You’ve likely heard more in recent years about homeschooling, but have you heard about unschooling?
Education
Have You Heard About Unschooling?
You’ve likely heard more in recent years about homeschooling, but have you heard about unschooling?
It is a cultural concept similar in some ways to homeschooling yet allows for even greater freedom and choice for the learners.
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What is unschooling?
Unschoolers are encouraged to find their topics of interest and actively research ways to learn more about them. It completely forgoes any traditional school setting. While homeschooling still (usually) follows a curriculum and some of the teaching formats of traditional school, unschooling eschews these concepts in favor of hands-on methods, more like mentorships and self-directed learning.
Differences with unschooling
Those who unschool do not see learning as linear or one-size-fits-all; they see it as fluid and unique to each child, depending on their curiosity. Some say that it is a more organic form of learning — with the only goal being the learner’s satisfaction that they understand the subjects they chose and can then move on to the next when they are ready.
Unschooling community, blogs, and legal questions
The unschooling idea is growing in popularity, and several unschooling blogs are available for readers to learn more about or follow along as they start their unschooling journey. Blogs may include:
- Personal and family stories
- Unschooling project suggestions
- Interactive discussions
- Meet-up plans for those who live in the same areas.
- Issues and challenges
- Success stories
- Children’s stories and voices
- Further learning/teaching resources
Those unfamiliar with an unstructured option like this may wonder, “Is unschooling legal?” Yes, it is legal in every state. There are no official unschooling guidelines or laws; however, unschoolers must be aware of their own state’s homeschooling laws to meet certain requirements regarding reporting educational progress.
Some states are more strict than others. For example, Pennsylvania and New York require caretakers to show detailed records that track what is being taught, portfolios of projects and schoolwork, books that have been read, and educational field trips. State officials sometimes request photographs of students taking part in homeschool studies. In some states, like Michigan and Ohio, homeschoolers must cover certain topics for each student.
This type of record management might be challenging for those who unschool, so parents or caretakers must use organizational and creative skills to gather appropriate information. Often, the unschooling community takes to the unschooling blogs or message systems for suggestions and advice.
Many unschooling families say that the subjects their children choose to study and pursue information about can easily fall into the category requirements set by their state. Here are just a few examples:
- Gardening or animal research would fit into several science topics.
- Nursing home volunteer work would fit with social studies and psychology.
- Poetry writing would meet an English or Language Arts requirement.
- Cooking always requires math when you measure ingredients and science/chemistry when ingredients are combined.
- Even historical movies and video games count if they are based on true events.
It’s crucial to see what your specific state asks for and determine the best way to document progress and proof. When you step back and see all the ways some everyday tasks involve various learning topics, it is not difficult to do so.
Online educational technology
There are numerous online learning websites for homeschoolers and unschoolers. If an unschooler chooses on his or her own to delve into a web lesson about a topic they enjoy, they can visit one of the dozens available for free or with a fee (some have subscription services, too). The variety of content and the level of professionalism is also vast.
Some educational sites are quite basic, set up as simple informational pages with clip art and paragraphs of text. Other high-tech learning sites have videos, animations, interactive buttons, knowledge quizzes, and even live teaching help. Technology zooms at lightning speed with constant improvements in every aspect of life, including online education.
Unschool on the road
Families who unschool often choose to take their learning on the road. There are even group tours and trips, especially for unschoolers.
Whether camping, taking an RV or flying to their destinations, unschooled learners can participate in another culture and learn more about geography, nature, sociology, cuisine, politics, and more. There is no question we can all learn a great deal through travel — It awakens our awareness, knowledge, and empathy for others. It gets us out of monotony and habits at home, letting us experience something completely fresh for the senses.
Unschoolers embrace this and utilize travel to educate in many ways. From short trips within the state to faraway destinations in other countries, the potential abounds for learning something culturally brand new. For those who do not have the financial advantage of group tours and international travel, unschooled kids who take close-to-home day trips or camping expeditions are just as thrilled about their opportunity to explore. Any change of scenery is beneficial for a mind-opening educational adventure. Even an overnight backyard camp-out is something young children find exciting.
Advantages and challenges
Boston College research professors Peter Gray and Gina Riley performed a survey in 2011 to determine unschooling outcomes in the long term. They asked 232 parents whose kids were several unschooled questions about overall satisfaction. The respondents were “overwhelmingly positive about their experience,” pointing to the kids’ healthy well-being, great family harmony, and high quality of learning. This sample of parents and a group of adults who had been unschooled as children had very positive views about this learning option. The unschooling alumni said that they appreciated and grew from having the freedom to study what they wanted, and it gave them a head start in learning which career paths to pursue and how to hone their skills. They felt that self-directed learning in unschooling helped them become self-motivated, responsible, and confident.
The parents of unschoolers have said one of their only major challenges is having to “defend” their choice to peers and others because mandatory classroom teaching is so ingrained as necessary in society. The push-back is enormous in some cases. Unschooling families have dealt with accusations of neglect and worse; however, as more awareness and acceptance grow, there is less negativity in many communities.
The other challenge may be with the beginning phases of those new to unschooling. Especially for children who have become so used to being told exactly what is expected of them, with a syllabus, timeline, guidelines, detailed lesson plans, and test schedules, the idea of complete freedom in choosing how and what to learn is overwhelming first. It is advised that kids new to unschooling have an ease-in period and have time to get used to this diametrically different way of learning.
Unless an individual craves strict schedules and rigid guidance, the freedoms and choices nearly always become more comfortable and welcome with time. Children with little self-discipline or motivation are very rare when pursuing something they find fascinating. Finding out a child’s deepest interests is the key to overcoming any speed bumps in the learning process with unschooling.
A lifestyle choice
Dedicated unschoolers will call this option an educational path and an entire family lifestyle choice. Caretakers or parents put full trust in their children to study what they want when they want, and how they want. They blend learning into experiences and prioritize comfort and relationships above milestones and rules. They don’t see separate compartments for learning and “real life.” It is all part of the picture. They value family and respect for each member, often extending the choice-making to everything from learning topics, to bedtimes, to meal selections, to clothing and other personal item purchases. The real-life choices kids will one day make as adults are incorporated into their childhood days, so they feel confident and ready.
Parents who unschool do confirm they are not “unparenting” their kids — They still provide the support, attention, boundaries, and parental guidance children need and crave, especially in the early years — they do so in a less authoritarian-style manner. The family works more like a team, with plenty of involvement and proactive encouragement.
Talk to current unschoolers for in-depth knowledge and information on this interesting learning concept and lifestyle.
