I had curriculum and a plan the first two years. Some people have a horrible opinion of unschooling because they have seen people take it to a place they are not comfortable with. This is just a representation of one family. Basically, unschooling means that a child is getting an education by pursuing his or her interests in life. Just like Homeschooling, Unschooling can be a completely different creature in one family than it is in another. In contrast to relaxed homeschoolers, unschooling parents place full trust in their child to determine what knowledge she does and doesn’t need. Q3: What exactly is unschooling? After all, you can’t go blindly about unschooling and expect to … I’ve written a few gentle parenting blogs now and it’s been lovely seeing so many people interested and asking questions about the way we do things in our family. It's exactly what it sounds like: home-based education that involves no schedule, no rules, no homework, no textbooks and no tests. And is it a viable alternative to preschool for your child? It’s a perfect fit for us. Also, finding a support group when we feel accepted and encouraged as we explore new ideas, somewhere where we can ask questions… It doesn't mean "explore what interests them except for things mom doesn't like." While most kids are gearing up to head back to school, some are doing the exact opposite. Most have already graduated. Send her mail. Defining what it is by what it isn’t. This can be a flexible guideline they abide by or could be a much more strict breakdown or what will happen in a given week. Unschooling: An Alternative to Traditional Education. We fell into unschooling. Home Education Accelerator Program for Homeschoolers and Unschoolers. So what exactly is unschooling? No, unschooling is not necessarily homeschooling. Many learned reading, math, science and history through practical applications such as family bible studies or storytimes, planning for and building improvements around homes and farms. Unschooling or homeschooling is a way to offer freedom and flexibility while still giving your kids an education. The term unschooling gives the feeling of the Gurukuls, the ancient Guru-Shishya system of India. What am I going to get from this course? Unschoolers don’t impose a curriculum on their kids. Unschooling has rave reviews by those who choose it as a homeschool method. Both of them had hated school. The primary vision of unschooling is: Child Led Learning. If you’ve never been to an unschooling conference, you are in for a life-changing experience! Here are some steps to unschooling with your i’s dotted and your t’s crossed: Find out exactly what the laws are in your area. I thought I would do a thorough post about where our parenting philosophy comes from, and why our choice to choose home education and the way we parent are two inextricably linked processes. I’ll start by addressing the second part of the question. Upon hearing the word “homeschool” people conjure up a very specific image. But what exactly is unschooling and could it work for your tot? Also, note that I mentioned that I don’t believe it’s for everyone. It's legal in all 50 states, but what exactly is unschooling? Unschooling is an informal learning that advocates learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning. 1. It’s not exactly an unschooling curriculum, but it may be just what you need to support your child’s learning in a holistic way. With schools around the world going virtual this year due to Covid-19, many of us have found ourselves trying to navigate the world of teaching and homeschooling. Maybe the home educator would feel more comfortable with a curriculum or outline to follow. How does it differ from homeschooling? Defining Unschooling. Author: Laura Monteverdi In ancient India, way before the British ships sailed our shores, the system focused on organic learning wherein the students used to pursue subjects they are skilled at. In her book Unschooling To University, my guest on this podcast, Judy Arnall, explores the path of 30 unschooled children who self-directed all or part of their education and were accepted by universities, colleges, and other postsecondary schools. Although unschooling has a lot of names (delight-directed learning, child-led learning, even natural or life learning), it's all essentially the same idea. Breezy is a long-time radical unschooler, an advocate for children's rights, a crazy dog lady, a crafter in various mediums, a lover of all things tropical and beachy, and the designer of 'EVC in Color'. What Is Unschooling? Both of them fought with me. I have played around with the ‘unschooling’ concept, and my husband and I feel like this is exactly what our children need to thrive. So, what exactly is unschooling? There is radical unschooling and not-so-radical unschooling, which can make it difficult for the rest of the world to figure out exactly what it is. Across Australia, around 20,000 families are homeschooling their children and the numbers are growing. But what exactly is unschooling? This is because unschooling does not dictate a particular learning methodology. What is unschooling? Unschooling, as radical as it is perceived as today, was the first original form of education. The unschooling philosophy is built on the premise that children are naturally curious, intelligent, and eager to learn, and unschooling parents trust this premise. It’s also worth noting that this aspect of unschooling can be enormously appealing to students who have learning disabilities. It allows the child to focus on their individual interests as opposed to a a curriculum determined by an education “authority”. Unschooling is by no means the “easy way out”. Unschooling respects the child’s opinions and encourages them to think for themselves, question the status quo and live now rather than preparing to live. In fact, there aren’t really experts. Unschooling vs Homeschooling: It can look like kids exploring the world around them as they go for a walk in the wood! Which is exactly what was appealing about it when we decided to pull our oldest three out of public school five and a half years ago–and never look back. Unschooling, child-led learning, free learning, interest based education, child-delighted learning–whatever you choose to call it, this book explains what unschooling is (and isn’t) in easy-to-understand terms while holding your hand as you walk the unschooling pathway. If the unschooling philosophy were "Learning naturally except for ... then it could be Unschooling without going into cities. This course is designed by someone who is doing exactly that. It is also thought of as a laid-back approach to learning or seen as not learning at all by some. Unschooling lets students explore the things that they are good at with incredible depth. It is labeled as a natural and real-world learning style by those families who use it. Or do all 3! The beauty of Unschooling is exactly that of Homeschooling… There are SO many different facets to it. Thus, going back to the roots is what few educational experts are considering these days. Reading more about unschooling, observing unschooling families, examining our own fears and deciding exactly what it is that is stopping us from unschooling… Doing these things can all help. I craved simple at the time, ... Unschooling minimizes or eliminates the student/teacher dichotomy. I use both words to describe what we did in our family. Rather, the kids get to pursue their own interests. What exactly is an unschooling conference? Unschooling is creating an environment for safe exploration where chidren can discover what works for them. [What is the definition of unschooling? It's part of human nature. Which, when you think about it, is exactly how children first learn to learn as infants and toddlers. Advocates for unschooling have deliberately shied away from the word homeschool. Maybe Peter Gray, John Holt and a couple of others. We first met Magdalena, Witold, and their son Julius in Bali in 2017, and also spent time with them in Malaysia and Singapore in 2019. Unschooling: The child directs his own education. First, a disclaimer — I am no expert in unschooling. Hi friends! Christina Clemer Montessori Teacher and Writer. Contrary to common perceptions of radical unschooling, unschooling parents … Children learned at home through their daily routines with families and communities. I was just wondering how you go about having them tested through the state. Halfway through the 2nd year we were completing the basics only and I was reading about unschooling. Moms don't like lots of things. If a child is daydreaming, then, rather than scolding him for wasting time, the parent trusts him, knowing that the daydreaming may be the precursor to a focused creative project like a painting or a novel. Unschooling is all about unstructured learning, led by a child following their key interests and fascinations. Here’s my most recent attempt, from the introduction of my book, Free to Learn: Unschooling is not really popular in our current society, because it's our cultural belief that children will not learn if we don't make them. So what exactly is unschooling and is it the same as homeschooling? You’ll hear inspiring and informative talks from a great line-up of speakers, you’ll be able to sit in on and participate in smaller circle chats, and you can ask questions to be answered during one of our FAQ panels. Exactly how involved can parents be before it becomes home schooling? “Unschooling is under the umbrella of homeschooling. You can do an internet search, ask a friend who homeschools, or call the local school to figure this out. As you start learning about unschooling, one of the first questions that often comes to mind is “What exactly IS unschooling?” Such a seemingly innocent question, but it can be a challenge to answer, let alone to do so succinctly. You may see this type of learning referred to by a variety of names: child-led, child-directed, interest-led, delight-directed, natural and organic to name a few. 'Living with Wild Abandon' is an original bi-weekly column appearing every other Tuesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Breezy V. Stevens. Here are three factors that fans of unschooling often mention as key to their decison. And the term unschooling makes people think that it means not-learning, which is completely opposite the unschooling philosophy that children and people are always learning. Over 24 lectures and 4.5 hours of content! Unschooling students learn through their natural life experiences including play, household responsibilities, personal interests and curiosity, internships and work experience, travel, books, elective classes, family, mentors, and social interaction. Unschooling is allowing the child to learn by doing and living, choosing their interests and actively creating. “It was too much like school,” they said.