Unschooling refers to a range of educational philosophies and practices centering around allowing children to learn through their natural life experiences, including child directed play, game play, household responsibilities, and social interaction, rather than through the confines of a conventional school. Exploration of activities is often led by the children themselves, facilitated by the adults. Unschooling differs from conventional schooling principally in the thesis that standard curricula and conventional grading methods, as well as other features of traditional schooling, are counterproductive to the goal of maximizing the education of each child.
The term "unschooling" was coined in the 1970s and used by educator John Holt, widely regarded as the "father" of unschooling.
While often considered to be a subset of homeschooling, unschoolers may be as philosophically estranged from homeschoolers as they are from advocates of conventional schooling. While homeschooling has been subject to widespread public debate, little media attention has been given to unschooling in particular. Popular critics of unschooling tend to view it as an extreme educational philosophy, with concerns that unschooled children will lack the social skills, structure, and motivation of their peers, especially in the job market.
Within the homeschooling movement, unschooling has featured in debates on
pedagogyPedagogy is the study of being a teacher. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction.Pedagogy is also sometimes referred to as the correct use of teaching strategies . For example, Paulo Freire referred to his method of teaching adults as "critical pedagogy"...
and values, where it can be perceived as conflicting with Christian education.
Children are natural learners
A fundamental premise of unschooling is that curiosity is innate and that children want to learn. From this an argument can be made that institutionalizing children in a so called "one size fits all" or "factory model"
schoolA school , is an institution designed to allow and encourage students to learn, under the supervision of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
is an inefficient use of the children's time, because it requires each child to learn a specific subject matter in a particular manner, at a particular pace, and at a particular time regardless of that individual's present or future needs, interests, goals, or any pre-existing knowledge he or she might have about the topic.
Many unschoolers also believe that opportunities for valuable hands-on, community based, spontaneous, and real-world experiences are missed when educational opportunities are largely limited to those which can occur physically inside of a school building.
Children do not all learn the same way
Unschoolers note that psychologists have documented many differences between children in the way that they learn, and assert that unschooling is better equipped to adapt to these differences.
Developmental differences
Developmental psychologists note that children are prepared to learn at different ages. Just as some children learn to walk during a normal range of eight to fifteen months, and begin to talk across an even larger range, Unschoolers assert that they are also ready to read, for example, at different ages. Since traditional education requires all children to begin reading at the same time and do multiplication at the same time, unschoolers believe that some children cannot help but be bored because this was something that they had been ready to learn earlier, and even worse, some children cannot help but fail, because they are not yet ready for this new information being taught.
Learning styles
Recent research has indicated that people vary greatly in their "learning styles", that is, how they acquire new information. In a traditional school setting, while there might be some application of this knowledge, classroom teachers almost never allow an individual student to be evaluated any differently than any other student, and while a teacher—particularly at the primary levels—may use different teaching methods, this is generally done haphazardly and without specific regard for the needs of any individual student.
Essential body of knowledge
Unschoolers often state that learning any specific subject is less important than learning
how to learn. They assert, in the words of Alec Bourne, "It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated", and in the words of Holt:
Since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.
This ability to learn on their own makes it more likely that later, when these children are adults, they can continue to learn what they need to know to meet newly emerging needs, interests, and goals. They can return to any subject that they feel was not sufficiently covered or learn a completely new subject.
Many unschoolers disagree that there is a particular body of knowledge that every person, regardless of the life they lead, needs to possess. They suggest that there are countless subjects worth studying, more than anyone could learn within a single lifetime. Since it would be impossible for a child to learn everything, somebody must decide what subjects they are to explore. Unschoolers argue that "Children... if they are given access to enough of the world, they will see clearly enough what things are truly important to themselves and to others, and they will make for themselves a better path into that world than anyone else could make for them."
The role of parents
The child-directed nature of unschooling does not mean that unschooling parents will not provide their children with guidance and advice, or that they will refrain from sharing things that they find fascinating or illuminating with them. These parents generally believe that as adults, they have more experience with the world and greater access to it. They believe in the importance of using this to aid their children in accessing, navigating, and making sense of the world. Common parental activities include sharing interesting books, articles, and activities with their children, helping them find knowledgeable people to explore an interest with (anyone from physics professors to automotive mechanics), and helping them set goals and figure out what they need to do to meet their goals. Unschooling’s interest-based nature does not mean that it is a "hands off" approach to education; parents tend to be quite involved, especially with younger children (older children, unless they are new to unschooling, will often need much less help finding resources and making and carrying out plans).
Criticism of traditional school methods
Many unschoolers agree with John Holt when he says that "...the anxiety children feel at constantly being tested, their fear of failure, punishment, and disgrace, severely reduces their ability both to perceive and to remember, and drives them away from the material being studied into strategies for fooling teachers into thinking they know what they really don't know." Proponents of unschooling assert that individualized, child-led learning is more efficient and respectful of children's time, takes advantage of their interests, and allows deeper exploration of subjects than what is possible in conventional education.
History and usage of the term "unschooling"
The term "unschooling" probably derives from
Ivan IllichIvan Illich was an Austrian philosopher, Roman Catholic priest and critic of the institutions of contemporary western culture and their effects of the provenance and practice of education, medicine, work, energy use, and economic development.-Personal life:Illich was born in Vienna to a Croatian...
's term "deschooling", and was popularized through John Holt's newsletter
Growing Without SchoolingGrowing Without Schooling was a homeschooling newsletter, focused primarily on unschooling. It was founded in 1977 by educator John Holt, and was published in Boston, Massachusetts. Reportedly the first such publication in the United States, it was read worldwide, and helped to catalyze the early...
. In an early essay, Holt contrasts the two terms:
GWS will say 'unschooling' when we mean taking children out of school, and 'deschooling' when we mean changing the laws to make schools non-compulsory...
At this point, then, the term was equivalent with "home schooling" (itself a
neologismA neologism ; from Greek νές is a newly coined word that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event...
). Subsequently, home schoolers began to differentiate between various educational philosophies within home schooling. The term "unschooling" became used as a contrast to versions of home-schooling that were perceived as politically and pedagogically “school-like.” In 1981, in Holt's very influential book
Teach Your Own, he provided such a definition:
When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in the world as their parents can comfortably bear.
In the same passage Holt stated that he was not entirely comfortable with this term, and that he would have preferred the term "living". Holt's use of the term emphasizes learning as a natural process, integrated into the spaces and activities of everyday life, and not benefiting from adult manipulation. It follows closely on the themes of educational philosophies proposed by
Jean-Jacques RousseauJean Jacques Rousseau was a major philosopher, writer, and composer of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, whose political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and the development of modern political and educational thought.His novel, Emile: or, On Education, which he considered his most...
,
Paul GoodmanPaul Goodman may refer to:*Paul Goodman , British politician*Paul Goodman , American ice hockey player*Paul Goodman , Grammy Award-winning sound engineer...
, and A.S. Neill.
After Holt's death and the cessation of GWS, there was no longer anything resembling an authoritative voice of the unschooling movement. A very wide range of unschooling practitioners and observers defined the term in various different ways. For instance, the
Freechild ProjectThe Freechild Project is a nonprofit organization focused on creating connections between adults and young people by providing a wealth of options to mobilize participation: programs, technical assistance, publications, training, and curriculum. Adam Fletcher is the director, and the project is...
defines unschooling as:
the process of learning through life, without formalized or institutionalized classrooms or schoolwork.
Sandra Dodd proposed the term
"Radical Unschooling"The term, "unschooling," coined by John Holt, describes an approach to homeschooling that differs markedly from conventional schooling. By the most basic definition, unschooling is "not schooling." In practice, unschooling is characterized by non-coercive, cooperative partnership between parents...
to emphasize the complete rejection of any distinction between educational and non-educational activities. Catherine Baker and Grace Llewellyn emphasize unschooling as a process initiated and controlled by the learners (as opposed to their parents). All of these usages share an opposition to traditional schooling techniques and the social construction of schools. Most emphasize the integration of learning into the everyday life of the family and wider community. Points of disagreement include whether unschooling is primarily defined by the initiative of the learner and their control over the curriculum, or by the techniques, methods, and spaces being used.
Home education
Unschooling is generally considered to be a form of home education, which is simply the education of children at home rather than in a school. Home education is often considered to be synonymous with
homeschoolingHomeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in a formal setting of public or private school...
, but some have argued that the latter term implies the re-creation of school in the context of the home, which they believe is philosophically at odds with unschooling.
Unschooling contrasts with other forms of home education in that the student's education is not directed by a
teacherIn education, a teacher is a person who educates others. A teacher who educates an individual student may also be described as a personal tutor....
and
curriculumIn formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
. Although unschooling students may choose to make use of teachers or curricula, they are ultimately in control of their own education. Students choose how, when, why, and what they pursue. Parents who unschool their children act as "facilitators," providing a wide range of resources, helping their children access, navigate, and make sense of the world, and aiding them in making and implementing goals and plans for both the distant and immediate future. Unschooling expands from children's natural
curiosityCuriosity is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behaviour such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in human and many animal species. The term can also be used to denote the behavior itself being caused by the emotion of curiosity...
as an extension of their interests, concerns, needs, goals, and plans.
Socialization
Concerns about socialization are often a factor in the decision to unschool. Many unschoolers believe that the conditions common in conventional schools, like age segregation, a low ratio of adults to children, a lack of contact with the community, and a lack of people in professions other than teaching or school administration create an unhealthy social environment. They feel that their children benefit from coming in contact with people of diverse ages and backgrounds in a variety of contexts. They also feel that their children benefit from having some ability to influence what people they encounter, and in what contexts they encounter them. Unschoolers cite studies which report that home educated students tend to be more mature than their schooled peers, and some believe this is a result of the wide range of people with which they have the opportunity to communicate. Critics of unschooling, on the other hand, argue that unschooling inhibits social development by removing children from a ready-made peer group of diverse individuals.
Criticisms
The following are common opinions and concerns of people who are critical of unschooling.
- Most children lack the foresight to learn the things they will need to know in their adult lives.
- There may be gaps in a child's education unless an educational professional controls what material is covered.
- Because schools provide a ready-made source of peers, it may be more difficult for children who are not in school to make friends and develop social skills than it is for their schooled peers.
- Because schools may provide a diverse group of both adults and students, it might be more difficult for children who are not in school to be directly exposed to different cultures, socio-economic groups and worldviews.
- Some children are not motivated to learn anything, and will spend all of their time in un-educational endeavors if not coerced into doing otherwise.
- Not all parents may be able to provide the stimulating environment or have the skills and patience required to encourage the student's curiosity.
- Because they often lack a diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree...
from an accredited school, it may be more difficult for unschooled students to get into college or get a job.
- Children who direct their own educations may not develop the ability to take direction from others.
Organizations
A relatively new phenomenon is the unschooling, homeschooling, or self-directed learning center. Some centers are created for (and often by) existing homeschoolers or unschoolers, while others, such as North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens in
Hadley, MassachusettsHadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,793 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Early:...
, often attract people who aren't currently unschoolers (and may never have heard of unschooling), but are interested in using a new form of education.
Not Back to School CampNot Back To School Camp is a summer camp created by Grace Llewellyn, the author of The Teenage Liberation Handbook. Llewellyn founded the camp in 1996 to provide a place for homeschoolers and unschoolers aged thirteen through eighteen to meet and hang out...
is an annual gathering of over 100 unschoolers ages 13 to 18. The camp is directed by
Grace LlewellynGrace Llewellyn is an American educator, author, and publisher. Her work in the fields of youth liberation, unschooling and homeschooling is widely-regarded. She is the founder of and founder/director of .-Biography:...
, author of
The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and EducationThe Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education originally published in 1991 by Grace Llewellyn is an autodidactic book about unschooling. Inspired by John Holt's educational views, among others, the book encourages teenagers to leave full-time school and let...
.
Other forms of alternative education
Many other forms of
alternative educationAlternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, includes a number of approaches to teaching and learning other than mainstream or traditional education. Educational alternatives are often rooted in various philosophies that are fundamentally different...
also place a great deal of importance on student control of learning. This includes free democratic schools, like the
Sudbury Valley SchoolThe Sudbury Valley School was founded in 1968 in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States. There are now over 30 schools based on the Sudbury Model in the United States, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The model has two basic tenets: educational freedom and democratic...
,
Stonesoup SchoolStoneSoup School is a progressive, alternative private school located in Crescent City, FL. It is a member of the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools .-Overview:...
and 'open learning' virtual universities. Unschooling differs from these approaches in that unschoolers do not believe that an institution is necessary to facilitate learning. Many believe that 'educational' institutions actually limit learning by removing people from the larger world, where they believe the most valuable learning occurs.
Prominent unschooling advocates
- Catherine Baker
Catherine Baker is a French journalist and unschooling essayist. She has also more recently written against the whole prison system, arguing for a complete abolition...
- Sandra Dodd
Sandra Dodd is an unschooling advocate. Her articles have been published in homeschooling journals , in her self-published book "Moving a Puddle", and are available on her personal website...
- Dayna Martin
Dayna Martin is a radical unschooling advocate, author, and conference speaker. She founded Unschooling United, a non-profit organization dedicated to the radical unschooling movement....
- John Taylor Gatto
John Taylor Gatto is an American retired school teacher of 29 years and 8 months and author of several books on education...
- John Holt
John Caldwell Holt was an American author and educator, one of the best known proponents of homeschooling, and a pioneer in youth rights theory.-Biography:...
- Jan Hunt
Jan Hunt, M.Sc., is a Canadian-American child psychologist. She is the director of The Natural Child Project and author of The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart and A Gift for Baby . She is also the author of "Ten Reasons Not to Hit Your Kids", Appendix D in Breaking Down the Wall of...
- Grace Llewellyn
Grace Llewellyn is an American educator, author, and publisher. Her work in the fields of youth liberation, unschooling and homeschooling is widely-regarded. She is the founder of and founder/director of .-Biography:...
- Wendy Priesnitz
Wendy Priesnitz is a Canadian alternative education and environmental advocate. She was leader of the Green Party of Canada from July 1996 to January 1997, when she abruptly resigned....
- Carlo Ricci
See also
- Radical Unschooling
The term, "unschooling," coined by John Holt, describes an approach to homeschooling that differs markedly from conventional schooling. By the most basic definition, unschooling is "not schooling." In practice, unschooling is characterized by non-coercive, cooperative partnership between parents...
- School-at-home
School-at-home, also known as The Traditional Approach or The Structured Approach, is a method of homeschooling in which the curriculum and homework of the student are similar or identical to what would be taught in a public or private school; as one example, the same textbooks used in conventional...
- Free school
There are three manifestations of a free school that operate today.An anarchist free school, sometimes spelled free skool, can be a decentralized network in which skills, information, and knowledge are shared without hierarchy or the institutional environment of formal schooling...
- Autodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. An autodidact is a mostly self-taught person, as opposed to learning in a school setting or from a full-time tutor or mentor....
- Summerhill School
For the school of the same name in Kingswinford, please see Summerhill School Summerhill School is an independent British boarding school that was founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill with the belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around...
- Taking Children Seriously
Taking Children Seriously is a parenting movement and educational philosophy whose central idea is that is possible and desirable to raise and educate children without either doing anything to them against their will, or making them do anything against their will.It was founded in 1994 as an email...
- Alternative school
Alternative school , is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides part of alternative education. It is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional...
- Gifted education
Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented...
- Montessori method
The Montessori method is a child-centered, alternative educational method based on the child development theories originated by Italian educator Maria Montessori in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries...
- Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
- Sudbury Valley School
The Sudbury Valley School was founded in 1968 in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States. There are now over 30 schools based on the Sudbury Model in the United States, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The model has two basic tenets: educational freedom and democratic...