What are some debates on "unschooling"?

Question

What are some debates on "unschooling"?

Answer 1

I depends on what you term unschool.  If you term life experience and you go through a meaningless life you reap what you sew.

Now if you do lunar an planetary visual astronomy for 5 years like did, keep notes and submit you get published in Sky and Telescope at the age of 16 or earlier, like I did.

If you get into filmmaking at 11, like I did, you might get TV commericals on TV like I did at age 30.

Now if you buy some used computer programming software, like I did, off E-bay for $50 and you work at it every day for years you might put out some original programs and make some money at it, like I did.

I introduced the first NO CODE web page maker in 1994, long before there was Front Page.  10 year old kids, school teachers and ministers were putting up web pages with my software.

Answer 2

--Quote-- Carl Rogers:

"If we value independence, if we are disturbed by the growing conformity of knowledge, of values, of attitudes, which our present system induces, then we may wish to set up conditions of learning which make for uniqueness, for self-direction, and for self-initiated learning."

--Ouote-- George Bernard Shaw:

"What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, NOT knowledge in pursuit of the child".

There are many, and they are mostly about the misconception of how children learn, or are being taught.

Often times people assume that unless the children show an interest, parents who choose to use unschooling as their main method do not teach their children at all.

Unschooling simply means learning in a natural setting, and using non-traditonal means to teach.

Non-traditional meaning without an artificail school setting, either in a conventional school, or at home.

We learn math, reading, and writing in a more structured setting once they are between 6 and 10, it depends on the child.

However they learned writing their letters in shaving cream on the kitchen counter top, and it was a lot of fun.

We also went outside, and used side walk chalk, window finger paint and so on.

They all journal, and write stories, and their handwriting is good, although our son took a while as most boys do.

We use a lot of games, board games, computer software, or outdoor games.

See this web site what is available for games, and you will see learning does not have to be confined to a textbook.

http://www.educationallearninggames.com/...

Unschooling is child directed, and this; at least for us; means that when our children come to a particular subject that they want to learn about, we do not put a time limit on them as to how long they can learn about it, we simply try to provide every opportunity they need to learn as much as they want too.

Most often when children are allowed to learn in a natural way, in the form of  unschooling, relaxed, Montessori, or self directed learning, they understand the concepts better, and score high on any (academic) test they are given.

Hands on teaching, instructors who are experienced in their field, from a car mechanic, pilot, store clerk, to a doctor if they are willing to answer childrens questions and children would be incouraged to ask questions freely; can teach more in 15 minutes than textbooks, and hours in classrooms could accomplish.

For some other sources to research the many faces of unschooling see:

Click on the little purple box to view the video for free.

http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/

Click on home school methods, and than unschooling.

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

http://www.unschooling.com/

http://www.livefreelearnfree.net/index.h...

Answer 3

Unschoolers are.........Enthusiastic autodidacts exploring the universe...

I am not sure about 'debating' a learning or educational style. Like any educational approach, you need to fit it to the student and the lifestyle.

The term Unschool was coined by John Holt.

What is unschooling?  "This is also known as interest driven, child-led, natural, organic, eclectic, or self-directed learning. Lately, the term "unschooling" has come to be associated with the type of homeschooling that doesn't use a fixed curriculum. When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in the world, as their parents can comfortably bear. The advantage of this method is that it doesn't require you, the parent, to become someone else, i.e. a professional teacher pouring knowledge into child-vessels on a planned basis. Instead you live and learn together, pursuing questions and interests as they arise and using conventional schooling on an "on demand" basis, if at all. This is the way we learn before going to school and the way we learn when we leave school and enter the world of work. "

http://www.holtgws.com/whatisunschoolin....

Oh, and we aren't an 'unschooling' family as it doesn't fit our child's learning style.

Answer 4

I'm not sure how to answer your question but as an unschooler I think I can provide some information.

First, the meaning of the word 'unschooling' must be established. The one thing common to all unschoolers is the lack of forced study. Letting your kids pick what they want to do for each subject is basic human decency, but it's not unschooling since at the end of the day, they still have to write a book report.

The debate is based on the flawed premise that you have to force people to memorize what is right for them, and that without that, they will fail in life. Without a curriculum, without tests, without grades, without 'age-appropriate material', they will never learn anything and fail. This isn't the case. Humans want to learn. If we didn't, we wouldn't have figured out how to make spears and we'd all be dead. Little kids want to learn. What they don't want is school, or an imposed curriculum.

You can make someone memorize facts and spit them out, but you can't make someone truly learn. It's impossible.

Unschooling is also based on the idea that it's never too late. For example, I have virtually no scientific education. I know about theoretical quantum physics, and I know enough biology to understand evolution. This year, I decided to change that and have started a chemistry program. I know I'm going to do okay, because I want to do it. Had my parents forced this on me, I would go through the motions but I'd hate it, and I wouldn't remember it. If I never touched science, that would be okay. Perhaps my parents would rather have a more scientific child, but if my life isn't going to involve science, there's little point in forcing it on me.

People often misinterpret that to mean that unschoolers don't think that learning anything is important. Chemistry is an important field. I'm glad there are chemists. However, I just don't find the field all that interesting.

Another common misinterpretation is that unschoolers throw their kids to the wind. This is simply not true. Let's say you have an eight-year old son named Billy, and you guys are unschoolers. Billy says, "I want to learn about mummies." So, you'd maybe take him to a museum, maybe to the library, get him the information he wants, how he wants it, when he wants it. When he's not interested in mummies anymore, you don't keep making him read it.

Now, as counterintuitive as it may sound, that actually doesn't breed a spoiled child. For one thing, all the unschooled kids I know have chores. For another, I've found that kids in school, because everything's forced on them, seem to expect a medal for doing the minimum. They don't care about what they've just been forced to do, and most that I've met don't seem to know much of what they want to do. In contrast, unschoolers usually know what they want to do and have been able to pursue it. Billy would be all fired up about being a physicist, so when it turned out that he had to take English 101 to get a physics degree, he would have the motivation of his ultimate career.

Unschooling and loose homeschooling leave the kid free to figure out what he wants to do with his life and how he's going to do it. Forcing a path on to a kid goes nowhere and does nothing.

Kids in school are under constant pressure to be perfect, throw in to a system they despise every day. Coercion gets you _nothing_.

Unschooling is about recognizing and respecting free will.

Answer 5

Earl is demonstrating some of the issues that create concern about unschooling.  His education, while following his interests, didn't include ordinary material like conventional spelling and sentence structure, or the origin of phrases like "reap what you sow". That doesn't mean he can't have a good life, or that his education would necessarily have been better if he'd gone through a more standard school environment. But it provides fuel for critics of this educational approach, who posit that many people, including many children, don't have the experience to determine what topics constitute "education" and fear that without a comprehensive course of study, people won't know they don't have it.

Answer 6

Watch and read everything you can from Dayna Martin.  She is very convincing.  Here is a UTube link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZfZkQsE...

Answer 7

There are infinite arguments for and against "unschooling",how about you look it up yourself.