Unschool, the New School

Are children empty buckets waiting to be filled or small flames needing to be fanned into a roaring blaze? This debate has raged within various philosophies of education and has led to different schooling methods ranging from public, private, and Montessori to homeschooling and unschooling.

While some people may think of it as a new method of education, unschooling is actually a philosophy of education that has been around since about 1970. John Holt is responsible for the term unschooling and is considered the father of this movement.

Unschooling is a non-traditional, child-centered method of schooling. It is initiated by the children and facilitated by the adults. The supervising adult serves the role of a coach rather than a traditional teacher. Curriculum is not limited to text books but is created by anything and everything the child encounters.

Unschooling embraces the idea that there is not just one way to learn. Furthermore, among advocates of unschooling, it is also thought that there is not just one way to unschool. The purpose of unschooling is for children to explore a wide variety of things that interest them, bringing them closer to accomplishing their goals, whatever those goals may be. Contrary to the end goal of traditional schooling, the goal of unschooling is not necessarily a college education that leads to a high-paying job.

Learning is part of living and can take place in any location, at any time, in any of formats. Assessment involves observing children, watching and listening to how they interact with others and with their environment. This of course requires a parent to stay at home with the child. For this reason, many people have considered unschooling to be a subset of homeschooling. Modeling is an essential part of successful unschooling. Parents model a hunger and thirst for knowledge as well as an understanding and utilization of self-discipline.

The structure of unschooling depends on the needs, interests, and goals of the child. Some children may function better in a more orderly and structured environment whereas others will thrive in a relaxed and free-flowing style of learning.

Unschooling completely redefines education by removing it from the confines of the typical school day and school year. Unschooling promotes the idea that learning is not limited to a classroom and that it takes place all the time in a variety of ways, through a variety of sources. Unschooling is legal but restrictions vary from state to state.