Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Unschooling: What Does it Look Like?

I'm not closed to the idea of uncschooling, but am near to it. I see the value in children learning to take responsibility for their own learning. However, I strongly suspect that children aren't generally up to the task, for the simple reason that a child, no matter how gifted, lacks experience and can't see the big picture(s) that an adult can see. Picking a class? Great. An entire curriculum? I'm not so sure about that.

Part of the big picture of a good education involves going into depth in areas that the student doesn't necessarily want to learn about (as HK noted about her daughter). Sometimes learning isn't easy, takes a lot of work and sustained focus, and requires the assistance of a knowledgable teacher. Some less-than-glamorous work is essential for important skills that are developed later. Will an unschooled child pick the essential drudgery? I don't know. Some might, but if suspect that the vast majority won't.

Overall, my concern about uncschooling is that it can become an exercise in meandering, rather than a focused and guided approach to learning. If a child is allowed to pick and choose for too long, bad habits may form because the student has never really learned to do things --- over the long term --- that are "boring," like learning grammar and how to write well.

Don't think I'm advocating for mediocre brick and mortar or online schools here. Both types of school have significant problems, too. And yes, parents can raise their kids mostly as they see fit. I'm really trying to point out some possible unforeseen outcomes of uncschooling.