Reflections on Unschooling
2006-12-29

by D.E. Herrod, B.Ed.E, M.Div

Recently the local newspaper featured an article about unschooling. The proponents of unschooling claim that it is a better approach because it is totally child centered. One claim is that unschooling is a natural approach. Children are not forced to learn subjects and not required to do traditional schoolwork. Many claim that one of strengths is that children are motivated because they are interested in the topic. While I believe that teaching methods should incorporate real world applications, I have several concerns about this approach.

First, I am concerned about children being giving too much freedom in selecting what they learn. Allowing a child to choose between selected activities is a good way for children to have input in the learning process. In contrast allowing a child to decide what subject, skill or even if they will learn anything that day can be disastrous.

There is a difference between using a child’s interest to teach a subject and teaching only what interest a child. As a child I was a reluctant reader and had no intention of ever learning to read. If I had be able to choose what I was going to learn I would have learned a lot of arts and crafts but very little reading and math. My mom used my interest in horses to motivate me to read.

This approach to learning appears to be disorganized and haphazard. It is even possible to insure that all the necessary skills are being taught. I am not saying that using textbooks or other pre-programmed curriculum is a necessity. However the use of a scope-and-sequence chart or other guideline does insure that there are no gaps being left.