Unschooling
Child-led education
John Holt, a 20th century American educator and author, coined the term “unschooling” and is considered the father of the movement. He argued that the formal educational system is flawed and that children are best served by an education in the home. However, he cautioned against home schooling children with an equally inferior educational method. Holt contended that children should never have education imposed on them against their will.
Two Perspectives
Within the culture of home schooling today, unschooling can refer to a few different things. For some, the term is used in a broad manner to refer to any method of education that’s different from traditional public or private schools (in particular, education that doesn’t teach primarily in a classroom setting and with the aid of textbooks).
Most people use the term in a more specific manner, however. For many parents, unschooling describes a method of home schooling in which parents don’t actively and authoritatively determine the course and pace of their child’s education. Instead, they allow the child the freedom to explore the world and to learn however he or she pleases. In this context, unschooling is also sometimes called the natural learning method.
Getting to the Core
The key assumption behind the unschooling method is that no formal education can supplant the rich experiences of discovering the world through real life experiences. Simply put, it’s the idea that children learn the most from doing something. For example, a subject like math is taught not through assigned problems, but through something like a card game. Games are also used by parents who primarily use other home schooling methods, but the difference is that parents who use unschooling don’t impose such activities on their child.
Basic Principles
Some of the main tenets of the unschooling method include:
- Co-operation. Parents are encouraged to join their child in living freely and allowing themselves to discover their surroundings.
- No authority. There is no absolute or predetermined body of knowledge that’s necessary to impart to all students. Texts or lectures may be used, but only if the child chooses so.
- Flexibility. Grade level and a schedule of learning are concepts that are completely disregarded. Learning can happen anywhere, at any time of day.
Don’t Get Confused
Unschooling is not related to the term “de-schooling,” which refers to an intentionally anti-institutional approach to education, and which may involve attempts to reverse the “programming” children received in a formal educational setting.
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anti-authoritarian? Absolutely!
It is the schools with this authority tht has such high literacy levevls and low drug and crime levels? I think not. It is the opposite. It is this authority
tht produces an inability to observe and draw conclusions for oneself. It is this school authority spawned by our
psych-based teachers college that has teachers themselves frustrated with the curriculum and frustrations of low literacy rates and now crime in our schools.
any of these teachers, teaching under this authority are my friends. I know their struggles. Authority is nothing but a self proclaimied 'authority' which is really just a dangerous front for the drug companies to aim our children fo follow in its wake and be its lap puppets. Yes, homeschooling is also anti-authority when done with love and unschooling even more so. Homeschooling and unschooling are not opponents when done with love and freedom balanced with barriers. Do not misunderstand. Unschooling simply is mostly eyes and hands on which is wonderful as long as they are getting authoritative learning merged in and are learning to 'see' what sources of information result in harming rather than helping one's life, his family, his groups,
the environment, and the world.
Tracy Sherwood, San Diego
Posted on 8/4/2010 3:49:00 PM
by
Anonymous
I homeschooled my daughters through the nineth grade and my 14 year old daughter is an "A" student in public school (thier choice) now and plans to be a veteranairian. The secret to home education is, start early,stay late,have fun, and show love. If achild is stressed in a school environment by peer preasure, teasing, fast pace, or boreing teachers, whatever, THEY WILL NOT LEARN! There are justafied readons to not participate in formal, organized educatoin but there should never be an excuse for not schooling at all!
Posted on 4/23/2010 6:34:00 AM
by
Anonymous
Re: comment by anonymous on4/19 - we are super lucky in WA.
We don't have some "hippy dippy" way of teaching our kids in our homeschool community.
We have a school that augments childrens home education - whether it be music, languages, sciences, math - so the parents have some support with areas they might not be familiar with.
We also don't have to take standardize tests - you can opt out, get connected with running start - a program that allows you to go to college and high school at the same time - get your diploma and your first two years of college (on the states dime)without EVER taking a state administered standardized test.
The student must, however, pass an exam to be accepted into running start, but that is it.
There are many ways to teach children, and each child needs their own way.
As far as a private school that would suffice (per the same "anonymous").
Not many of us can afford $10,000/ year or more to send our children to private schools.
I am very please with my son's school/homeschool education.
He takes French, Latin, and highschool algebra with highschool students and he is only just 13.
He plays the fiddle and mandolin.
He plays basketball and he farms.
He keeps bees and studies environmental science.
What else could we ask for?
Posted on 4/21/2010 3:26:00 PM
by
Anonymous
I am a teacher, and believe, me, I don't love the curriculum we teach.
I supplement when I can.
I could see where a well-educated person could follow the instincts of their child as well as "guide" them in a few things as well. I did this while at home with my children before they started school.
However, just as kids don't know what's good for them all the time, I believe this is true in education.
They can't ask to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" if they don't know about it.
This is where the parental guidance comes in.
Also, in my area, we have quite a few good homeschooling parents but there are those few who do it from laziness.
This is not an assumption; this is seen when later contact is made, no work has been done, and they want to re-enroll their child because they are driving them crazy.
We get a lot of people moving up from bad areas of Los Angeles and there is very little parenting done by some.
Parents like this often ignore their children, who will end up getting their education "on the streets" and likely become a burden to society at some point.
Frankly, it's the influence of some of these that other parents are pulling their children out to home school.
For those interested in this unschooling approach, I feel that to opt out of the obligatory educational system there should be some sort of interview with parents.
Posted on 4/20/2010 8:33:00 AM
by
Anonymous
I'm amazed by the following comment :
if you aren't state certified by an accredited college or university to teach then you have no business homeschooling your child. You are merely acting on your own contrarian and anti-authoritarian impulses. There surely must be a private school alternative in your area. Your child will we expected to meet standardized assessment bench marks and no hippy dippy sounding pseudo-curriculum is going to help them meet those standards. Your child will grow up with so many holes in their education (not to mention inadequate socialization) that they won't be ready for higher education. They'll be another ditch digging hamburger flipping drone, of which there are too many to begin with. Think of your children first before your own prejudices or biases. Let trained experts do their jobs and you do yours
Sorry, but the "experts" aren't getting every child into college. Every homeschool family I know has children going to college, usually on scholarship. Isn't it a parents job to teach their children? I'm thinking about my children. Homeschool is the best I can do for them. I have a degree. It's not in education, but we're doing ok. I have to say, our amish neighbors, who don't have degrees also do a fine job witht their children's education. They have teenagers who keep bees, tend garden, make rugs, in addition to helping their family. It's been interesting watching them go out on their own. All of them have come back to their order so far.
I don't think anyone but parents should decide for the children of other people.
Posted on 4/19/2010 7:08:00 PM
by
Anonymous
I have homeschooled my daughter since September, and I am considering deschooling.
She and I argue most mornings about what subjects are going to covered, on how long school will be, why she has to do things my way, etc.
the list goes on, and frankly I don't have any more answers that is fair.
I want my daughter to enjoy learning and not hate it.
I think I need to learn not to be strict.
Help!!
M.
Posted on 3/23/2010 1:55:00 AM
by
Anonymous
Go for it. Homeschool your kids.
I am the most ordinary person you could find but my love for my kids is extraordinary.
I unschool them, no curriculum, no pressure, but tons of learning, and lots of it is mine.
Don't worry, be happy, unschool and your children will learn everything they need to know.
Posted on 1/9/2010 6:22:00 PM
by
Anonymous
"they don't know what the subjects of life even are."
This statement shows how ridiculous your post is. Could you please expand on what "the subjects of life" are?
The point of unschooling is to allow your children to be themselves and learn naturally -sounds like life learning to me.
Posted on 10/10/2009 6:35:00 PM
by
Anonymous
This concept reminds me of constructivism.
In constructivism a child is given the opportunity to experience their environment and basically make the most of it.
Children take the lead in this kind of learning.
This does not mean that children are not directed in some way.
The experience is set up for them.
It's like taking a kid to the woods to experience nature.
You put the child in the environment and allow them to learn from it.
Constructivism takes a lot of planning on the parents or teachers part.
You really have to take some time to consider where you want to go with this sort of teaching.
This is not something that a teacher can do all the time in a regular school where the expectations for Istep results are so high, but a home school environment is less regulated by the system and contructivism is a great way to teach.
The children are truly engaged in this kind of learning.
I am so sorry to read how so many of you seem to have such a dislike for teachers in the classroom.
Especially public school teacher.
Being a teacher in a public school is very difficult.
There are so many things that classroom teachers have to account for due to government regulations and the administration.
Anyone who takes on the role of teacher in a school takes on a huge responsibility for a low salary.
The public school teachers that I have known over the past 15 plus years of raising children have shown so much dedication to their job.
Please remember, you are related to your students and that makes you want so much for them that you are taking on the huge task of educating them yourself, but classroom teachers take on that same responsibility with the same determination and dedication for 20 plus students every year.
Do not disrespect them.
My mother always told me that there is more than one way to do everything.
Posted on 10/7/2009 6:48:00 PM
by
Anonymous
In California (I'm not sure about other states) you don't have to pay to homeschool. You can belong to a charter school and sometmes they provide you with money to spend on materials.
If you homeschool through your local district, their independent study programs - will give you all the curriculum for free.
Check it out.
Posted on 8/23/2009 12:06:00 AM
by
Anonymous
hello!! i have 2 chlidren who are 8 and 5.. my 8 year old starts 2nd grade and my 5yr
old starts kindergarten. i am so sick of the public school methods... my 8 year old missed 35 days of school last year due to illnesses brought on by the school. me and my husband are truely looking in to homeschooling or even unschooling, but have no idea where to start.. i know that i dont want to pay 2500 dollars per child to do homeschoolig... please help..
Posted on 8/6/2009 2:08:00 PM
by
Anonymous
Can anyone tell me how to register my unschooler in the State of Virginia after living here for seven years unregistered?
My 15-year-old unschooler wants to attend classes at the local community college which now requires students to prove they are "registered" homeschoolers.
Posted on 4/12/2009 1:58:00 PM
by
Anonymous
I am so glad that Thomas Edison's mother did not share the views of the poster who believes trained educators are the only people qualified to teach children. We would probably all be sitting in the dark if she'd left her son in public school. Most of the time teachers spend in college is not spent learning how to help children learn. I t is spent learning how to manage a classroom . I don't need to know how to manage a classroom to teach my child at home. Colleges are beginning to realize this as well because many are anxious to admit homeschoolers because they are better prepared for the academic AND the social pressures college presents. This is not something I read in a book about homeschooling; it is something that I've learned through discussions with members of various college admissions boards.
Posted on 3/23/2009 8:27:00 PM
by
Anonymous
I taught public school for over a decade and am now unschooling my own children. When I was teaching my students won academic awards, were highly ranked in academic competitions, and had high standardized test scores. But I struggled to reach the students who didn't fit the mold of public school. It was nearly impossible for me to meet state standards, manage the safety of a large group of children, and accomodate individual learning styles. I don't think I will ever be able to go back to teaching in a traditional classroom because I no longer believe in the validity of the method.
There was a time when I too would have thought the idea was preposterous but that was when I didn't have a clear understanding that unschooled and unguided are not the same thing. I would agree with the poster that children need guidance but that doesn't mean they need a dictatorship in order to learn. The guidance my children receive
is in the form of modeling behaviors such as reading for pleasure, discussion of current events,
seeking out experiences to pique their interests, suggesting ways to find information when they have questions, and encouraging curiosity. Most parents use these smae methods for teaching their children values, spirituality, and responsibilty but don't trust the same model for academic education. We choose to trust our instincts, so far they have served us, and our children, well.
Posted on 3/23/2009 12:13:00 PM
by
Anonymous
We have been homeschooling since our first child was born.
She is now 12yrs going on 13 yrs old.
We did do a short 5 month in the public school during her 2nd grade year, and oh was that ever a
mistake!
She ended up being bullied.
My daughter was then not the victim but was the blamed, for the teacher would not listen to her plea for help.
Instead the teacher threatned to punish her for tattling.
When I approached the teacher she was evasive, stating I should deal with the other children's parents myself.
My husband and I pulled her from the public school and have never looked back.
Top things off this is a S.Carolina school.
We have been "traditionally" homeschooling (boxed sets, grading, etc) and personally I am willing to give unschooling a shot.
Even though she is now "6th" grade, the damage done in the public school still surfaces.
To me it is a privilege and the God given commandment to raise and train up my children in the way they should go.
I am thankful my husband is behind me 150%
And God willing, our youngest will never see the inside of a public school system.
Our oldest is a loving, giving and soft-hearted young lady who wants to be an active conservastionist, rescuing animals and rehabilitating them back to the wild.
She is also a growing christian, and a quiet role model within her peer group at church.
She would never have gotten that kind of respect at a public school.
I don't regret for one moment the path we are on, and I give God the thanks for the privilege I have today.
Posted on 3/23/2009 2:31:00 AM
by
Anonymous
I would have felt the same way the person who called it preposterous does even a couple of months ago.
That was before reading books by John Holt and "the Unschooling Handbook" by Mary Griffith.
I can now see how children actually can be prevented from learning to their full potential by well meaning and not so well meaning teachers and yes even parents, who shove what they (the parents) feel they "need" to know down the children's throats.
How do we get people to understand this.?
John Holt couldn't get the professionals to listen to him!!
I do have concerns about my girls (now only 2 years old and 8 months old)
learning to read if I don't "teach" them.
My older children (16, 15, and 12) struggle so much with reading comprehension.
They have no desire to learn and can't stand school.
They learn to pass a test and then the info goes bye bye.
They have been in public school since preschool.
Unfortunately my ex, their dad, would not allow me to homeschool, and if I had tried he would have gone for custody.
I am not going to allow my babies to end up with the same attitude.
I want them to love to learn.
I want them to be able to look up information and understand what they are reading.
This unschooling looks so promising, just hope I can get my hubby to see eye to eye here.
Posted on 3/11/2009 4:46:00 PM
by
Anonymous
To the person who said this is "preposterous" I
must say that I am not sure you understand how children learn when allowed to learn.
No child ever went to walking school and no parent ever bought a program that taught them how to teach a child to hold a spoon.
Almost every child of three years old is fluent in a forieng language, too, since no child came forth frm the womb speaking the native tongue of his or her parents.
The learning was natural and it happened effortlessly except in cases where the child had muscular, hearning, or some other physical challenge.
The brain is perfectly capable of learning and children naturally love to learn!
What removes that natural love of learning seems to be the very tools we use to "teach" them more.
What is preposterous is that we are using a shoe to hammer in a carpenter nail and then blaming the wall!
The shoe of learning is the man-made system concocted to assist teachers in mass cookie-cutter education.
The true hammer for the job is the natural love that all children inately have.
In this case, the nail drives itself.
We give the child a book and tell him the answer is on page 80.
We tell him there is one anser and one way to arrive at that answer. We drill this into him until learning is a sickening thing.
However, the young child asks questions until the parent is blue in the face.
He asks not just to hear the answer, but to hear the tone and inflection and the way the usage changes.
He notes things we ignore as adults.
He is an astute learner until we stiffle that desire. For pitty's sake, let him learn!!!!!
Sharon in KS
Posted on 3/6/2009 12:47:00 PM
by
Anonymous
So, if the child does not wish to play the card game or the word game, he/she does not have to?
What does Mom say?
What would you like to explore today?
This is the most preposterous idea I've ever heard.
Children need guidance; yes, even requirements.
They don't know enough to choose their own subjects;
they don't know what the subjects of life even are.
People will believe anything!
Posted on 3/2/2009 6:37:00 PM
by
Anonymous
It is obvious that the person who states that " a child has to be taught by someone who has gone to college"
has no idea what they are talking about. It is documented and proven that homeschoolers score above and beyond private school taught children and most definately public school children. Most people who homeschool do not have a degree, and you can check the studies and see that there is almost no difference between the child taught by a parent with a degree and the parent who does not have one. All that matters is that the parent is dedicated to their instructing their child.
You don't have to take my word for it though. Check it out for yourself.
And a word of advice; know something about the subject content before expressing an opinion.
Posted on 2/27/2009 9:50:00 PM
by
Anonymous
To the poster who wants us to hand over our kids to "trained experts," I offer this: X is an unknown, and spurt is a drip under pressure. So much for experts. There is no teacher out there who cares more about my child's education and socialization than she does about covering her butt and hanging on to her job. In that criterion alone, I out-qualify her. I have only compassion for those who believe that second-graders are better qualified to socialize a second-grader than his/her parents are, and that the social engineering that goes on in our classrooms is better for kids than one-on-one and experiential teaching. I guess those who are "educated" in government schools are not taught to think critically, or do research before forming an opinion, or consider two sides before passing judgment. My children will know how to do all these things.
Posted on 2/14/2009 10:12:00 PM
by
Anonymous
What amazes me is the animosity that still exists towards people that choose to homeschool their children.
I received a minimal education through public schools.
Since leaving 25 years ago I have read every classic book I could get my hands on.
I went to college and had to take the most BASIC math class there was because I had NOT been taught anything!
I am grateful that I can teach my child at home.
I have had her in public schools for 6 years now and what I have come to learn is that it is glorified babysitting.
I was doing all the work.
I would spend HOURS undoing what the teacher did daily.
My child was targeted not only by cruel children but cruel adults because she's redheaded, freckled, her teeth were crooked and she's 5ft 5" tall in 5th grade.
I have had it with "experts!"
I am positive that I can do a better job and where I lack skills, I will employ private tutors!
Posted on 1/15/2009 9:50:00 AM
by
Anonymous
To the "parent" telling us who jomeschool how wrong we are, she obviously never had children enrolled in schools in So Carolina, public OR private.
Posted on 1/4/2009 8:02:00 PM
by
Anonymous
How many "ditch-diggers" and "hamburger-flippers" were or are public schooled?
I'll bet 99.9%.
I'll put my children up against the homogeneous drones of public school's artificial society anytime.
My children can deal directly with adults, interact with all ages of children and care for younger siblings and friends.
They know how society works and their role in it.
Best of all I get to be there.
I'm not handing them over to someone I don't know who may or may not really be interested in teaching at all.
I used to teach public high school and I know what's really said in the "workroom" about their jobs and the students.
It's a poisonous place.
Posted on 12/18/2008 12:36:00 AM
by
Anonymous
Isn't it funny that the person complaining about home schooling has more grammatical errors in that comment than anyone else does?The wonders of standard education!
Posted on 12/14/2008 11:41:00 PM
by
Anonymous
if you aren't state certified by an accredited college or university to teach then you have no business homeschooling your child. You are merely acting on your own contrarian and anti-authoritarian impulses. There surely must be a private school alternative in your area.
Your child will we expected to meet standardized assessment bench marks and no hippy dippy sounding pseudo-curriculum is going to help them meet those standards. Your child will grow up with so many holes in their education (not to mention inadequate socialization) that they won't be ready for higher education. They'll be another ditch digging hamburger flipping drone, of which there are too many to begin with.
Think of your children first before your own prejudices or biases. Let trained experts do their jobs and you do yours.
Posted on 12/13/2008 10:19:00 AM
by
Anonymous
I am looking for information on how unschoolers are following the Oregon Homeschool Law.
Any info?
Posted on 12/2/2008 10:03:00 PM
by
Anonymous
I am looking for information on how unschoolers are following the Oregon Homeschool Law.
Any info?
Posted on 12/1/2008 7:59:00 PM
by
Anonymous
I am just beginning my homeschooling saga with my 5 year old.
Many friends of mine say I've been homeschooling anyway.
I've been interested in learning more about the term "unschooling" and found the above explantions helpful.
It would be interesting to have a round table discussion about the concept.
Thanks
Posted on 10/17/2008 2:17:00 PM
by
Anonymous
I'm so sick of how the schools are.I would like tyo get started.But need to know who I go to .To get my 8 yr old out of this.In Etowah county in Ala.I just can't believa how schools are today.
Luan Morgasn
Posted on 9/30/2008 12:01:00 PM
by
Anonymous
this has been the most helpful explanation of unschooling i have ever found.
Posted on 9/4/2008 3:09:00 PM
by
Anonymous