While most kids are gearing up to head back to school, some are doing the exact opposite. In fact, there aren’t really experts. What exactly is an unschooling conference? 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. 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. 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. 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. Author: Laura Monteverdi First, a disclaimer — I am no expert in unschooling. Unschooling vs Homeschooling: It can look like kids exploring the world around them as they go for a walk in the wood! I’ll start by addressing the second part of the question. It's legal in all 50 states, but what exactly is unschooling? And is it a viable alternative to preschool for your child? 1. 'Living with Wild Abandon' is an original bi-weekly column appearing every other Tuesday at Everything-Voluntary.com, by Breezy V. Stevens. Moms don't like lots of things. Upon hearing the word “homeschool” people conjure up a very specific image. It's exactly what it sounds like: home-based education that involves no schedule, no rules, no homework, no textbooks and no tests. But what exactly is unschooling and could it work for your tot? Exactly how involved can parents be before it becomes home schooling? 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. Rather, the kids get to pursue their own interests. I have played around with the ‘unschooling’ concept, and my husband and I feel like this is exactly what our children need to thrive. Also, finding a support group when we feel accepted and encouraged as we explore new ideas, somewhere where we can ask questions… This is because unschooling does not dictate a particular learning methodology. I had curriculum and a plan the first two years. 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. Maybe Peter Gray, John Holt and a couple of others. 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'. Maybe the home educator would feel more comfortable with a curriculum or outline to follow. In contrast to relaxed homeschoolers, unschooling parents place full trust in their child to determine what knowledge she does and doesn’t need. Basically, unschooling means that a child is getting an education by pursuing his or her interests in life. [What is the definition of unschooling? It allows the child to focus on their individual interests as opposed to a a curriculum determined by an education “authority”. Christina Clemer Montessori Teacher and Writer. Contrary to common perceptions of radical unschooling, unschooling parents … 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. 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. We fell into unschooling. How does it differ from homeschooling? It doesn't mean "explore what interests them except for things mom doesn't like." If you’ve never been to an unschooling conference, you are in for a life-changing experience! Unschooling is allowing the child to learn by doing and living, choosing their interests and actively creating. Unschooling has rave reviews by those who choose it as a homeschool method. After all, you can’t go blindly about unschooling and expect to … 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. Some people have a horrible opinion of unschooling because they have seen people take it to a place they are not comfortable with. Hi friends! Most have already graduated. It is also thought of as a laid-back approach to learning or seen as not learning at all by some. I craved simple at the time, ... Unschooling minimizes or eliminates the student/teacher dichotomy. Over 24 lectures and 4.5 hours of content! Here are three factors that fans of unschooling often mention as key to their decison. Q3: What exactly is unschooling? Unschooling is by no means the “easy way out”. 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. No, unschooling is not necessarily homeschooling. Unschooling: An Alternative to Traditional Education. 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. It is labeled as a natural and real-world learning style by those families who use it. So, what exactly is unschooling? The primary vision of unschooling is: Child Led Learning. 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. This course is designed by someone who is doing exactly that. What Is Unschooling? Home Education Accelerator Program for Homeschoolers and Unschoolers. What am I going to get from this course? The beauty of Unschooling is exactly that of Homeschooling… There are SO many different facets to it. Children learned at home through their daily routines with families and communities. Unschooling, as radical as it is perceived as today, was the first original form of education. Unschooling is an informal learning that advocates learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning. So what exactly is unschooling and is it the same as homeschooling? What is unschooling? So what exactly is unschooling? You can do an internet search, ask a friend who homeschools, or call the local school to figure this out. Send her mail. I was just wondering how you go about having them tested through the state. It's part of human nature. 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. “It was too much like school,” they said. If the unschooling philosophy were "Learning naturally except for ... then it could be Unschooling without going into cities. Unschoolers don’t impose a curriculum on their kids. Across Australia, around 20,000 families are homeschooling their children and the numbers are growing. Unschooling is creating an environment for safe exploration where chidren can discover what works for them. The term unschooling gives the feeling of the Gurukuls, the ancient Guru-Shishya system of India. Halfway through the 2nd year we were completing the basics only and I was reading about unschooling. But what exactly is unschooling? Both of them had hated school. Unschooling or homeschooling is a way to offer freedom and flexibility while still giving your kids an education. Unschooling lets students explore the things that they are good at with incredible depth. Unschooling is all about unstructured learning, led by a child following their key interests and fascinations. Defining what it is by what it isn’t. 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. 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 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. Just like Homeschooling, Unschooling can be a completely different creature in one family than it is in another. 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. Thus, going back to the roots is what few educational experts are considering these days. Both of them fought with me. Advocates for unschooling have deliberately shied away from the word homeschool. This is just a representation of one family. Here’s my most recent attempt, from the introduction of my book, Free to Learn: 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. Unschooling: The child directs his own education. 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. It’s a perfect fit for us. It’s also worth noting that this aspect of unschooling can be enormously appealing to students who have learning disabilities. “Unschooling is under the umbrella of homeschooling. Defining Unschooling. The unschooling philosophy is built on the premise that children are naturally curious, intelligent, and eager to learn, and unschooling parents trust this premise. 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. 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. Or do all 3! I use both words to describe what we did in our family. Also, note that I mentioned that I don’t believe it’s for everyone. 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. Which, when you think about it, is exactly how children first learn to learn as infants and toddlers. 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.