EDUC 101

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

UNSCHOOLING
WHAT IS UNSCHOOLING?

- It is an educational method and philosophy that advocates learner-chosen activities as a

primary means for learning.

- It emphasizes free, undirected play as a major component of children's education.

History

- Coined in the 1970s and used by educator John Holt, widely regarded as the "father" of
unschooling

Philosophy

 Children are natural learners

“Curiosity is innate and that children want to learn”
> Institutionalizing children in a so-called "one size fits all" or "factory model" school is
an inefficient use of the children's time, because it requires each child to learn specific
subject matter in a particular manner, at a particular pace, and at a specific 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 believe that opportunities for valuable hands-on, community-based,

spontaneous, and real-world experiences may be missed when educational
opportunities are limited to, or dominated by, those inside a school building.
  Learning styles
> Unschoolers note that psychologists have documented many differences between
children in the way they learn, and assert that unschooling is better equipped to adapt
to these differences.

 Developmental differences
> Natural learning produces far greater changes in behavior than do traditional learning
methods, though not necessarily an increase in the amount of information learned.

 Essential body of knowledge

> Unschoolers sometimes state that learning any specific subject is less important than
learning how to learn.
> Many unschoolers disagree that there is a particular body of knowledge that every
person, regardless of the life they lead, needs to possess. Unschoolers argue that, in the
words of John Holt, "If children 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

> Parents of unschoolers provide resources, support, guidance, information, and advice
to facilitate experiences that aid their children in accessing, navigating, and making
sense of the world.

 Criticism of traditional school methods and environments

> Unschoolers question schools for lessening the parent/child bond and reducing family
time and creating atmospheres of fear, or atmospheres that are not conducive for
learning and may not even correspond with later success.
“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."
> Unschoolers may question the school environment as one that is optimal for daily
learning.
"If you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what
the brain was good at doing, you probably would create something like a classroom...."
 Criticisms
Socialization. Schools provide a ready-made group of peers, but unschooled children
need other ways to make friends in their age group.
Isolation. A child might not encounter people of other cultures, worldviews and
socioeconomic groups if they are not enrolled in a school.
Qualifications. Some parents may not have the skills required to guide and advise their
children in life skills or help them pursue their own interests.
Development. Children won't learn what they need to know in their adult lives.
Standardization. A child may not learn the same things a regular-schooling peer does,
unless an educational professional controls what material is covered. In a 2006 study of
five- to ten-year-olds, unschooling children scored significantly below structured
homeschoolers but within statistical variation of traditionally schooled children on
standardized academic achievement tests.

* Unschooling provides a unique

opportunity to step away from
systems and methods, and to
develop independent ideas out of
actual experiences, where the child
is truly in pursuit of knowledge,not
the other way around.

-Prepared by: Chlea Marie M. Tañedo MAED –ENGLISH