Every parent wants the best for their child, and providing the best education is one of the cornerstones of successful parenting. Recently, there seems to have been a paradigm shift in evaluating what education, and certainly the “best” education for a child, looks like. Most parents and educators can agree that the cookie-cutter approach no longer works.
Leaning into the individual needs of the learner is a major theme in 21st-century education discourse; from neurodiversity to differing learning styles and paces, it would appear that, for some, the classroom is a non-starter. While homeschooling was a popular choice long before the pandemic, COVID-19 increased the number of people in the country opting out of traditional schools and education.
Unschooling, radical unschooling, and free-range learning have emerged as some newer educational philosophies. With bullying, school safety issues, stringent testing, and few accommodations and support for differently abled and neurodivergent students, the unschooling philosophy has emerged as a viable alternative. Here’s what we know about this educational system and how it works:
What is unschooling?
To begin to understand the concept of unschooling, we’re going to start with the widely accepted definition. According to experts, unschooling is defined as “an educational philosophy that relies on a child’s innate curiosity and desire to learn.” Students do not attend a physical school, nor do they follow any set homeschool curriculum.
There’s not much consensus on how unschooling is practiced, mainly because it’s based on the individual curiosity, pace, and interests of the learners. It also relies quite heavily on the available resources, adding variation to the “learning plan” for each student. The idea is that children develop an affinity and love for learning rather than following rote-style learning for the sake of grades.
Unschoolers will argue that children are naturally curious and have an innate love for learning; something that is quickly stamped out by standardized tests, rote learning, and hours of homework. Evidence of this lies in developmental milestones; children learn to walk and talk naturally, and interventions are only sought when/if a delay occurs.
This new philosophy encourages learners to follow their natural instinct to learn and facilitates education in accordance with interest and aptitude. However, unschooling is also characterized by a lack of structure, and there is no definitive answer to how learning is measured. Still, many unschooled learners have gone on to university and college and entered the workforce with relative success.
The driving factors for unschooling
Parents across the US are increasingly opting out of traditional school and education and seeking alternatives. While the exact number of unschoolers in the system is not clear, looking at homeschooling statistics can help to paint a picture of why parents are abandoning traditional education. Statistics obtained by the National Center for Education Statistics indicate that the school environment plays a large role in the decision to homeschool. 25% of parents chose to homeschool to avoid issues such as safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure. 15% of homeschooled students had parents who reported dissatisfaction with the academic instruction at other schools, while 13% decided to homeschool because of a desire to provide religious instruction.
Benefits of unschooling
1. Children can work at their own pace
This is great for gifted students and those struggling in a traditional school setting. If your child excels in math but needs extra help in reading, you have time to focus on the right topics within these subjects without the stress of feeling “bored” or “behind.”
2. Kids have more time to follow their interests or spend with family
Children aren’t simply memorizing facts for a test. They’re gathering helpful knowledge that can stay with them forever. And when they want to dig deeper into a topic, they can. There’s no busy work keeping them from their passion projects. How they spend their time is entirely up to them.
3. Children keep their natural curiosity and love of learning
Being forced to learn something you care little about can feel disheartening. There’s so much to learn globally, and every interest has value. When children can make their own educational choices, they stay invested in learning and gain self-confidence. They feel important because their needs are being respected. And this keeps the momentum going.
Challenges of unschooling
1. Your child may not meet grade-level standards
Because your child is creating their path, they may fall behind their traditional school peers. Some unschoolers do not learn to read until age seven or as late as 10. Others may not go far beyond basic math. This could become a problem if they choose to re-enter the public school system later, though many of these skills can be learned quickly with the right motivation and guidance.
2. Parents need to stay involved
As the parent of an unschooling child, you’re not teaching but instead supporting your child’s learning. This means you need to stay on top of their interests and provide resources to help them along their chosen path. Often, you’ll learn alongside your child so you can better facilitate their learning.
Though this can be achieved in various ways, it certainly helps to have a flexible workday or a stay-at-home parent to join the child on their learning journey.
3. Fielding questions from concerned family and friends
School is such an ingrained institution that it is difficult for many people to understand unschooling. Your family and friends may wonder what you spend all day doing. How are your kids learning? This can be frustrating for both you and your children. But as you find your groove, it becomes easier to answer these questions
Conclusion
There are several reasons why parents are looking to move away from traditional structures. The cookie-cutter approach no longer works, and given how different brains process information, it’s natural to imagine some families will embrace the nontraditional for their neurodivergent or differently-abled children.
School safety, progressive curricula, and bullying are just some other reasons parents have opted to pull learners from traditional school environments. But above all, the opportunity to make learning more intuitive, learner-centered, and curious are some of the more prevalent reasons for parents to opt for unschooling. This philosophy promises to turn education on its head by encouraging lifelong learning in natural settings.
