One new hot educational term that some of you may be hearing lately is the word unschooling.
There are several different ideas about the meaning of the term unschooling.
The most common concept derived from the term unschooling is the idea of educating without school. Some would consider this to be homeschooling. However, unschooling is a little different. The concept is even further from the typical school setting than homeschool.
Unschooling takes into consider more of the process of learning rather than teaching content. The learner is more in control and learns based on individual styles, personalities, and choices.
The learning that takes place is often not planned or organized in any fashion. It is the freedom of learning without boundaries of a classroom or even a curriculum.
When unschooling, parents place trust is the children and their curiosity. They believe that a child’s natural ability and desire to explore the world and learn will teach him or her all that she or he needs to know.
The learning from unschooling may take place in the car, at the grocery store, or at the zoo. There are not requirements of textbooks or written work. There are no defined subjects or class time.
The children read, write, dance, play, sing, and explore. Within the activities that are carried out, the children learn naturally.
A math lesson may involve building with blocks or baking a cake. Science may be found within planting a garden and watching it grow.
Because of its unique style and the appearance of the lack of teaching, unschooling has caused some controversy. However it is legal. Each state is responsible for its own law regarding how unschooling must be carried out. Some states have tougher laws or requirements than others. New York is thought to have one of the most difficult.
Watch for future articles about unschooling.
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