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Unschooling
- Thread starter Druidus
- Start date
Druidus
Keeper of the Grove
Indeed, there are a few. Here:
http://www.geocities.com/iamananka/unschooling.html
http://www.holtgws.com/index.html
http://www.unschooling.com/
I'd also reccommend the book "The Teenage Liberation Book", by Grace Llewellyn.
http://www.geocities.com/iamananka/unschooling.html
http://www.holtgws.com/index.html
http://www.unschooling.com/
I'd also reccommend the book "The Teenage Liberation Book", by Grace Llewellyn.
Ceridwen018
Well-Known Member
Wow, I have never heard of "unschooling". Could you explain what it is, Dru?
BUDDY
User of Aspercreme
Is it a lot like home schooling?
How does it account for the healthy intersction with peers?
How can it accomplish the mission of teaching diversity?
While Eistein supported it, Einstein could have taught himself, but not every child has the same aptitude for self teaching. How does unschooling encourage children to have an educational growth?
How does it account for the healthy intersction with peers?
How can it accomplish the mission of teaching diversity?
While Eistein supported it, Einstein could have taught himself, but not every child has the same aptitude for self teaching. How does unschooling encourage children to have an educational growth?
Druidus
Keeper of the Grove
It is, in fact, similar.
I don't go to public school, but I do have some healthy interaction with peers. You just have to go out, even if it's hard (as it is for me).
Everything I know, I have learned on my own. I was never one to accept what the teacher said blindly. I mostly ignored them and read my own sources. Have I learned diversity? Diversity, as a concept, can easily be learned. Most children and teenagers are compelled to other cultures; it is an interesting topic.
Every child lusts for knowledge. It is inborn in humans. We like to learn, if offered the freedom to do so. Every human has the capacity to be a philomath, like me, like Einstein, and like many others.
Children do this naturally, given resources and freedom to learn.
Children have within them a flame. This flame is symbolic of the lust for knowledge and learning. Schools treat them as bottles to be filled with prescribed knowledge. This is not the way. Education should be the kindling of the flame not the filling of the bottle (and thus the dousing of the flame).
"One had to cram all of this stuff into one's mind, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year... It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not entirely strangled the holy spirit of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty."
-Einstein
Melody
Well-Known Member
As a homeschooler, I've seen both excellent and disastrous examples of unschooling. While this type of schooling allows the child to follow their own interests, it still requires some considerable effort on the parents part to incorporate the skills the child needs to learn in with the interest they are following. For the younger children, the effort is greater because they have so many more skills they need to learn (basic math, writing, etc.).
Unfortunately, on the disastrous end, I've watched parents who just let their children run amuck. Follow this interest for a day or two, then this one, then another. No follow-up. No conversations to find out what they're learning and where their interest is taking them. No effort to coordinate this with other things that might relate.
Some see unschooling as disorganized chaos. It's not.
Druidus, are you unschooled?
Unfortunately, on the disastrous end, I've watched parents who just let their children run amuck. Follow this interest for a day or two, then this one, then another. No follow-up. No conversations to find out what they're learning and where their interest is taking them. No effort to coordinate this with other things that might relate.
Some see unschooling as disorganized chaos. It's not.
Druidus, are you unschooled?
CaptainXeroid
Following Christ
One of the criticisms of public schools is that many students see it as a social club where they are more interested in seeing their friends, comparing outfits, and gossiping. It seems an advantage of 'unschooling' would be a seperation between the educational and the social activities.
Aqualung
Tasty
I think unschooling, like any other form of schooling, can be done well or it can be done poorly. I don't know if it's superior to others, since I've gone to a traditional public school my whole life and haven't had any problems. I think it all depends on the "teachers," the "students," and the way it's implemented, but has little to do with the actual theory.
Pussyfoot Mouse
Super Mom
I wish I had the patience and the discipline to homeschool my boys. I know they would love to have me home with them rather than working outside the home but I have to wonder if it wouldn't be a bit lonely at times. Don't the children lack the interaction with other children. I'm not saying that I disagree with this, I'm just not accustomed to this. I've never known anyone who has, so it's quite a different way of life for me. I watched a program on TV about a family who was homeschooled and it was very interesting. But they had about 10 kids.
Ceridwen018
Well-Known Member
PM, the stereotype surrounding homeschooled kids is that they lack social skills. Kids who go to regular school obviously don't have problems with things like that, but parents who homeschool their children need to make sure that they get their kids socialized outside the home in camps and clubs, etc.
In my experience, parents who homeschool don't do a great job of socializing their kids.
In my experience, parents who homeschool don't do a great job of socializing their kids.
Crystallas
Active Member
I've been a fan of "unschooling" for a while.
I lecture people about it when they tell people that they are failures when they don't have a degree.
I hate hearing that people are failures in any sense. I think people have their purpose, and the only thing that fails them is that they are stereotyped as failures. I can paint, draw anything I want, I can do anything to a computer, any architecture, any OS, and most programming languages, I can build a car from scratch if I wanted to, let alone rebuild and repair anything on the market. I can play 3 musical instruments. I speak a 2nd language fluently. All of which I did not go to any school to learn. Everyone has "self-taught" skills. When you have a desire to learn something, its much greater. Comparing those expecting to be at the same level as someone else who is passionate about their skill after a few years of school is impossible. We have more passionate people(applied to the direction they want to move in) than passionate teachers who can deliver the same or greater results.
School is not a bad thing, but by no means does it define those with a degree as better at that skill that those who truly love working within that skill. You can't compare people by what they present on paper versus what they can present before your eyes.
The only major problem is measuring someone. People have to prove themselves to apply skills to a career. That piece of paper makes it easier to measure them. We see people who prove this wrong from time to time, and its a wonderful thing to see those who can outperform because of their desire to achieve excellence. I personally wished that employers wouldn't discriminate those who have special skills that cannot be taught.
I lecture people about it when they tell people that they are failures when they don't have a degree.
I hate hearing that people are failures in any sense. I think people have their purpose, and the only thing that fails them is that they are stereotyped as failures. I can paint, draw anything I want, I can do anything to a computer, any architecture, any OS, and most programming languages, I can build a car from scratch if I wanted to, let alone rebuild and repair anything on the market. I can play 3 musical instruments. I speak a 2nd language fluently. All of which I did not go to any school to learn. Everyone has "self-taught" skills. When you have a desire to learn something, its much greater. Comparing those expecting to be at the same level as someone else who is passionate about their skill after a few years of school is impossible. We have more passionate people(applied to the direction they want to move in) than passionate teachers who can deliver the same or greater results.
School is not a bad thing, but by no means does it define those with a degree as better at that skill that those who truly love working within that skill. You can't compare people by what they present on paper versus what they can present before your eyes.
The only major problem is measuring someone. People have to prove themselves to apply skills to a career. That piece of paper makes it easier to measure them. We see people who prove this wrong from time to time, and its a wonderful thing to see those who can outperform because of their desire to achieve excellence. I personally wished that employers wouldn't discriminate those who have special skills that cannot be taught.
Natas
Active Member
Thanks for the interesting post Druidus.Druidus said:
Knowing nothing of the term, "Unschooling", I did some research on the meaning. It seems to mean different things to different people(like most things), but in general, it seems to mean using an unstructured environment in which children are allowed to choose their own path to education. Parents are to provide support for answering questions and to provide the child with a good role model. I think it's a great idea, but I don't think it would work for the majority of families. Just as traditional home schooling doesn't work for the masses.
I'm not trying to disagree with you on purpose, I just don't understand how it could work for other then a minority of families.
Druidus
Keeper of the Grove
I don't have much time, but I'll place my major complaint with the school system here.
Freedom. Where is it? Make the schooling system not a requirement, make it optional, and I have no qualms.
You can lead the horse to the water, but you can't make it drink. Likewise, you can give me containers of knowledge, like books, movies, and the internet, but I won't learn unless I want to.
How many of us actually remember everything from school? Most of us forget what we learned moments after we leave for summer. This is because it's not interest driven and free. I'm always ready to learn, but not necessarily to be forcibly taught. Teach me as an equal, at my request, and I'm fine. Try to shove "knowledge"down my throat, and you'll end up with a "problem student" (which, indeed, I was).
Freedom. Where is it? Make the schooling system not a requirement, make it optional, and I have no qualms.
You can lead the horse to the water, but you can't make it drink. Likewise, you can give me containers of knowledge, like books, movies, and the internet, but I won't learn unless I want to.
How many of us actually remember everything from school? Most of us forget what we learned moments after we leave for summer. This is because it's not interest driven and free. I'm always ready to learn, but not necessarily to be forcibly taught. Teach me as an equal, at my request, and I'm fine. Try to shove "knowledge"down my throat, and you'll end up with a "problem student" (which, indeed, I was).
niamhwitch
Celtic Faery Wiccan )O(
Hmm... I have never felt comfortable with unschooling... (I'm a homeschooler, myself) But different strokes for different folks.
niamhwitch
Celtic Faery Wiccan )O(
As a homeschooler, I can tell you that they dont. There are PLENTY of places to interact and socialize outside of school. There is park and rec sports, clubs, scouts, church, music/vocational lessons, etc etc. School isnt the only place to socialize. It just makes it easier... with homeschooling and unschooling you have to consciously make an effort to socialize.
But like most things, it can be done "wrong". A lot of it depends on the parents.