Unschooling?

[Eternal]

I watched it! Saw it on the sky anytime last night.

I guess im more for the tradional parenting route myself, but each to their own, think there are clear positives and negatives to each.

I do extended rear facing car seat, which i guess its quite different, and have heard and dealt with comments about that.

I dont understand how it works, i understand homeschool which i know several people who have done it and see nothing wrong with it at all, as long as the children socialise and learn social skills, its probably a much better way to educate a child (especially primary years) then government schooling.

However i dont quite understand how unschooling can work, especially in the UK. Dont the parents get in trouble for not sending the kids to school and not educating them? when you hear of parents being taken to court over their kids not going to school i dont understand how it works when you choose to not formally educate?

Also both parents in that programme seemed to help with this unschooling process, did they not work?

I think all parents do things differently, and we all add bits of this and that. I know there isnt a "right" way for every family/child so im not going to judge, the unschooling bit seemed very different to me, but i each to their own.

 

[marley2580]

Can't he go to college or do a distance learning course? My OH is permitted study time from his work in order to gain further qualifications in his field. My work also allows this.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Can't he go to college or do a distance learning course? My OH is permitted study time from his work in order to gain further qualifications in his field. My work also allows this.

He's going to go back to school once we move to California which I'm very happy about. We can't afford for him to do a distance learning course or to leave work to go back to college.

 

[Tacey]

Some people have said they believe children who do well having been unschooled are the exception. I wonder if you could explain what your basis for saying that is?

I plan to unschool my children. I prefer the term 'autonomous education' (which is the same thing) as it emphasises that the children are being educated. It's just that they do it themselves. Our children generally learn to talk without formal teaching, they have an innate desire to mimic and learn. I don't see why that urge should stop.We all know how curious small children are. Autonomously educated children often maintain that curiosity and learn as a result. Personally, I would be far more concerned for my children's learning if I sent them to school, but different things suit different families.

 

[marley2580]

However i dont quite understand how unschooling can work, especially in the UK. Dont the parents get in trouble for not sending the kids to school and not educating them? when you hear of parents being taken to court over their kids not going to school i dont understand how it works when you choose to not formally educate?

Also both parents in that programme seemed to help with this unschooling process, did they not work?

For unschooling info - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unschooling

Most home education is child led, just to varying degrees. The idea is not that the kids are just ignored, but that if they show a desire to learn about something, the parents facilitate and enable them to do so. For example if a child reads the diary of Anne Frank and wants to know more about WWII, the parent will help them to find books and websites about it and will take them to museums etc.

 

[buttonnose82]

marley ...... what age do you have to have decided by for home educating? is there a cut off?

 

[gemabee]

Some people have said they believe children who do well having been unschooled are the exception. I wonder if you could explain what your basis for saying that is?

I plan to unschool my children. I prefer the term 'autonomous education' (which is the same thing) as it emphasises that the children are being educated. It's just that they do it themselves. Our children generally learn to talk without formal teaching, they have an innate desire to mimic and learn. I don't see why that urge should stop.We all know how curious small children are. Autonomously educated children often maintain that curiosity and learn as a result. Personally, I would be far more concerned for my children's learning if I sent them to school, but different things suit different families.

common sense.

 

[marley2580]

Well compulsory education age is 5 so you need to decide what you're doing by then. But remember that you can change your mind, some people choose not to send their kids to school until they're 6 or 7, others skip primary and send their kids to secondary. It's up to you, as long as your kids are being educated in one way or another once they turn 5.

 

[marley2580]

Some people have said they believe children who do well having been unschooled are the exception. I wonder if you could explain what your basis for saying that is?

I plan to unschool my children. I prefer the term 'autonomous education' (which is the same thing) as it emphasises that the children are being educated. It's just that they do it themselves. Our children generally learn to talk without formal teaching, they have an innate desire to mimic and learn. I don't see why that urge should stop.We all know how curious small children are. Autonomously educated children often maintain that curiosity and learn as a result. Personally, I would be far more concerned for my children's learning if I sent them to school, but different things suit different families.

common sense.

You're actually coming across as a bit offensive to both those that choose to unschool and those that were unschooled. Unless you can actually back up your argument with actual facts then you really shouldn't use that argument

 

[Eternal]

thanks for the link, i still dont understand the legal side, i mean how do you get away with sending a child to school?

I understand the idea, i think its really internesting and i understand how it can work well, i think a child who is "unschooled" can grow up with the same educational level as any other child, after all there are different things each child excells at, and secondary schools provide options with subject choice so children from diffrent areas of the counrty will all be differently educated anyway.

I am sure that teh majority of children will want to educate themselves with basic skills such as reading, so i totally understand and apprecaite how it works.

However the idea of not educating you child at all is more strange to me, i mean, we "teach" our children to speak, to toilet train etc, i again understand that they will learn these skills in their own time but cant imagine standing completly back and letting them take charge of their future.

I agree that children learn better when they are interested, when my mum tried to teach me to read she choose several nice books and i just wasnt interested, she let me free to explore and i choose books about sharks, dinosaurs and nature, then i wanted to know more and read them to myself.

i totally think homeschooling can produce very educated children, i would love to do it myself, but i dont have the pateience or the abilities to do it. I am dyslexic and my husband also shows some tendancies, we are both very educated, great school grades, i went on to uni and flew through that, but my ability to correct spelling would be terrible, my math skills are basic, i couldnt teach my son those skills.

However the unschooling thing is still very different from that, how do you stop yoursef from teaching? How can it be safe to not have rules? i mean my kid loves to climb do you let your child climb, run into roads etc? how do you teach respect? I totally think letting the child get more independance as he/she gets older is a good thing and letting them outline their education is great, but i dont understand how it works in practice

 

[buttonnose82]

Well compulsory education age is 5 so you need to decide what you're doing by then. But remember that you can change your mind, some people choose not to send their kids to school until they're 6 or 7, others skip primary and send their kids to secondary. It's up to you, as long as your kids are being educated in one way or another once they turn 5.

I don't need to hurry too decide then

 

[Tacey]

Some people have said they believe children who do well having been unschooled are the exception. I wonder if you could explain what your basis for saying that is?

I plan to unschool my children. I prefer the term 'autonomous education' (which is the same thing) as it emphasises that the children are being educated. It's just that they do it themselves. Our children generally learn to talk without formal teaching, they have an innate desire to mimic and learn. I don't see why that urge should stop.We all know how curious small children are. Autonomously educated children often maintain that curiosity and learn as a result. Personally, I would be far more concerned for my children's learning if I sent them to school, but different things suit different families.

common sense.

I would have thought it was common sense not to form opinions from sensationalist tv shows, but each to their own.

 

[Dopeyjopey]

I am planning to unschool Albert. I believe I will be able to provide a better learning environment for him than he will receive at school. He is starting nursery next week, at a child first nursery, which I am hoping will set him up to learn from an early age until I am able to help him learn at home.

Why is it that people assume that just because you don't follow the government approved curriculum your child will not be successful in life? I did very well at school but my life skills were absolutely shocking until I had my son. I don't want that for him, I want him to learn using practical methods instead of sitting in a classroom, only interacting with children the same age as him and believing that all adults are superior

It's all personal opinion, there is no need to slate home schoolers, just as none of the people educating at home would slate anyone deciding to put their child through the school system.

"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education." - Albert Einstein

 

[buttonnose82]

lets try get this back on track

 

[buttonnose82]

what channel was this program on? I'd be interested in seeing it

 

[marley2580]

thanks for the link, i still dont understand the legal side, i mean how do you get away with sending a child to school?

I understand the idea, i think its really internesting and i understand how it can work well, i think a child who is "unschooled" can grow up with the same educational level as any other child, after all there are different things each child excells at, and secondary schools provide options with subject choice so children from diffrent areas of the counrty will all be differently educated anyway.

I am sure that teh majority of children will want to educate themselves with basic skills such as reading, so i totally understand and apprecaite how it works.

However the idea of not educating you child at all is more strange to me, i mean, we "teach" our children to speak, to toilet train etc, i again understand that they will learn these skills in their own time but cant imagine standing completly back and letting them take charge of their future.

I agree that children learn better when they are interested, when my mum tried to teach me to read she choose several nice books and i just wasnt interested, she let me free to explore and i choose books about sharks, dinosaurs and nature, then i wanted to know more and read them to myself.

i totally think homeschooling can produce very educated children, i would love to do it myself, but i dont have the pateience or the abilities to do it. I am dyslexic and my husband also shows some tendancies, we are both very educated, great school grades, i went on to uni and flew through that, but my ability to correct spelling would be terrible, my math skills are basic, i couldnt teach my son those skills.

However the unschooling thing is still very different from that, how do you stop yoursef from teaching? How can it be safe to not have rules? i mean my kid loves to climb do you let your child climb, run into roads etc? how do you teach respect? I totally think letting the child get more independance as he/she gets older is a good thing and letting them outline their education is great, but i dont understand how it works in practice

Do you mean not sending a child to school? If so the law is very clear, at 5 years old a child must, legally, be educated. Most parents choose to send a child to school in order to meet this requirement, however it is the parent's choice what form the education can take.

The vast majority of home educators (both those that unschool and those that don't) will tell you that they don't 'teach' their children - instead they enable and facilitate the learning that a child wants to explore. Some things, such as road safety etc must be taught and some boundaries must be enforced. Unschooling and child-led education does not mean having no rules and no discipline, it means allowing children to learn in their own time.

 

[marley2580]

I should, of course, point out that I'm not an expert and I don't actually intend to totally unschool. But there will be aspects of it that I will use.

 

[Tacey]

lets try get this back on track

Sorry! My fault!

 

[Eternal]

i saw it on the sky anythime player

 

[Eternal]

thanks for the link, i still dont understand the legal side, i mean how do you get away with sending a child to school?

I understand the idea, i think its really internesting and i understand how it can work well, i think a child who is "unschooled" can grow up with the same educational level as any other child, after all there are different things each child excells at, and secondary schools provide options with subject choice so children from diffrent areas of the counrty will all be differently educated anyway.

I am sure that teh majority of children will want to educate themselves with basic skills such as reading, so i totally understand and apprecaite how it works.

However the idea of not educating you child at all is more strange to me, i mean, we "teach" our children to speak, to toilet train etc, i again understand that they will learn these skills in their own time but cant imagine standing completly back and letting them take charge of their future.

I agree that children learn better when they are interested, when my mum tried to teach me to read she choose several nice books and i just wasnt interested, she let me free to explore and i choose books about sharks, dinosaurs and nature, then i wanted to know more and read them to myself.

i totally think homeschooling can produce very educated children, i would love to do it myself, but i dont have the pateience or the abilities to do it. I am dyslexic and my husband also shows some tendancies, we are both very educated, great school grades, i went on to uni and flew through that, but my ability to correct spelling would be terrible, my math skills are basic, i couldnt teach my son those skills.

However the unschooling thing is still very different from that, how do you stop yoursef from teaching? How can it be safe to not have rules? i mean my kid loves to climb do you let your child climb, run into roads etc? how do you teach respect? I totally think letting the child get more independance as he/she gets older is a good thing and letting them outline their education is great, but i dont understand how it works in practice

Do you mean not sending a child to school? If so the law is very clear, at 5 years old a child must, legally, be educated. Most parents choose to send a child to school in order to meet this requirement, however it is the parent's choice what form the education can take.

The vast majority of home educators (both those that unschool and those that don't) will tell you that they don't 'teach' their children - instead they enable and facilitate the learning that a child wants to explore. Some things, such as road safety etc must be taught and some boundaries must be enforced. Unschooling and child-led education does not mean having no rules and no discipline, it means allowing children to learn in their own time.

sorry for all the questions, im only answer out of interest.

does there not need to be proof (for want of a better word) of learning? I mean i understand how that works in a normal home school enviroment but unschooling, at least from what i understood from the documentary, means no rules, no eductaion, no structure i.e. no bedtimes, let the children decide when and what they want to eat etc.