Authentic Learning/unschooling

Author: Ellen Shansky-Genovese
For me, unschooling is a natural fit for leading an authentic life. Unschooling looks different in every family simply because it is guided and defined by the individuals that make up that family, including the children. The basic concept is that learning happens naturally, through living life. It doesn't have to be separated from life or institutionalized.

Today, for example, I was making granola with my 5-year-old daughter. I've done a lot of baking with my kids and math and chemistry are naturally embedded in the activity. I think my eldest learned fractions primarily from using the various measuring cups and spoons. But today, we got a lesson in physics, as well. Sadie was stirring the honey and oil together with a spoon. The bowl was metal and she wasn't holding onto it.

"Mom, look at this!" she squealed. Since she wasn't holding onto the bowl, the spoon was spinning that rather than the ingredients. "Look how high it can get!" she noticed. The faster she spun, the higher the liquid rose on the side of the bowl, leaving almost nothing at the bottom.
I'm not a scientist and I remember very little from my science classes in high school so I had to look up the word and definition for what I was seeing. Sadie could care less about that. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but an experience is worth even more.

My ten-year-old daughter is trying to find local horse rescues on the computer. She tends to like for me to give her direction so when she came to me feeling bored and wanting something to do, that's what I suggested because I know she wants to volunteer at a rescue and I haven't gotten the chance to look it up yet.

As I'm sitting and writing this, I'm watching my practically-eight-year-old son making a diving board off of our couch using his fort-building kit (pieces of peg board, posts with holes, screws, nuts and bolts.) He's figured out how to support the front but is still working on how to stabilize the back when weight is put on the front. He's used ropes but it's still not quite stable. Now he's got a back-up plan: pillows and blankets at the bottom. He's decided it will be more like a dunk tank (which he and his dad made this summer) than a diving board. And the experiment continues with his sisters getting in the act, too. It works as a diving board only if someone holds the back end down. Ari has used several layers of pegboard for the diving platform to prevent it from breaking.

I could categorize all the various lessons the kids are learning from this exercise or any of the other activities from our daily lives. But there's no need. It is organic learning, experiencing, living and they will retain and use and build on whatever is authentic and meaningful to them.

Authenticity begins young. I think we come into the world as authentic beings and our experiences during our formative years help to determine our connection to our authentic self. School age has gotten younger and younger, there are fewer recesses, more expectations, less time to play and be children. I would hazard a guess that all that this does is lead to delayed childhood, adults acting out their unfinished development in sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious ways.

Learning doesn't have to be compulsory and by making it so, we take the ownership of that learning away from our kids. As a society we tell them what to learn, when to learn it and how to learn it and if the schools' formula doesn't fit the child, too bad. Unschooling gives the ownership of learning back to the individual child. He/she seeks out what is interesting, stimulating, enjoyable. As a parent, I'm not a teacher, necessarily, but a facilitator, a guide, a partner in that learning. I try to provide a variety of resources and exposure to different things but I don't force them to learn anything or provide external motivation (ie: positive or negative reinforcement) for them to learn. I don't need to. All I need to do is open my eyes and my mind and see that they are learning every day, every minute. They are either learning from what they are experiencing in their physical world or they are learning from going inward, reflecting, imagining.

But I can't judge what they learn or the ways in which they learn because it is theirs and it is authentic to them. It is driven by them and I am there to support and nurture and validate their experience, not to create an experience for them that I think will result in their success or intelligence or whatever other expectation one might have. Sure, I want them to be successful out in the world but I don't define that success--they do. And above all, I want them to know themselves. That is the best education of all.
For more information on unschooling, check out the following sites:
www.unschooling.com
www.sandradodd.com/unschooling
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/authentic-learningunschooling-1886355.html
About the Author
Ellie Shansky-Genovese is an unschooling mom to three children with a BA in English from Western Michigan University. She also studied education at Antioch University before becoming a mom. She is a playwright, dancer, nature-lover and life-learner. You can read more of Ellie's thoughts on authentic living at http://ellie-anauthenticlife.blogspot.com/.

Unschooling - Brilliant Education Philosophy or Lazy Parenting?

Author: Carrie Lauth
When I first heard about the notion of unschooling, I agreed with much of it in principle. I knew that my kids learned an awful lot of stuff without any help from me. Babies learn to crawl, toddlers learn to walk and potty train and talk. These are things you can't really teach a child how to do. I also knew how much kids loved to learn, especially if they aren't hamstrung from fear of performing. They learn for the joy of it and to satisfy their own curiosity and craving to understand the world.

At the same time, I worried that by unschooling I was being a lazy parent. Is that true? First, I'll define what unschooling is.

Hmm. That's challenging, in part because unschooling looks so different for every family! There are "radical" unschoolers who reject workbooks and curriculum and "doing school", there are unschoolers who do some curriculum in a flexible manner, and everything in between. Some unschooling families think TV and video games are ok, others reject them totally. And again, there is every thing inbetween.

What unschoolers have in common is their trust of children. They believe that children can lead their own education. They believe that parents are facilitators, not taskmasters. Unschoolers think that kids should learn what they want, in the way they want, where and when they want. To unschoolers, learning is something as natural as breathing.

That scares some people. But when you get right down to it, this is what young kids who are not in school and adults who are out of school do. To learn is to be human. We all love to learn, unless we've developed a hatred of reading and studying because of our school experiences. Love and fear can't reside in the same space. You can't love to learn if you fear someone's criticism or harsh judgment. Unschoolers remove the fear. The fear of bad grades, the fear of being called "slow", "stupid" or "special". They remove the fear of having to be bored to tears by something that's totally irrelevant to your life.

Is there any research behind the philosophy of unschooling? People who believe in learning styles and multiple intelligences would point to the evidence that school doesn't appeal to people with kinesthetic intelligence, and that audio-visual learners also have a difficult time in school. In his book Punished by Rewards, Alfie Kohn points to hundreds of studies that conclude that rewards are not effective in the long term and discourage the behavior, meaning that the way schools and classic curriculum are set up are counterproductive to learning. Kohn said that intrinsic motivation is what we should be after, and unschooling makes that possible. Edward Deci, Howard Gardner and Thomas Armstrong have also written about research that supports an unschooling philosophy.

What about the thinking that unschoolers are lazy parents? I've learned that too is a fallacy. Unschoolers may have to work even harder to keep their children stimulated, because unschooled kids are always wanting to learn something of their own choosing. Sometimes an unschooling parent has to exhaust outside resources such as other people, institutions, books, libraries, etc. An unschooling parent is a facilitator, and a busy one! For unschooling families, life is learning and everything is a learning opportunity.

Unschooling helps kids understand that people are unique. While one 7 year old who is unschooling may not read as well as another 7 year old unschooler, it makes little difference. The one who isn't reading as well may be a better musician. And that's ok. When people are allowed to choose how they will work, they can become more competent. They can really hone their skills, work on their strengths, instead of trying to be squeezed into another's mold.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/unschooling-brilliant-education-philosophy-or-lazy-parenting-595296.html
About the Author
Carrie Lauth is a single, work at home mom of 4 who just outed herself as an unschooler. You can read more of her thoughts on education and everything else having to do with the natural family at Natural Moms Talk Radio. For more information about homeschooling visit Homeschooling Articles

How Homeschooling Can Help Young Kids

Author: Matthew Colangelo
The decision to homeschool your children is an important one that requires careful consideration. There are many different factors at play when you choose this form of education and you need to determine whether or not this approach will benefit your kids. You also need to factor in the additional time commitment that will be required from you as a parent.
Things like the time commitment, personal sacrifice, your homes set up, socialization, and your child's willingness to be homeschooled all play a major role in the decision. Once you decide to go in this direction it is important for you to keep in mind that you can take one year at a time. After each year you can take the time to talk to your children and discuss the merits of this approach and determine how beneficial this approach to education is.
How Homeschooling Can Help Young Kids
Homeschooling is an increasingly popular way for parents to educate their children and the truth is that it can help young children in a number of positive ways when compared to education in the traditional sense. Benefits include:

• One on one attention: One of the main benefits of homeschooling is the one on one attention that children will receive. Even if you homeschool all of the children in your family, you will have a much better teacher to student ratio.
• Learning at their own pace: Another great benefit of homeschooling is that students can learn at their own pace. Often, when in a classroom environment, students either get bored because lessons are not progressing quickly enough, or they struggle because they need additional help in a specific subject area.
• More hands on education: Kids that are educated at home also have to opportunity to experience more hands on education. In addition to having their parent work with them, they also have the opportunity to experience things that they could not otherwise do if they went to school. Things like more frequent field trips to museums and increased volunteer opportunists will help kids to get a more hands on education.
• Specialization: Specialization is important, especially if you child excels in a certain area. Homeschooling allows you to focus your teaching around the interests and skills of your child. It will also help you and your child more clearly define an area of interest to pursue further education in the future.
• Special Needs: Homeschooling is a viable option for young children that have special needs. Whether it is a physical ailment or a social issue, this type of schooling will allow them to become educated in an environment that is comfortable for them.
• Flexibility: Homeschooling offers both the parents and children flexibility in terms of how you approach lesson planning and scheduling. If more time is needed in a particular area, then you can create time fairly easily.

Homeschooling can undoubtedly help young children become well education individuals. It provides the flexibility and personal attention they need to grow academically from grade school, through high school and into college.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/homeschooling-articles/how-homeschooling-can-help-young-kids-6597399.html
About the Author
Want to learn more about this topic? For more great information and tips on Homeschooling Canada, please visit ourReading programs for kids

Public Schools Brainwashing Students with Fear

Public Schools Brainwashing Students with Fear

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Published on Jun 14, 2013

Recently my child experienced firsthand the kind of victim disarmament indoctrination America's public school system is teaching our children.

The school went on lockdown mode without even bothering to inform me, her parent, and while it turned out to be nothing at all, the impression left on my child that day will not soon be forgotten.

In 2005, a federal court upheld that our nation's public schools trump parent rights:

"Parents and politicians alike were shocked when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled on Nov. 2 that parents' fundamental right to control the upbringing of their children 'does not extend beyond the threshold of the school door,' and that a public school has the right to provide its students with 'whatever information it wishes to provide, sexual or otherwise.'"

The court went on to clarify:

"Parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed."

What this decision essentially says is that, as a parent, your rights to control what your children are being taught in this country end at the school door...

Dayna Martin: Common Unschooling Questions Answered

Dayna Martin: Common Unschooling Questions Answered

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Uploaded on May 30, 2007

Check out my new book Radical Unschooling- Radical Unschooling - A Revolution Has Begun-Revised Edition (Volume 2) [Paperback]
http://amzn.to/fYSS91


or order one of my audio cd's
Order my new MP3 Audio CD http://www.willowtoys.com/catalog.php...
you will hear over 10 inspiring hours of the best quality Radical Unschooling Conference Discussions...


This is a casual discussion about Unschooling by advocate, public speaker and writer, Dayna Martin

What is Unschooling?

What is Unschooling?

Subscribe to Dayna Martin

Uploaded on Jan 4, 2009

To learn more about Radical Unschooling, visit http://www.daynamartin.com
or Follow my facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dayna-...

Check out my new book Radical Unschooling- Radical Unschooling - A Revolution Has Begun-Revised Edition (Volume 2) [Paperback]
http://amzn.to/fYSS91

On the Kindle- http://amzn.to/i4UQeq

On the Nook- http://bit.ly/fMkmGT


or order one of my audio cd's
Order my new MP3 Audio CD http://www.willowtoys.com/catalog.php...
you will hear over 10 inspiring hours of the best quality Radical Unschooling Conference Discussions...


This is a casual discussion about Unschooling by advocate, public speaker and writer, Dayna Martin

Meet a Mother That's 'Unschooling' Her Kids

Meet a Mother That's 'Unschooling' Her Kids

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Dayna is a mother of four who is raising her children in an unconventional manner: She's unschooling them. On the show, Dayna explains why she's unschooling her kids, and what her role is in their development and education.