One of my previous articles gave you some insight into unshcooling. Andrea has already addressed many questions about unschooling in Homeschool. However I thought that it might be interesting to throw in an article from a public educator’s point of view.
As you know unschooling involves letting children learn on their own in a natural environment instead of in a structured learning setting such as a classroom. It is more relaxed with less “bookwork”.
So does this work? It can.
I think that unschooling and typical homeschooling and schooling in general all basically follow the same rule. That rule is that children must be treated and taught as individuals. No two children are exactly alike.
Unschooling may work for one sibling but not for another. Some children are very capable of taking information and discoveries and learning from them without direct instruction. Some children do this in the classroom. They can observe the teacher and look at a certain situation and figure out a solution before the teacher ever says a word.
However not all children can do this. Some children need more guidance and instruction. Kori and I both addressed this issue in Education and in Parenting. I think those children may struggle more with unschooling.
I think that the key to success in whatever method of education you choose, is recognizing and following through with what best meets the need of the child. That may be homeschooling, unschooling, or classroom schooling.
I think that is very appropriate for parents to do different things for each of their children based on the children’s needs. One child may succeed with unschooling while another needs more traditional homeschooling or even schooling in a classroom setting. As long as the decision is made in the best interest of the child, you cannot go wrong.
Unschooling Articles
Lessons from Unschooling Families: The Greens
Lessons From Unschooling Families: The Smiths
Lessons from Unschooling Families: The Jones