend Barb, an experienced homeschooling mom who loaned me stacks of Home Education Magazine and Growing Without Schooling, told me that to homeschool I only had to "provide a rich environment, involve children in everyday living, and help find answers to their questions." That sounded very simple, and it is; the challenge is in trusting that such a plan is enough.
Unschooling-Education Outside the Box
by Nancy Carter
Unschooling is a word that typically generates interest with the media. For people who question whether parents are even able to educate their own children, unschooling seems totally unacceptable. With or without the approval of the general public, though, unschooling continues to grow.