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{{short description|Educational method and philosophy; form of homeschooling}}
'''Unschooling''' is an educational method and philosophy that rejects compulsory school as a primary means for learning. Unschoolers ] through their natural life experiences including ], ] play, ] responsibilities, personal interests and curiosity, internships and work experience, travel, books, elective classes, family, mentors, and ]. Unschooling encourages exploration of activities initiated by the children themselves, believing that the more personal learning is, the more meaningful, well-understood and therefore useful it is to the child. While courses may occasionally be taken, unschooling questions the usefulness of standard ], conventional ] methods, and other features of traditional schooling in maximizing the education of each unique child.
{{Multiple issues|
{{Unbalanced|date=September 2023}}
{{Debate|date=June 2024}}
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]
The term "unschooling" was coined in the 1970s and used by educator ], widely regarded as the "father" of unschooling.<ref name="fun12">{{cite web|title=Unschooling or homeschooling?|accessdate=2008-09-04|url=http://www.unschooling.org/fun12_unschooling.htm|author=Billy Greer}}</ref>
{{Students rights sidebar}}
While often considered a subset of ], unschoolers may be as philosophically separate from other homeschoolers as they are from advocates of conventional schooling. While homeschooling has been subject to widespread public debate, little media attention has been given to unschooling in particular. Popular critics of unschooling tend to view it as an extreme educational philosophy, with concerns that unschooled children lack the social skills, structure, and motivation of their peers, especially in the job market, while proponents of unschooling say exactly the opposite is true: self-directed education in a natural environment makes a child more equipped to handle the "real world."<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|title=Readers share heated opinions on "unschooling"|date=2006-10-31|accessdate=2008-09-04|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15148804/}}</ref>
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'''Unschooling''' is a practice of self-driven ] characterized by a ]-free and ]-free implementation of ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arnall |first1=Judy |title=Unschooling to University |date=2018 |publisher=Professional Parenting |isbn=9781775178606 |edition=1st |location=Calgary, Alberta |pages=5–8}}</ref> Unschooling encourages exploration of activities initiated by the children themselves, under the belief that the more personal learning is, the more meaningful, well-understood, and therefore useful it is to the child.


The term ''unschooling'' was coined in the 1970s and used by educator ], who is widely regarded as the father of unschooling. Unschooling is often seen as a subset of homeschooling, the key difference lying in the use of an external or individual curriculum. Homeschooling, in its many variations, has been the subject of ].
==Philosophy==


Critics of unschooling see it as extreme, and express concerns that unschooled children will be neglected by parents whom might not be capable of sustaining a proper educational environment, and the child might lack the social skills, structure, discipline, and motivation of their schooled peers. Critics also worry that unschooled children will be unable to cope with uncomfortable or challenging situations. Proponents of unschooling disagree, asserting that self-directed education in a non-academic, often natural and diversified environment is a far more efficient, sustainable, and child-friendly form of education than traditional schooling, as it preserves innate curiosity, pleasure, and willingness to discover and learn new things. However, some studies suggest that children who have participated in unschooling may experience academic underdevelopment.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}
===Children are natural learners===
A fundamental premise of unschooling is that curiosity is innate and that children want to learn. From this an argument can be made that institutionalizing children in a so-called "one size fits all" or "factory model" ] is an inefficient use of the children's time, because it requires each child to learn a 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.


==History==
Many unschoolers believe that opportunities for valuable hands-on, community-based, spontaneous, and real-world experiences are missed when educational opportunities are limited to, or dominated by, those inside a school building.


The term ''unschooling'' probably derives from ]'s term '']''. It was popularized through ] newsletter '']'' (''GWS''). Holt is also widely regarded as the father of unschooling.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greer |first=Billy |title=Unschooling or homeschooling? |url=http://www.unschooling.org/fun12_unschooling.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115060121/http://unschooling.org/fun12_unschooling.htm |archive-date=2013-11-15 |access-date=2008-09-04}}</ref> In an early essay, Holt contrasted the two terms:
===Different approaches to learning===
Unschoolers note that ] have documented many differences between children in the way that they learn,<ref>Vosniadou, S: ''How Children Learn?'' The International Academy of Education, 2001. </ref> and assert that unschooling is better equipped to adapt to these differences.<ref name=Evaluation>{{cite web|last=Hunt|first=Jan|title=Evaluation|url=http://www.naturalchild.org/jan_hunt/evaluation.html|publisher=Natural Child|accessdate=6 January 2013}}</ref>


<blockquote>GWS will say "unschooling" when we mean taking children out of school, and "deschooling" when we mean changing the laws to make schools non-compulsory...<ref>{{Citation |last=Holt, J |title=Growing Without Schooling |year=1977}}</ref></blockquote>
====Developmental differences====
Developmental psychologists note that just as children reach growth milestones at different ages from each other, children are also prepared to learn at different ages.<ref>Vosniadou, S: ''How Children Learn?'', The International Academy of Education, 2001. </ref> Just as some children learn to walk during a normal range of eight to fifteen months, and begin to talk across an even larger range, unschoolers assert that they are also ready and able to read, for example, at different ages, girls usually earlier, boys later. In fact, experts have discovered that natural learning produces far greater changes in behavior than do traditional learning methods, though not necessarily an increase in the amount of information learned.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/documents/research/Teacher-vs-Learner-Responsibility.pdf | title = Teacher vs. Learner Responsibility in Management Education | author = J. Scott Armstrong }}</ref> Traditional education requires all children to begin reading at the same time and do multiplication at the same time; unschoolers believe that some children cannot help but be bored because this was something that they had been ready to learn earlier, and even worse, some children cannot help but fail, because they are not yet ready for this new information being taught.<ref name=Fail>{{cite book|last=Holt|first=John C.|title=How Children Fail|year=1964 (revised 1982)|publisher=Classics in Child Development|isbn=10: 0201484021|url=http://www.amazon.com/Children-Fail-Classics-Child-Development/dp/0201484021}}</ref>


At the time, the term was equivalent to ''home schooling''. Subsequently, ] began to differentiate between various educational philosophies within home schooling. The term ''unschooling'' became used to contrast versions of home schooling that were perceived as politically and pedagogically "school-like," in that they used textbooks and exercises at home in the same way they would be used at school.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pearce |first=Kyle |date=2017-11-21 |title=Why The Future of Education Is Unschooling |url=https://www.diygenius.com/unschooling-is-21st-century-education/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |language=en-US}}</ref>
====Learning styles====
People vary in their "]", that is, how they acquire new information. However, research has demonstrated that this preference is not related to increased learning or improved performance.<ref>Pashler, H.; McDaniel, M.; Rohrer, D.; Bjork, R. (2009). "Learning styles: Concepts and evidence". Psychological Science in the Public Interest 9: 105–119. {{doi|10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x}}</ref> Students have different learning needs. In a traditional school setting, teachers seldom evaluate an individual student differently than other students, and while teachers often use different methods, this is sometimes haphazard and not always with regard to an individual student.<ref></ref>


In 2003, in Holt's book ''Teach Your Own'' (originally published in 1981), ], co-author of the new edition, provided a definition:
===Essential body of knowledge===


<blockquote>When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in the world as their parents can comfortably bear. It allows children to develop knowledge and skills based on their own personal passions and life situations.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holt |first=J. |title=Teach Your Own |year=2003}}</ref></blockquote>
Unschoolers sometimes state that learning any specific subject is less important than learning ''how'' to learn.<ref name="childledhomeschool.com">http://web.archive.org/web/20110708144224/http://childledhomeschool.com/2010/08/14/planning-for-child-led-learning/</ref> They assert, in the words of Holt:


In the same passage Holt stated that he was not entirely comfortable with this term, and would have preferred the term ''living''. Holt's use of the term emphasizes learning as a natural process, integrated into the spaces and activities of everyday life, and not benefiting from adult manipulation. It follows closely on the themes of educational philosophies proposed by ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Petrovic |first1=John E |last2=Rolstad |first2=Kellie |date=November 2017 |title=Educating for autonomy: Reading Rousseau and Freire toward a philosophy of unschooling |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1478210316681204 |journal=Policy Futures in Education |language=en |volume=15 |issue=7–8 |pages=817–833 |doi=10.1177/1478210316681204 |s2cid=152256452 |issn=1478-2103}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}
<blockquote>Since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever must be learned.<ref name="childledhomeschool.com"/></blockquote>


After Holt's death a range of unschooling practitioners and observers defined the term in various ways. For instance, the ] defines unschooling as:
It is asserted that this ability to learn on their own makes it more likely that later, when these children are adults, they can continue to learn what they need to know to meet newly emerging needs, interests, and goals;<ref name="childledhomeschool.com"/> and that they can return to any subject that they feel was not sufficiently covered or learn a completely new subject.<ref name="childledhomeschool.com"/>


<blockquote>he process of learning through life, without formalized or institutionalized classrooms or schoolwork.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unschooling & Self-Education |url=http://www.freechild.org/unschooling.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151011160704/http://www.freechild.org:80/unschooling.htm |archive-date=2015-10-11 |access-date=2008-07-15}}</ref></blockquote>
Many unschoolers disagree that there is a particular body of knowledge that every person, regardless of the life they lead, needs to possess.<ref name=Curriculum>{{cite book|last=Noll|first=James Wm.|title=Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues 15th ed.|year=2008|publisher=McGraw-Hill|isbn=10: 0073515205|pages=25–26|url=http://www.amazon.com/Educational-Issues-Taking-Sides-Clashing/dp/0073515205}}</ref> Unschoolers argue that, in the words of John Holt, "f 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."<ref>http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/X00046822/</ref>


American homeschooling parent Sandra Dodd proposed the term ''radical'' ''unschooling'' to emphasize the complete rejection of any distinction between educational and non-educational activities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Is there a difference between a radical unschooler and just an unschooler? |url=http://sandradodd.com/unschool/radical |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627220327/https://sandradodd.com/unschool/radical |archive-date=2023-06-27 |access-date=2008-07-15}}</ref> Radical unschooling emphasizes that unschooling is a non-coercive, cooperative practice, and seeks to promote those values in all areas of life. These philosophies share an opposition to traditional schooling techniques and the social structure of schools. Most emphasize the integration of learning into the everyday life of the family and wider community. Points of disagreement include whether unschooling is primarily defined by the initiative of the learner and their control over the curriculum, or by the techniques, methods, and spaces used.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} ] suggested the term '']'', which has fewer negative connotations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Differences Between Self-Directed and Progressive Education |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201706/differences-between-self-directed-and-progressive-education |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=Psychology Today |language=en-GB}}</ref>
===The role of parents===


== Motivations ==
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.<ref name=Evaluation>{{cite web|last=Hunt|first=Jan|title=Evaluation|url=http://www.naturalchild.org/jan_hunt/evaluation.html|publisher=Natural Child|accessdate=6 January 2013}}</ref> Common parental activities include sharing interesting books, articles, and activities with their children, helping them find knowledgeable people to explore an interest with (anyone from physics professors to automotive mechanics), and helping them set goals and figure out what they need to do to meet their goals. Unschooling's interest-based nature does not mean that it is a "hands off" approach to education. Parents tend to involve themselves, especially with younger children (older children, unless new to unschooling, often need less help finding resources and making and carrying out plans).<ref name=Evaluation />
{{See also|Motivations for homeschooling}}
Parents choose to unschool their children for a variety of reasons, many of which overlap with reasons for ].


Unschoolers criticize schools for lessening the parent–child bond, reducing family time, and for creating atmospheres that are fearful.<ref name="8-powerful-reasons">{{Cite web |date=2017-10-12 |title=8 powerful reasons why I 'unschool' my kids |url=https://www.mother.ly/life/why-i-homeschool-my-kids |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518213647/https://www.mother.ly/life/why-i-homeschool-my-kids/ |archive-date=2023-05-18 |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=Motherly |language=en}}</ref> Some unschoolers argue that schools teach children facts and skills that will not be useful to them, whereas, with unschooling, children learn how to learn, which is of more enduring use.<ref name="8-powerful-reasons" /><ref name="beginners-guide-to-unschooling">{{Cite web |date=4 October 2012 |title=The Beginner's Guide to Unschooling |url=https://zenhabits.net/unschool/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518212144/https://zenhabits.net/unschool/ |archive-date=2023-05-18 |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=zenhabits.net}}</ref> Some assert that schools teach children only how to follow instructions,<ref name="8-powerful-reasons" /><ref name="beginners-guide-to-unschooling" /> which does not prepare them to confront novel tasks. Another argument is that the structure of school is not suitable for people who want to make their own decisions about what, when, how, and with whom they learn because many things are predetermined in the school setting, while unschooled students are more free to make such decisions.<ref name="beginners-guide-to-unschooling" />
===Criticism of traditional school methods and environments===


In school, a student's community may consist mainly of a peer group, that the parent has little influence over or even knowledge of. Unschoolers may have more opportunity to share a role in their community—including with older and younger people—and can therefore learn to find their place within more diverse groups of people. Parents of school children also have little say regarding instructors and teachers, whereas parents of unschoolers may be more involved in the selection of the coaches or mentors their children work and build relationships with.<ref name="beginners-guide-to-unschooling" />
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.


According to unschooling pioneer John Holt, child-led learning is more efficient and respectful of children's time, takes advantage of their interests, and allows deeper exploration of subjects than what is possible in conventional education.
Often those in school have a community consisting mainly of a peer group, of which the parent has little influence and even knowledge. Unschoolers may have time to share a role in their greater community, therefore relating more to older and younger individuals and finding their place within more diverse groups of people. Parents of school children also have little say regarding who their instructors and teachers are, where as parents of unschoolers may be more involved in the selection of the coaches mentors their children work with and with whom they build lasting and ongoing relationships.
<blockquote>...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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holt |first=John Caldwell |title=How children learn |year=1967 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=0201484048}}</ref></blockquote>


Some schools have adopted relatively non-coercive and cooperative techniques in a manner that harmonizes with the philosophies behind unschooling.<ref name="Armstrong">{{Cite journal |last=J. Scott Armstrong |year=1979 |title=The Natural Learning Project |url=http://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/documents/research/Warmaudit31%205.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Journal of Experiential Learning and Simulation |publisher=Elseiver North-Holland, Inc. 1979 |volume=1 |pages=5–12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620221122/http://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/documents/research/Warmaudit31%205.pdf |archive-date=2010-06-20 |access-date=2011-12-06}}</ref> For example, ] schools are non-coercive, non-indoctrinative, cooperative, democratically run partnerships between children and adults—including full partnership with parents—in which learning is individualized and child-led, in a way that complements home education.<ref name="Armstrong" />
According to unschooling pioneer John Holt, "...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." Proponents of unschooling assert that individualized, child-led learning is more efficient and respectful of children's time, takes advantage of their interests, and allows deeper exploration of subjects than what is possible in conventional education.


Concerns about socialization can also be a factor in the decision to unschool. Some unschoolers believe that conditions in conventional schools, such as ], the ratio of children to adults, or the amount of time spent sitting and obeying orders of one authority figure, are not conducive to proper education.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bunday |first=Karl M. |title=Socialization: A Great Reason Not to Go to School |url=http://learninfreedom.org/socialization.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518212336/https://learninfreedom.org/socialization.html |archive-date=2023-05-18 |access-date=2008-09-04 |website=Learn in Freedom!}}</ref>
Unschoolers may question the school environment as one that is optimal for daily learning. According to ''Brain Rules'' by John J. Medina, "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..."
According to the Victorian Institute of Teaching here:
:"Studies about student academic achievement and building condition conclude that the quality of the physical environment significantly affects student achievement. 'There is sufficient research to state without equivocation that the building in which students spends a good deal of their time learning does in fact influence how well they learn' (Earthman, G 2004:18)...research has acknowledged that 'student achievement lags in shabby school buildings...":


Unschooling may broaden the diversity of people or places an unschooler is exposed to.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} Unschoolers may be more mature than their schooled peers on average,<ref>{{Citation |last=Shyers |first=Larry Edward |title=Comparison of Social Adjustment Between Home and Traditionally Schooled Students}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Liman |first=Isabel |title=Home Schooling: Back to the Future? |url=http://www.educationatlas.com/home-schooling-information.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811112825/http://www.educationatlas.com/home-schooling-information.html |archive-date=2023-08-11 |access-date=2008-09-04}}</ref> and some believe this is a result of the wide range of people they have the opportunity to interact with, although it may also be "difficult to find children for, well, socialization".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bunday |first=Karl M. |title=Isn't it Natural for Children to be Divided by Age in School? |url=http://learninfreedom.org/age_grading_bad.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518212225/https://learninfreedom.org/age_grading_bad.html |archive-date=2023-05-18 |access-date=2008-09-04 |website=Learn in Freedom!}}</ref> Opportunities for unschoolers to meet and interact with other unschoolers has increased in recent years,{{When|date=September 2023}} allowing unschoolers to have interactions with other children with similar experiences.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peer Unschooling Network (PUN) – Unschooling Teens Unite! |url=http://www.peerunschooling.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531104306/https://peerunschooling.net/ |archive-date=2023-05-31 |access-date=2017-09-29 |website=Peer Unschooling Network (PUN) |language=en-US}}</ref>
Others point out that some schools can be non-coercive and cooperative, in a manner consistent with the philosophies behind unschooling.<ref name="J. Scott Armstrong 1979 5–12">{{cite journal|url=http://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/documents/research/Warmaudit31%205.pdf | title = The Natural Learning Project| author = J. Scott Armstrong | journal = Journal of Experiential Learning and Simulation | volume = 1 | pages = 5–12 | year = 1979 | publisher = Elseiver North-Holland, Inc. 1979}}</ref> ] schools are non-coercive, non-indoctrinative, cooperative, democratically run partnerships between children and adults, including full parents' partnership, where learning is individualized and child-led, and complements home education.<ref name="J. Scott Armstrong 1979 5–12"/>


==Methods and philosophy==
Success and schooling also show little correlation according to some studies, and this is a subject for debate. In the United States, school often takes a well-rounded approach that may attempt to compensate for students' weaknesses rather than building upon individual strengths and skills that they will eventually utilize professionally. Further, many highly successful people, including US presidents, scientists, actors, writers, inventors, and educators were home-schooled or dropped out of school, suggesting that education is a matter of curiosity and desire rather than academic achievement.
===Natural learning===
] as a major component of children's education.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rolstad |first1=Kelly |last2=Kesson |first2=Kathleen |date=2013 |title=Unschooling, Then and Now |url=http://jual.nipissingu.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2014/06/v72142.pdf |journal=Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning |volume=7 |issue=14 |page=33 |access-date=16 February 2015}}</ref>]]
Unschooling is based on the belief that learning is a natural and ongoing process, <ref>{{Cite web |last=Ingram |first=Tyshia |date=2020-07-17 |title=The case for unschooling |url=https://www.vox.com/first-person/2020/7/17/21328316/covid-19-coronavirus-unschooling-homeschooling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722103238/https://www.vox.com/first-person/2020/7/17/21328316/covid-19-coronavirus-unschooling-homeschooling |archive-date=2023-07-22 |access-date=2020-07-18 |website=www.vox.com |language=en}}</ref> and that curiosity is an intrinsic part of human development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=I Live Therefore I Learn: Living an Unschooling Life – The Natural Child Project |url=https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/guest/pam_sorooshian.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403225522/https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/guest/pam_sorooshian.html |archive-date=2023-04-03 |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=www.naturalchild.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Butch |first=Taylor |date=2016-07-08 |title=As the World Unfolds: A Secret Look Inside Alternative Learning |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-butch/as-the-world-unfolds-a-se_b_10870580.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826111220/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-butch/as-the-world-unfolds-a-se_b_10870580.html |archive-date=2016-08-26 |access-date=2018-12-02 |website=Huffington Post |language=en-US}}</ref> Proponents argue that children have an inherent desire to learn, and that traditional educational systems, with their standardized curricula and structured schedules, may not always align with individual needs, interests, or abilities. Critics of conventional schooling suggest that a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach can limit children's potential by requiring them to engage with specific subject matter in a uniform way, without considering their personal pace, prior knowledge, or future goals. However, this perspective is debated, and many believe that structured education can provide valuable support for diverse learning styles and needs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wexler |first=Natalie |title='Unschooling' Isn't The Answer To Education Woes—It's The Problem |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2020/05/25/unschooling-isnt-the-answer-to-education-woes-its-the-problem/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>


==== Create an environment ====
==History and usage==
Create an environment that nurtures growth by treating the home like a garden—one that you water and care for, rather than focusing on direct instruction. Simple actions, like placing a pile of paper with a cup of colored markers in the center of the table, bringing a piano into the home, or filling the space with books, are easy ways to cultivate this atmosphere.


===Learning styles===
The term "unschooling" probably derives from ]'s term "deschooling", and was popularized through John Holt's newsletter '']''. In an early essay, Holt contrasted the two terms:
] have documented many differences between children in the way they learn.<ref name="vosniadou-2001">{{Cite web |last=Vosniadou |first=S. |year=2001 |title=How Children Learn? |url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001254/125456e.pdf |website=The International Academy of Education}}</ref> ]ing, which is required in traditional American schooling (a study conducted by the Council of Great City Schools has shown that students in U.S public schools will take, on average, 112 standardized tests throughout their school careers <ref>{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Rhema |title=New study says U.S. students take more than 100 tests a year with questionable outcome |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/education/2015/10/26/new-study-says-us-students-take-more-100-tests-year-questionable-outcome/15685558007/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=The Florida Times-Union |language=en-US}}</ref>), is widely regarded as a poor gauge of intelligence. Its formulaic and rigid way of questioning does not allow for any creative thought or new ways of thinking.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-05-22 |title=What's Wrong With Standardized Tests? (Updated October 2023) - Fairtest |url=https://fairtest.org/facts-whatwron-htm/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=fairtest.org |language=en-US}}</ref> Unschoolers assert that unschooling is better equipped to adapt to such differences in thought processes, measuring intelligence through observation, rather than testing.<ref name="Evaluation">{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Jan |title=Evaluation |url=http://www.naturalchild.org/jan_hunt/evaluation.html |access-date=6 January 2013 |publisher=Natural Child}}</ref>


People vary in their ], that is, how they prefer to acquire new information. However, research in 2008 found "virtually no evidence" that learning styles increased learning or improved performance, as opposed to being a matter of preference.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pashler |first1=H. |last2=McDaniel |first2=M. |last3=Rohrer |first3=D. |last4=Bjork |first4=R. |year=2009 |title=Learning styles: Concepts and evidence |journal=Psychological Science in the Public Interest |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=105–119 |doi=10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x |pmid=26162104 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Students have different learning needs, but in a traditional school setting, teachers seldom customize their evaluation method for an individual student. While teaching methods often vary between teachers, and any teacher may use multiple methods, this is sometimes haphazard and not always individualized.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Learning through home education |url=http://parentconcept.com/learning-through-home-education |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609235601/https://parentconcept.com/learning-through-home-education |archive-date=2023-06-09 |access-date=2011-02-20}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}}
<blockquote>GWS will say 'unschooling' when we mean taking children out of school, and 'deschooling' when we mean changing the laws to make schools non-compulsory...<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Holt, J|title=Growing Without Schooling|year=1977}}</ref></blockquote>


====Project managing skills for kids====
At this point the term was equivalent with "home schooling" (itself a ]). Subsequently, home schoolers began to differentiate between various educational philosophies within home schooling. The term "unschooling" became used as a contrast to versions of home schooling that were perceived as politically and pedagogically "school-like," using textbooks and exercises at home, the same way they would be used at school. In 2003, in Holt's book ''Teach Your Own'' (originally published in 1981) Pat Farenga, co-author of the new edition, provided a definition:
Encourage a child to choose a personal project they can work on while their parents focus on their own tasks. Ask questions like, "What is your ]?" or "What are you working on?" to teach time management and project skills, such as setting deadlines, holding meetings, and managing ]—even if the project is something as simple as a ].


====Developmental differences====
<blockquote>When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in the world as their parents can comfortably bear.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=Holt, J|title=Teach Your Own|year=2003 originally published in 1981}}</ref></blockquote>
Developmental psychologists note that just as children reach growth milestones at different ages, children are also prepared to learn different things at different ages.<ref name="vosniadou-2001" /> Just as most children learn to walk during a normal range of eight to fifteen months, and begin to talk across an even larger range, unschoolers assert that they are also ready and able to read, for example, at different ages. Natural learning produces greater changes in behavior (e.g. changing job skills) than traditional learning methods, although not necessarily a change in the amount of information learned.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Armstrong |first=J. Scott |date=1980 |title=Teacher Vs. Learner Responsibility in Management Education |url=http://www.ssrn.com/abstract=647802 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |language=en |doi=10.2139/ssrn.647802 |s2cid=145788307 |issn=1556-5068}}</ref> ] systems typically require all students to begin reading and learning mathematical concepts like multiplication at the same age. Unschooling proponents believe that this one-size-fits-all approach can cause some children to become disengaged if they have already mastered a topic, while others may struggle if they are not yet ready to learn it.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holt |first=John C. |title=How Children Fail |publisher=Classics in Child Development |year=1982 |isbn=978-0201484021 |orig-year=1964}}</ref>


==== Music and Unschooling ====
In the same passage Holt stated that he was not entirely comfortable with this term, and that he would have preferred the term "living". Holt's use of the term emphasizes learning as a natural process, integrated into the spaces and activities of everyday life, and not benefiting from adult manipulation. It follows closely on the themes of educational philosophies proposed by ], ], and ].
While not necessarily an essential part of a formal education, most students in America take part in some form of music making. 97% of American public schools offer some form of music at the elementary level.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Highlights, Arts Education in Public Elementary Schools |url=https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/95082/#:~:text=Music%20is%20offered%20in%2097,instructional%20programs%20(Figure%202). |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=nces.ed.gov |language=EN}}</ref> The traditional approach to teaching ] involves learning how to read music and play it exactly as written. The unschooling approach follows the "Garage Band Theory," created by Duke Sharp. This method is a take on "playing songs by ear"- it draws on a person's natural ability to recognize music and pick up on the same sounds in different songs. Unschooling parents believe it is a more effective way to learn music compared to sight reading.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Concilio |first=Joan |date=2017-05-26 |title=Learning music theory the unschooling way |url=https://unschoolrules.com/music-theory/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=Unschool RULES |language=en-US}}</ref>


===Essential body of knowledge===
At Holt's death the newsletter GWS ceased. Thereafter a range of unschooling practitioners and observers defined the term in various ways. For instance, the ] defines unschooling as:
Unschoolers sometimes state{{Who|date=November 2024}} that learning any specific subject is less important than learning ''how'' to learn. In the words of Holt:


<blockquote>Since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever must be learned.</blockquote>
<blockquote>the process of learning through life, without formalized or institutionalized classrooms or schoolwork.<ref>{{cite web|title=Unschooling & Self-Education|url=http://www.freechild.org/unschooling.htm|accessdate = 2008-07-15}}</ref></blockquote>


Unschoolers suggest that this ability for children to learn on their own makes it more likely that later, when these children are adults, they can continue to learn in order to meet newly emerging needs, interests, and goals; and that they can return to any subject that they feel was not sufficiently covered or learn a completely new subject.
New Mexico homeschooling parent Sandra Dodd proposed the term "Radical Unschooling" to emphasize the complete rejection of any distinction between educational and non-educational activities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Is there a difference between a radical unschooler and just an unschooler?| url=http://sandradodd.com/unschool/radical|accessdate=2008-07-15}}</ref> Radical Unschooling emphasizes that unschooling is a non-coercive, cooperative practice, and seeks to promote those values in all areas of life. Catherine Baker and Grace Llewellyn emphasize unschooling as a process initiated and controlled by the learners (as opposed to their parents).<ref>{{Cite journal|first=Baker|last=Catherine|title=Insoumission à l'école obligatoire|publisher=Barrault|year=1985}}</ref><ref name="handbook">{{Cite journal|last=Llewellyn|first=Grace|title=The Teenage Liberation Handbook|publisher=Lowry House|year=1991}}</ref> These usages share an opposition to traditional schooling techniques and the social construction of schools. Most emphasize the integration of learning into the everyday life of the family and wider community. Points of disagreement include whether unschooling is primarily defined by the initiative of the learner and their control over the curriculum, or by the techniques, methods, and spaces being used.


Many unschoolers disagree that there is a particular body of knowledge that everyone, regardless of the life they lead, needs to possess.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Noll |first=James Wm. |title=Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Educational Issues 15th ed. |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=2008 |isbn=978-0073515205 |pages=25–26}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite web |last=David Gurteen |title=On children and learning by John Holt |url=http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/X00046822/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513104947/http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/X00046822/ |archive-date=2013-05-13 |access-date=2014-01-16 |website=Gurteen Knowledge |publisher=Gurteen.com}}</ref>
===Complementary philosophies===


===The role of parents===
Radical unschooling families may incorporate the following philosophies into their lifestyles.
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.<ref name="Evaluation" /> Common parental activities include sharing interesting books, articles, and activities with their children, helping them find knowledgeable people to explore an interest with (for example physics professors or automotive mechanics), and helping them set goals and figure out what they need to do to meet their goals. Unschooling's interest-based nature does not mean that it is a "hands-off" approach to education; parents tend to be involved, especially with younger children (older children, unless new to unschooling, often need less help in finding resources and in making and carrying out plans).<ref name="Evaluation" />
*] and ], parenting and education books by Alfie Kohn.
*], ], and ], theories and practices attempting to encourage the child's development.
*]: the idea that all forms of human association should be voluntary, as far as possible. Consequently, voluntaryism opposes the initiation of aggressive force or coercion.


=== Paradigm shift ===
==Home education==
Because unschooling contradicts assumptions of the ], advocates suggest that a ] in regards to education and child rearing is required before engaging with unschooling. New unschoolers are advised that they should not expect to understand the unschooling philosophy at first,<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!--Not stated--> |title=Unschooling: An Introduction and Beginner's Guide |url=https://homeschoolbase.com/unschooling/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629024358/https://homeschoolbase.com/unschooling/ |archive-date=2023-06-29 |access-date=23 May 2017 |publisher=Homeschool Base}}</ref> as many commonplace assumptions about education are unspoken and unwritten. One step towards this paradigm shift is accepting that "what we do is nowhere near as important as why we do it."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koetsier |first=Cathy |title=Paradigm Shifts |url=http://www.christian-unschooling.com/paradigm-shifts.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627220327/http://www.christian-unschooling.com/paradigm-shifts.html |archive-date=2023-06-27 |access-date=23 May 2017}}</ref>


==Compared with other homeschooling models==
Unschooling is a form of ], which is the education of children at home rather than in a school. Home education is often considered synonymous with ].


Unschooling is a form of ],<ref name="beginners-guide-to-unschooling" /><ref name="what-is-unschooling">{{Cite web |title=What Is Unschooling? A Parents Guide to Child-Led Home Education |url=https://www.parents.com/kids/education/home-schooling/what-is-unschooling-all-about-child-led-home-education/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603204359/https://www.parents.com/kids/education/home-schooling/what-is-unschooling-all-about-child-led-home-education/ |archive-date=2023-06-03 |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=Parents |language=EN}}</ref> which is the education of children at home or places other than in a school. Unschooling teaches children based on their interests rather than according to a set ].<ref name="unschooling-2020">{{Cite web |title=Unschooling – letting children grow up without school or teachers |url=https://www.dpa-international.com/topic/unschooling-letting-children-grow-without-school-teachers-urn%3Anewsml%3Adpa.com%3A20090101%3A161024-99-923474 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129061217/https://www.dpa-international.com/topic/unschooling-letting-children-grow-without-school-teachers-urn%3Anewsml%3Adpa.com%3A20090101%3A161024-99-923474 |archive-date=2022-01-29 |access-date=2020-12-02 |website=dpa International |language=en}}</ref><ref name="what-is-unschooling" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Unschooling – letting children grow up without school or teachers |url=https://www.dpa-international.com/topic/unschooling-letting-children-grow-without-school-teachers-urn%3Anewsml%3Adpa.com%3A20090101%3A161024-99-923474 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129061217/https://www.dpa-international.com/topic/unschooling-letting-children-grow-without-school-teachers-urn%3Anewsml%3Adpa.com%3A20090101%3A161024-99-923474 |archive-date=2022-01-29 |access-date=2020-12-15 |website=dpa International |language=en}}</ref>
Unschooling contrasts with other forms of home education in that the student's education is not directed by a ] and ]. Unschooling is a real-world implementation of "The Open Classroom" methods promoted in the late 1960s and early 1970s, without the school, classrooms or grades. Parents who unschool their children act as "facilitators," providing a range of resources, helping their children access, navigate, and make sense of the world, and aiding them in making and implementing goals and plans for both the distant and immediate future. Unschooling expands from children's natural ] as an extension of their interests, concerns, needs, goals, and plans.


Unschooling contrasts with other forms of homeschooling in that the student's education is not directed by a ] and curriculum.<ref name="unschooling-2020" /> Unschooling is a real-world implementation of the ] methods promoted in the late 1960s and early 1970s, without the school, classrooms, or grades.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} Parents who unschool their children act as facilitators, providing a range of resources, helping their children access, navigate, and make sense of the world; they aid their children in making and implementing goals and plans for both the distant and immediate future. Unschooling expands from children's natural ] as an extension of their interests, concerns, needs, and goals.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brosbe |first=Ruben |date=December 28, 2022 |title=What to Know About Unschooling |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/what-to-know-about-unschooling |access-date=June 22, 2024 |website=usnews}}</ref>
==Socialization==


Unschooling differs from ], ], ], ], ], and ].{{how|date=April 2023}}{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
Concerns about socialization are often a factor in the decision to unschool. Many unschoolers believe that the conditions common in conventional schools, like age segregation, a low ratio of adults to children, a lack of contact with the community, a lack of people in professions other than teachers or school administration, an emphasis on the smarter children, shaming of the failing children, and an emphasis on sitting, create an unhealthy social environment.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|title=Socialization: A Great Reason Not to Go to School|url=http://learninfreedom.org/socialization.html|first=Karl|last=Bunday|middle=M.|accessdate=2008-09-04|work=Learn in Freedom!}}</ref> They feel that their children benefit from coming in contact with people of diverse ages and backgrounds in a variety of contexts, benefitting from having some ability to influence and be influenced by people they encounter, and the contexts they encounter them in. Unschoolers cite studies that report that home educated students tend to be more mature than their schooled peers,<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Comparison of Social Adjustment Between Home and Traditionally Schooled Students|first=Larry|middle=Edward|last=Shyers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.educationatlas.com/home-schooling-information.html|title=Home Schooling: Back to the Future?|first=Isabel|last=Liman|accessdate=2008-09-04}}</ref> and some believe this is a result of the wide range of people they have the opportunity to interact with.<ref>{{cite web|title=Isn't it Natural for Children to be Divided by Age in School?|url=http://learninfreedom.org/age_grading_bad.html|work=Learn in Freedom!|last=Bunday|middle=M.|first=Karl|accessdate=2008-09-04}}</ref> Critics of unschooling, on the other hand, argue that unschooling inhibits social development by removing children from a ready-made peer group of diverse individuals.<ref name="autogenerated2"/><ref name="Objections" />


==Criticisms== ==Branches==
There are a variety of approaches to designing and practicing unschooling. Some of the most popular include:
{{see also|Homeschooling#Controversy and criticism{{!}}Homeschooling controversy and criticism}}
* ], in which families travel around the world and learn through experiencing other places, people, cultures, and activities typical for these locations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alyson |first=Alyson |date=2020-06-29 |title=What is Worldschooling? |url=https://worldtravelfamily.com/worldschooling/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707005055/https://worldtravelfamily.com/worldschooling/ |archive-date=2023-07-07 |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=World Travel Family Travel Blog |language=en}}</ref>
* Children won't learn what they need to know in their adult lives.<ref name="Objections">, by John Holt, originally published as Chapter 2 of ''Teach Your Own: A Hopeful Path for Education''. New York: Delacorte Press, 1981.</ref><ref name="Unspooling">''Unspooling Unschooling'', by ], in "To the Contrary" blog on ] website, November 27, 2006</ref>
* ] unschooling, which holds that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges, problems, and projects that they can do in their own way and at their own pace.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-21 |title=Homeschool with Project Based Learning {{!}} Hess Un-Academy |url=https://hessunacademy.com/homeschool-with-project-based-learning/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628124125/https://hessunacademy.com/homeschool-with-project-based-learning/ |archive-date=2023-06-28 |access-date=2020-07-13 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* A child may not learn the same things a regular-schooling peer does, unless an educational professional controls what material is covered.<ref name="Clayton">, by Victoria Clayton
* Gameschooling, employs various games like board and card games to facilitate learning.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-09 |title=What is Gameschooling? |url=https://orisonorchards.com/what-is-gameschooling/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627220333/https://orisonorchards.com/what-is-gameschooling/ |archive-date=2023-06-27 |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=Orison Orchards |language=en-US}}</ref> In addition to developing skills in math, language, and history, board games also develop social skills such as interpersonal communication, negotiation, persuasion, diplomacy, and virtues like good sportsmanship.<ref>{{Cite web |date=Oct 3, 2017 |title=The Ultimate Guide to Gameschooling |url=https://themulberryjournal.com/activities/mathematics/ultimate-guide-gameschooling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627220329/https://themulberryjournal.com/activities/mathematics/ultimate-guide-gameschooling |archive-date=2023-06-27 |access-date=Jun 6, 2020}}</ref>
MSNBC, October 6, 2006</ref> Unschooling children ages 5–10 scored significantly below traditionally educated children and academically oriented home schooled children.<ref name=Martin-Chang>{{cite journal|last=Martin-Chang|first=Sandra|coauthors=Gould, O.N., & Meuse, R.E.|title=The impact of schooling on academic achievement: Evidence from home-schooled and traditionally-schooled students|journal=Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science /Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement|year=2011|volume=43|pages=195–202|doi=10.1037/a0022697|url=http://crdh.concordia.ca/researchers/Sandra_Martin-Chang.html|accessdate=7 January 2013}}</ref> Most unschooling parents are unfazed by this criticism, believing that their children need not know or study for the things on standardized tests. Their long-term goal is to make their children productive caring citizens of the community, not perform well on tests. Moore argued that many subjects have been taught too early to students and this has helped cause burnout in school children.<ref>{{cite book|last=Moore|first=Raymond and Dorothy Moore|title=Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child's Education|year=1975|url=http://www.amazon.com/Better-Late-Than-Early-Education/dp/0883490498}}</ref>
* Because schools provide a ready-made group of peers, unschooled children need other ways to make friends in their age group.<ref name="autogenerated2" /><ref name="Objections" />
* A child might not encounter people of other cultures, worldviews and socioeconomic groups if they are not enrolled in a school.<ref name="Objections" />
* A child could be completely unmotivated and never learn anything on their own.<ref>''Unschooling Leads to Self-Motivated Learning'', http://www.homeschoolnewslink.com/homeschool/columnists/mckee/vol7iss2_UnschoolingLeads.shtml</ref> This can be especially true when one encounters a teenager recently removed from traditional school. Some unschooling blogs are fond of repeating the saying, "It takes one month of recovery for every one year of school, before a child is ready to lead their own learning."<ref name=McGrail>{{cite web|last=McGrail|first=Jennifer|title=FAQ|url=http://www.jennifermcgrail.com/faq/|work=Unschooling support website|accessdate=7 January 2013}}</ref><ref name=Bell>{{cite web|last=Bell|first=Amy|title=Amy Bell's Natural Learning Page|url=http://lds-ohea.org/natural/page11.htm|publisher=Latter Day Saints Oregon Home Education Association|accessdate=7 January 2013}}</ref>
* Some parents may not have the skills required to guide and advise their children in life skills or help them pursue their own interests.<ref name="Unspooling" /><ref name="Clayton">, by Victoria Clayton. MSNBC, October 6, 2006</ref>


==Complementary philosophies==
== Other forms of alternative education==
Many other forms of ] also place a great deal of importance on student control of learning, albeit not necessarily of the individual learner. This includes free ]s, like the ], ] and "]" ].


Unschooling families may adopt the following philosophies:{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}
== See also ==
*''Unconditional Parenting'' and ''Punished by Rewards''—parenting and education books by ].
*], ], and ]—theories and practices attempting to encourage the child's development.
*]—the idea that all forms of human association should be voluntary, as far as possible (voluntaryism opposes the initiation of aggressive force or coercion).


== Other forms of alternative education ==
Many other forms of ] also prioritize student control of learning, albeit not necessarily by the individual learner. These include free ]s,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Democratic Schools |url=http://alternativestoschool.com/articles/democratic-schools/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206094522/https://alternativestoschool.com/articles/democratic-schools/ |archive-date=2022-12-06 |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=Alternatives to School |language=en-US}}</ref> like the ], ], and ] ]. Democratic schools gives students the ability to take classes as they please, as well as befriend children from all age groups (as the schools do not separate students into grades). Students can also practice the idea of democracy in many ways, as voting is a large part of their school experience.

== Criticism ==
{{see also|Homeschooling criticism}}
<!--Please only include criticism that is explicitly related to unschooling. More general reception that also applies for homeschooling should be included in the article homeschooling because unschooling is only a subclass of homeschooling and all advocacy and criticism for homeschooling therefore also applies for unschooling, but not necessarily the other way around.-->

As a form of homeschooling, unschooling faces many of the same critiques as homeschooling. Criticisms of unschooling in particular tend to focus on whether students can receive sufficient education in a context with so little structure compared to standard schooling practices. Some critics maintain that it can be difficult to build sufficient motivation in students to allow them learn without guardrails, and that some students might be left behind as a result,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clayton |first=Victoria |date=2006-10-02 |title=A new chapter in education: unschooling |language=en |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15029646 |access-date=2023-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518212400/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15029646 |archive-date=2023-05-18}}</ref> and that they might fare poorly compared with their peers.<ref name="readers-share-heated-opinions">{{Cite web |date=2006-10-31 |title=Readers share heated opinions on "unschooling" |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15148804 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927110828/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15148804/ |archive-date=2016-09-27 |access-date=2008-09-04 |website=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Erbe |first=Bonnie |author-link=Bonnie Erbe |date=27 November 2006 |title=Unspooling 'Unschooling' |work=U.S. News & World Report |url=https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/erbe/2006/11/27/unspooling-unschooling |access-date=11 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205085905/https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/erbe/2006/11/27/unspooling-unschooling |archive-date=2023-02-05}}</ref>

Opponents of unschooling fear that children may be at the mercy of bad parents, like those who withdraw their children from school without taking on the role of "teacher." This leaves children directionless, which can affect them later in life if they have no practice expanding their curiosity and integrating into society.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2016-10-11 |title=Rise of the home 'unschoolers' – where children learn only what they want to |url=http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/oct/11/unschool-children-monitor-home-schooling-education |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627220327/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/oct/11/unschool-children-monitor-home-schooling-education |archive-date=2023-06-27 |access-date=2020-12-30 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

In a 2006 study of children aged five to ten, unschooled children scored below traditionally schooled children in four of seven studied categories, and significantly below structured homeschoolers in all seven studied categories.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Martin-Chang |first1=Sandra |last2=Gould |first2=O.N. |last3=Meuse |first3=R.E. |year=2011 |title=The impact of schooling on academic achievement: Evidence from home-schooled and traditionally-schooled students |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232544669 |journal=Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=195–202 |doi=10.1037/a0022697 |access-date=16 November 2014}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{div col}}
* ]
* ] * ]
* ] * ]
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* ] * ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]—an annual gathering of over 100 unschoolers ages 13 to 18 * ], an annual gathering of over 100 unschoolers ages 13 to 18
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* '']'' * '']''
* ]
* ] * ]
{{div col end}}


== Unschooling Books ==
===Persons of interest===


* <small>'''Learning All The Time''' Book by ]</small>
* ]—unschooling advocate, author, and conference speaker
* '''"Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling" by ] and ],''' A foundational text in the unschooling movement, this book explores self-directed education and the philosophy of trusting children to learn naturally
* ]
* '''"How Children Learn" by John Holt.''' A classic that examines how children learn through curiosity and exploration, this book is a staple for understanding unschooling principles
* ]—New York City's 1989 Teacher of the Year, New York State Teacher of the Year 1991
* '''"The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World as Your Child's Classroom" by ].''' This practical guide includes real-life stories and tips for integrating learning into everyday life
* ]
* '''"Homeschooling - The Choice and the Consequences",''' Ari Neuman, ]
* ]—author/advocate/speaker/camp director
* '''"The Call of the Wild + Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child's Education"''' by ]. This book challenges traditional schooling norms and celebrates child-led education
* ]—elementary school teacher from 1960s
* '''"The Unschooling Journey: A Field Guide" by ].''' Laricchia offers a personal and philosophical exploration of the unschooling lifestyle, tailored for families starting their journey
* ]—advocate
* '''"Sandra Dodd’s Big Book of Unschooling".''' A comprehensive collection of thoughts, practices, and stories about unschooling, it’s designed for both new and experienced unschoolers by ]
* '''"Free to Learn: Five Ideas for a Joyful Unschooling Life"''' by ]. Part of a box set, this book dives into fostering a joyful and enriching unschooling environment

== Persons of interest ==<!-- New links in alphabetical order please -->
* ], elementary school teacher from 1960s
* ], New York City's 1989 Teacher of the Year, New York State Teacher of the Year 1991
* ]
* ], author/advocate/speaker/camp director
* ] * ]
* ], author/cultural critic<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schooling: The Hidden Agenda |url=http://ishmael.org/Education/Writings/unschooling.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730191705/http://ishmael.org:80/Education/Writings/unschooling.shtml |archive-date=2019-07-30 |access-date=2014-01-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Van Gestel |first1=Nanda |title=The Unschooling Unmanual |last2=Quinn |first2=Daniel |last3=Hunt |first3=Jan |date=2008 |publisher=The Natural Child Project |isbn=978-0968575451 |location=USA}}</ref>
* ]
* ]

===Adult unschoolers of note===


===Adult unschoolers of note===<!-- New links in alphabetical order please -->
* ], singer/songwriter, ]
* ], astronomer
* ], musician, singer/songwriter, animator, video game designer/creator, filmmaker, actor
* ], entrepreneur, speaker, author, and founder of ]
* ], political activist and computer programmer{{Citation needed|reason=Aaron Swartz is said to have attended a private school in Chicago and Lake Forest College, neither of which appear to be unschooling institutions|date=June 2023}}
* ], filmmaker * ], filmmaker
* ], painter and disability activist (also younger sister of ]) * ], painter and disability activist (also younger sister of Astra Taylor)
* ], singer/songwriter<ref>{{Cite web |title=Transcript of We Are Family Season 2 Episode 22: Maggie Baird |url=https://static.onecms.io/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sites/38/2022/02/22/WE-ARE-FAMILY_-SEASON-2-EPISODE-22-Maggie-Baird.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809044407/https://static.onecms.io/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sites/38/2022/02/22/WE-ARE-FAMILY_-SEASON-2-EPISODE-22-Maggie-Baird.pdf |archive-date=2022-08-09 |access-date=2024-03-26 |page=2 |publisher=Parents.com }}</ref>
* ]
* , ], daughter of ], ]. Known for her photography project '''' about her upbringing.
* ], author and Professor of Law at Duke University<!-- not supported by article -->
* ] – Speaker and artist, advocate for creative education.
* Devin Young – Co-founder of Changemakers, social entrepreneur.
* Jeremy Stuart – Filmmaker, director of *Class Dismissed* documentary.
* ] – Creator of *Grown Without Schooling* documentary.
* Zac Sunderland – Youngest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe.
* Dale J. Stephens – Founder of UnCollege, Thiel Fellow.
* Logan LaPlante – TEDx speaker on "Hackschooling" and self-directed learning.
* Maya Donnelly – Writer focused on identity and alternative education.
* Kio Stark – Author of *Don’t Go Back to School*.
* Nathen Aaren – Entrepreneur and coach inspired by unschooling.


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} {{reflist|1=30em}}


== Further reading == == Further reading ==


=== Print: books === === Books ===


*] (1990) . How small children begin to read, write, count, and investigate the world, without being taught
* {{cite book|title=The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom|author=Mary Griffith|publisher=Random House, Inc.|year=2010|isbn=978-0-307-48970-8|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=7RBGsl3esmgC}}
*{{Cite book |last=Mary Griffith |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780761512769 |title=The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom |publisher=Three Rivers Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0761512769}}
* {{cite book|title=The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education|author=Grace Llewelyn|publisher=Lowry House Pub|year=1998|url=http://www.amazon.com/The-Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-Education/dp/0962959170}}
* {{Cite book |last=Grace Llewelyn |title=The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education |publisher=Lowry House Pub |year=1998 |isbn=978-0962959172}}
* {{cite book|title=Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With or Without School|author=Grace Llewelyn and Amy Silver|publisher=Wiley|year=2001|url=http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Learning-Education-Without-School/dp/0471349607}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Grace Llewelyn |url=https://archive.org/details/guerrillalearnin00grac |title=Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With or Without School |last2=Amy Silver |publisher=Wiley |year=2001 |isbn=978-0471349600 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|title=The Underground History of American Education: A School Teacher's Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling|author=John Taylor Gatto|publisher=Odysseus Group|year=2000|url=http://www.amazon.com/Underground-History-American-Education-Investigation/dp/0945700040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368308370&sr=8-1&keywords=the+underground+history+of+american+education}}
* * {{Cite book |last=John Taylor Gatto |title=The Underground History of American Education: A School Teacher's Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling |publisher=Odysseus Group |year=2000 |isbn=978-0945700043}}
*
* {{Cite book |last1=Van Gestel |first1=Nanda |title=The Unschooling Unmanual |last2=Hunt |first2=Jan |last3=Quinn |first3=Daniel |first4=Rue |last4=Kream |publisher=The Natural Child Project |year=2008 |isbn=978-0968575451 |display-authors=etal}}


===Print: articles=== === Essays and articles ===
* *
* – Interview with Gatto (PDF file download) * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109031925/http://www.ttfuture.org/files/2/pdf/gotto_interview.pdf |date=2020-11-09 }} – Interview with Gatto (PDF file download)
*
*
*
* , Homeschooling with the Classics. Gatto is on the Advisory Board.
* Gatto is a regular columnist for The Link Homeschool Newspaper
*
* – originally published in '']'', September 2003
* – originally published in '']'', Fall 1991
*
* , article published by Diablo Valley School
*
* by Layla AR
*


== External links == == External links ==
*

* Common Objections to Homeschooling by John Holt
===Websites===
* by Joyce Fetteroll
* {{dmoz|Reference/Education/K_through_12/Home_Schooling/Unschooling/|Unschooling}}
* by Pam Laricchia
*
*
*
*

===Organizations===
*
*
*

===Videos===
*
*
*
*
*
* – Trailer for ''The Fourth Purpose''
*

===Audio===
*
*
* (])
* {{youtube|ev7Y-XbapLc|Bartleby Project 2010}}


{{Homeschooling}} {{Homeschooling}}


] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 22:33, 8 January 2025

Educational method and philosophy; form of homeschooling
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Children investigating insect deposits in tree bark as part of an unschooling activity
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Unschooling is a practice of self-driven informal learning characterized by a lesson-free and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Unschooling encourages exploration of activities initiated by the children themselves, under the belief that the more personal learning is, the more meaningful, well-understood, and therefore useful it is to the child.

The term unschooling was coined in the 1970s and used by educator John Holt, who is widely regarded as the father of unschooling. Unschooling is often seen as a subset of homeschooling, the key difference lying in the use of an external or individual curriculum. Homeschooling, in its many variations, has been the subject of widespread public debate.

Critics of unschooling see it as extreme, and express concerns that unschooled children will be neglected by parents whom might not be capable of sustaining a proper educational environment, and the child might lack the social skills, structure, discipline, and motivation of their schooled peers. Critics also worry that unschooled children will be unable to cope with uncomfortable or challenging situations. Proponents of unschooling disagree, asserting that self-directed education in a non-academic, often natural and diversified environment is a far more efficient, sustainable, and child-friendly form of education than traditional schooling, as it preserves innate curiosity, pleasure, and willingness to discover and learn new things. However, some studies suggest that children who have participated in unschooling may experience academic underdevelopment.

History

The term unschooling probably derives from Ivan Illich's term deschooling. It was popularized through John Holt's newsletter Growing Without Schooling (GWS). Holt is also widely regarded as the father of unschooling. In an early essay, Holt contrasted the two terms:

GWS will say "unschooling" when we mean taking children out of school, and "deschooling" when we mean changing the laws to make schools non-compulsory...

At the time, the term was equivalent to home schooling. Subsequently, home-schoolers began to differentiate between various educational philosophies within home schooling. The term unschooling became used to contrast versions of home schooling that were perceived as politically and pedagogically "school-like," in that they used textbooks and exercises at home in the same way they would be used at school.

In 2003, in Holt's book Teach Your Own (originally published in 1981), Pat Farenga, co-author of the new edition, provided a definition:

When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in the world as their parents can comfortably bear. It allows children to develop knowledge and skills based on their own personal passions and life situations.

In the same passage Holt stated that he was not entirely comfortable with this term, and would have preferred the term living. Holt's use of the term emphasizes learning as a natural process, integrated into the spaces and activities of everyday life, and not benefiting from adult manipulation. It follows closely on the themes of educational philosophies proposed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Paul Goodman, and A.S. Neill.

After Holt's death a range of unschooling practitioners and observers defined the term in various ways. For instance, the Freechild Project defines unschooling as:

he process of learning through life, without formalized or institutionalized classrooms or schoolwork.

American homeschooling parent Sandra Dodd proposed the term radical unschooling to emphasize the complete rejection of any distinction between educational and non-educational activities. Radical unschooling emphasizes that unschooling is a non-coercive, cooperative practice, and seeks to promote those values in all areas of life. These philosophies share an opposition to traditional schooling techniques and the social structure of schools. Most emphasize the integration of learning into the everyday life of the family and wider community. Points of disagreement include whether unschooling is primarily defined by the initiative of the learner and their control over the curriculum, or by the techniques, methods, and spaces used. Peter Gray suggested the term self-directed education, which has fewer negative connotations.

Motivations

See also: Motivations for homeschooling

Parents choose to unschool their children for a variety of reasons, many of which overlap with reasons for homeschooling.

Unschoolers criticize schools for lessening the parent–child bond, reducing family time, and for creating atmospheres that are fearful. Some unschoolers argue that schools teach children facts and skills that will not be useful to them, whereas, with unschooling, children learn how to learn, which is of more enduring use. Some assert that schools teach children only how to follow instructions, which does not prepare them to confront novel tasks. Another argument is that the structure of school is not suitable for people who want to make their own decisions about what, when, how, and with whom they learn because many things are predetermined in the school setting, while unschooled students are more free to make such decisions.

In school, a student's community may consist mainly of a peer group, that the parent has little influence over or even knowledge of. Unschoolers may have more opportunity to share a role in their community—including with older and younger people—and can therefore learn to find their place within more diverse groups of people. Parents of school children also have little say regarding instructors and teachers, whereas parents of unschoolers may be more involved in the selection of the coaches or mentors their children work and build relationships with.

According to unschooling pioneer John Holt, child-led learning is more efficient and respectful of children's time, takes advantage of their interests, and allows deeper exploration of subjects than what is possible in conventional education.

...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.

Some schools have adopted relatively non-coercive and cooperative techniques in a manner that harmonizes with the philosophies behind unschooling. For example, Sudbury model schools are non-coercive, non-indoctrinative, cooperative, democratically run partnerships between children and adults—including full partnership with parents—in which learning is individualized and child-led, in a way that complements home education.

Concerns about socialization can also be a factor in the decision to unschool. Some unschoolers believe that conditions in conventional schools, such as age segregation, the ratio of children to adults, or the amount of time spent sitting and obeying orders of one authority figure, are not conducive to proper education.

Unschooling may broaden the diversity of people or places an unschooler is exposed to. Unschoolers may be more mature than their schooled peers on average, and some believe this is a result of the wide range of people they have the opportunity to interact with, although it may also be "difficult to find children for, well, socialization". Opportunities for unschoolers to meet and interact with other unschoolers has increased in recent years, allowing unschoolers to have interactions with other children with similar experiences.

Methods and philosophy

Natural learning

Unschooling may emphasize free, undirected play as a major component of children's education.

Unschooling is based on the belief that learning is a natural and ongoing process, and that curiosity is an intrinsic part of human development. Proponents argue that children have an inherent desire to learn, and that traditional educational systems, with their standardized curricula and structured schedules, may not always align with individual needs, interests, or abilities. Critics of conventional schooling suggest that a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach can limit children's potential by requiring them to engage with specific subject matter in a uniform way, without considering their personal pace, prior knowledge, or future goals. However, this perspective is debated, and many believe that structured education can provide valuable support for diverse learning styles and needs.

Create an environment

Create an environment that nurtures growth by treating the home like a garden—one that you water and care for, rather than focusing on direct instruction. Simple actions, like placing a pile of paper with a cup of colored markers in the center of the table, bringing a piano into the home, or filling the space with books, are easy ways to cultivate this atmosphere.

Learning styles

Psychologists have documented many differences between children in the way they learn. Standardized testing, which is required in traditional American schooling (a study conducted by the Council of Great City Schools has shown that students in U.S public schools will take, on average, 112 standardized tests throughout their school careers ), is widely regarded as a poor gauge of intelligence. Its formulaic and rigid way of questioning does not allow for any creative thought or new ways of thinking. Unschoolers assert that unschooling is better equipped to adapt to such differences in thought processes, measuring intelligence through observation, rather than testing.

People vary in their learning styles, that is, how they prefer to acquire new information. However, research in 2008 found "virtually no evidence" that learning styles increased learning or improved performance, as opposed to being a matter of preference. Students have different learning needs, but in a traditional school setting, teachers seldom customize their evaluation method for an individual student. While teaching methods often vary between teachers, and any teacher may use multiple methods, this is sometimes haphazard and not always individualized.

Project managing skills for kids

Encourage a child to choose a personal project they can work on while their parents focus on their own tasks. Ask questions like, "What is your project?" or "What are you working on?" to teach time management and project skills, such as setting deadlines, holding meetings, and managing budgets—even if the project is something as simple as a lemonade stand.

Developmental differences

Developmental psychologists note that just as children reach growth milestones at different ages, children are also prepared to learn different things at different ages. Just as most children learn to walk during a normal range of eight to fifteen months, and begin to talk across an even larger range, unschoolers assert that they are also ready and able to read, for example, at different ages. Natural learning produces greater changes in behavior (e.g. changing job skills) than traditional learning methods, although not necessarily a change in the amount of information learned. Traditional education systems typically require all students to begin reading and learning mathematical concepts like multiplication at the same age. Unschooling proponents believe that this one-size-fits-all approach can cause some children to become disengaged if they have already mastered a topic, while others may struggle if they are not yet ready to learn it.

Music and Unschooling

While not necessarily an essential part of a formal education, most students in America take part in some form of music making. 97% of American public schools offer some form of music at the elementary level. The traditional approach to teaching music theory involves learning how to read music and play it exactly as written. The unschooling approach follows the "Garage Band Theory," created by Duke Sharp. This method is a take on "playing songs by ear"- it draws on a person's natural ability to recognize music and pick up on the same sounds in different songs. Unschooling parents believe it is a more effective way to learn music compared to sight reading.

Essential body of knowledge

Unschoolers sometimes state that learning any specific subject is less important than learning how to learn. In the words of Holt:

Since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever must be learned.

Unschoolers suggest that this ability for children to learn on their own makes it more likely that later, when these children are adults, they can continue to learn in order to meet newly emerging needs, interests, and goals; and that they can return to any subject that they feel was not sufficiently covered or learn a completely new subject.

Many unschoolers disagree that there is a particular body of knowledge that everyone, regardless of the life they lead, needs to possess. 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. Common parental activities include sharing interesting books, articles, and activities with their children, helping them find knowledgeable people to explore an interest with (for example physics professors or automotive mechanics), and helping them set goals and figure out what they need to do to meet their goals. Unschooling's interest-based nature does not mean that it is a "hands-off" approach to education; parents tend to be involved, especially with younger children (older children, unless new to unschooling, often need less help in finding resources and in making and carrying out plans).

Paradigm shift

Because unschooling contradicts assumptions of the dominant culture, advocates suggest that a paradigm shift in regards to education and child rearing is required before engaging with unschooling. New unschoolers are advised that they should not expect to understand the unschooling philosophy at first, as many commonplace assumptions about education are unspoken and unwritten. One step towards this paradigm shift is accepting that "what we do is nowhere near as important as why we do it."

Compared with other homeschooling models

Unschooling is a form of homeschooling, which is the education of children at home or places other than in a school. Unschooling teaches children based on their interests rather than according to a set curriculum.

Unschooling contrasts with other forms of homeschooling in that the student's education is not directed by a teacher and curriculum. Unschooling is a real-world implementation of the open classroom methods promoted in the late 1960s and early 1970s, without the school, classrooms, or grades. Parents who unschool their children act as facilitators, providing a range of resources, helping their children access, navigate, and make sense of the world; they aid their children in making and implementing goals and plans for both the distant and immediate future. Unschooling expands from children's natural curiosity as an extension of their interests, concerns, needs, and goals.

Unschooling differs from discovery learning, minimally invasive education, purpose-guided education, academic advising, phenomenon-based learning, and thematic learning.

Branches

There are a variety of approaches to designing and practicing unschooling. Some of the most popular include:

  • Worldschooling, in which families travel around the world and learn through experiencing other places, people, cultures, and activities typical for these locations.
  • Project-based unschooling, which holds that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges, problems, and projects that they can do in their own way and at their own pace.
  • Gameschooling, employs various games like board and card games to facilitate learning. In addition to developing skills in math, language, and history, board games also develop social skills such as interpersonal communication, negotiation, persuasion, diplomacy, and virtues like good sportsmanship.

Complementary philosophies

Unschooling families may adopt the following philosophies:

  • Unconditional Parenting and Punished by Rewards—parenting and education books by Alfie Kohn.
  • The continuum concept, attachment parenting, and attachment theory—theories and practices attempting to encourage the child's development.
  • Voluntaryism—the idea that all forms of human association should be voluntary, as far as possible (voluntaryism opposes the initiation of aggressive force or coercion).

Other forms of alternative education

Many other forms of alternative education also prioritize student control of learning, albeit not necessarily by the individual learner. These include free democratic schools, like the Sudbury school, Stonesoup School, and open-learning virtual universities. Democratic schools gives students the ability to take classes as they please, as well as befriend children from all age groups (as the schools do not separate students into grades). Students can also practice the idea of democracy in many ways, as voting is a large part of their school experience.

Criticism

See also: Homeschooling criticism

As a form of homeschooling, unschooling faces many of the same critiques as homeschooling. Criticisms of unschooling in particular tend to focus on whether students can receive sufficient education in a context with so little structure compared to standard schooling practices. Some critics maintain that it can be difficult to build sufficient motivation in students to allow them learn without guardrails, and that some students might be left behind as a result, and that they might fare poorly compared with their peers.

Opponents of unschooling fear that children may be at the mercy of bad parents, like those who withdraw their children from school without taking on the role of "teacher." This leaves children directionless, which can affect them later in life if they have no practice expanding their curiosity and integrating into society.

In a 2006 study of children aged five to ten, unschooled children scored below traditionally schooled children in four of seven studied categories, and significantly below structured homeschoolers in all seven studied categories.

See also

Unschooling Books

  • Learning All The Time Book by John Holt
  • "Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Homeschooling" by John Holt and Pat Farenga, A foundational text in the unschooling movement, this book explores self-directed education and the philosophy of trusting children to learn naturally
  • "How Children Learn" by John Holt. A classic that examines how children learn through curiosity and exploration, this book is a staple for understanding unschooling principles
  • "The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World as Your Child's Classroom" by Mary Griffith. This practical guide includes real-life stories and tips for integrating learning into everyday life
  • "Homeschooling - The Choice and the Consequences", Ari Neuman, Aharon Aviram
  • "The Call of the Wild + Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child's Education" by Ainsley Arment. This book challenges traditional schooling norms and celebrates child-led education
  • "The Unschooling Journey: A Field Guide" by Pam Laricchia. Laricchia offers a personal and philosophical exploration of the unschooling lifestyle, tailored for families starting their journey
  • "Sandra Dodd’s Big Book of Unschooling". A comprehensive collection of thoughts, practices, and stories about unschooling, it’s designed for both new and experienced unschoolers by Sandra Dodd
  • "Free to Learn: Five Ideas for a Joyful Unschooling Life" by Pam Laricchia. Part of a box set, this book dives into fostering a joyful and enriching unschooling environment

Persons of interest

Adult unschoolers of note

  • Sawyer Fredericks, singer/songwriter, The Voice (U.S. season 8)
  • Lisa Harvey-Smith, astronomer
  • Neil Stephen Cicierega, musician, singer/songwriter, animator, video game designer/creator, filmmaker, actor
  • Dale J. Stephens, entrepreneur, speaker, author, and founder of UnCollege
  • Aaron Swartz, political activist and computer programmer
  • Astra Taylor, filmmaker
  • Sunny Taylor, painter and disability activist (also younger sister of Astra Taylor)
  • Billie Eilish, singer/songwriter
  • Julia Gat, Photographer, daughter of Emanuel Gat, Choreographer. Known for her photography project Khamsa khamsa khamsa about her upbringing.
  • Astor Taylor – Speaker and artist, advocate for creative education.
  • Devin Young – Co-founder of Changemakers, social entrepreneur.
  • Jeremy Stuart – Filmmaker, director of *Class Dismissed* documentary.
  • Peter Kowalke – Creator of *Grown Without Schooling* documentary.
  • Zac Sunderland – Youngest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe.
  • Dale J. Stephens – Founder of UnCollege, Thiel Fellow.
  • Logan LaPlante – TEDx speaker on "Hackschooling" and self-directed learning.
  • Maya Donnelly – Writer focused on identity and alternative education.
  • Kio Stark – Author of *Don’t Go Back to School*.
  • Nathen Aaren – Entrepreneur and coach inspired by unschooling.

References

  1. Arnall, Judy (2018). Unschooling to University (1st ed.). Calgary, Alberta: Professional Parenting. pp. 5–8. ISBN 9781775178606.
  2. Greer, Billy. "Unschooling or homeschooling?". Archived from the original on 2013-11-15. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  3. Holt, J (1977), Growing Without Schooling
  4. Pearce, Kyle (2017-11-21). "Why The Future of Education Is Unschooling". Retrieved 2024-12-17.
  5. Holt, J. (2003). Teach Your Own.
  6. Petrovic, John E; Rolstad, Kellie (November 2017). "Educating for autonomy: Reading Rousseau and Freire toward a philosophy of unschooling". Policy Futures in Education. 15 (7–8): 817–833. doi:10.1177/1478210316681204. ISSN 1478-2103. S2CID 152256452.
  7. "Unschooling & Self-Education". Archived from the original on 2015-10-11. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  8. "Is there a difference between a radical unschooler and just an unschooler?". Archived from the original on 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  9. "Differences Between Self-Directed and Progressive Education". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  10. ^ "8 powerful reasons why I 'unschool' my kids". Motherly. 2017-10-12. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  11. ^ "The Beginner's Guide to Unschooling". zenhabits.net. 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  12. Holt, John Caldwell (1967). How children learn. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0201484048.
  13. ^ J. Scott Armstrong (1979). "The Natural Learning Project" (PDF). Journal of Experiential Learning and Simulation. 1. Elseiver North-Holland, Inc. 1979: 5–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
  14. Bunday, Karl M. "Socialization: A Great Reason Not to Go to School". Learn in Freedom!. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  15. Shyers, Larry Edward, Comparison of Social Adjustment Between Home and Traditionally Schooled Students
  16. Liman, Isabel. "Home Schooling: Back to the Future?". Archived from the original on 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  17. Bunday, Karl M. "Isn't it Natural for Children to be Divided by Age in School?". Learn in Freedom!. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
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