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The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom
To Unschoolers, Learning Is As Natural As Breathing
Did you know that a growing percentage of home schoolers are becoming unschoolers? The unschooling movement is founded on the principle that children learn best when they pursue their own natural curiosities and interests. Without bells, schedules, and rules about what to do and when, the knowledge they gain through mindfu...more
Did you know that a growing percentage of home schoolers are becoming unschoolers? The unschooling movement is founded on the principle that children learn best when they pursue their own natural curiosities and interests. Without bells, schedules, and rules about what to do and when, the knowledge they gain through mindfu...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
May 5th 2010
by Three Rivers Press
(first published 1998)
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I found this in the anemic "parenting" section of my new library. It's a lean little volume, mostly of extended quotes from self-titled "unschooling" parents. The technology is excruciatingly outdated (just go to AOL Member home to join a list!) circa 1997, and even though it calls itself a "handbook" there's nothing very handy or step-by-step about it.
With those criticisms out of the way, though, this was a very interesting book.
I'd never heard of "...more
With those criticisms out of the way, though, this was a very interesting book.
I'd never heard of "...more
I adore this book. Like all homeschooling books, I cannot simply follow one philosophy, but it significantly contributed to my personal definition of what "education" and "learning" look like. At our house, learning can take place with a class, a field trip, a project, a book, a workbook, a discussion, a debate, an accident, a movie, a household task, a meditation, a friendship, a visit, or any of the multitude of activities a human completes in a week. Sure, I may advocat...more
I think this is a great barebones book for beginning unschoolers - of all early stages. At the time I read it, I felt it was too bare bones, but as time goes by and I forget all I know, I am glad that this book is here to remind me of what I've forgotten. Maybe "barebones" is the wrong word? It's probably the way she keeps things "simple" in this book that makes it work for me.
Unschooling IS using the world as your child's "classroom," even though classroom is not the best word! If you happen to need some ideas to get you started, this is a good book.
I really enjoyed the thoughts and ideas of this book. There are several interviews that took place asking young and old alike what they thought about certain aspects of being home schooled and that is a big part of what I liked about it. Many books talk of home schooling from the parents perspective but I like to ask the kids directly how they feel about it. This was funny and catching and extremely helpful. The author had interesting ways of bringing up questions I hadn't even thought of yet an...more
Okay - so after finishing this book and doing a lot of thinking about what I read, I needed to write a new review. ( : So here it is:
I find some definite merrit to the idea of unschooling, to a degree. While it is in agreement with the Biblical principle of individuality, it is off track, Biblically, when we give complete responsibility of their education over to our kiddos before they are ready. There are too many things that God tells us to teach our children; things I don't believe th...more
I find some definite merrit to the idea of unschooling, to a degree. While it is in agreement with the Biblical principle of individuality, it is off track, Biblically, when we give complete responsibility of their education over to our kiddos before they are ready. There are too many things that God tells us to teach our children; things I don't believe th...more
Unschooling is a method of homeschooling where no curriculum is used. The children dictate what they learn, when they learn it and pretty much if they learn anything at all. I knew going into this book that it was not a method that I would be using for homeschool. I'm sure it works well for some, but it just is not a technique that would work for me. I do however, want to use this method of education in the afternoon after we have finished with our formal curriculum. I also think this would be a...more
One of the bloggers I follow () recently posted about her method of educating her children, called "unschooling" (http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/2010/04/...). The way she described unschooling was fascinating to me because it sounded like a similar philosophy to my teaching philosophy. The philosophy basically entails throwing scripted curriculum (a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching) out the window, and instead follows student interests. I had never heard of unschooling so I dec...more
The beginning of this book started out with some good testimonials and experiences from unschoolers, but it also started out with too many complicated words and ideas that made me re-read a number of passages to grasp their meaning. That got annoying really fast. In that way this book is a little too textbook-like. The stories state an idea and the author restates it.
It may be because I just finished "How Children Learn", and loved it, but a lot of the content of this bo...more
It may be because I just finished "How Children Learn", and loved it, but a lot of the content of this bo...more
Presents a philosophy of learning that structures learning opportunities around a particular child's passions and intersts.
Quotes:
"The categories of knowledge are simply artificial; they exist for reasons that have nothing to do with learning, nor with the advancements of knowledge. Chemistry blends seamlessly into physics and math and biology and sociology…rather than create artificial boundaries, it's fun to see where something leads". Pg15, Patrick
"...more
Quotes:
"The categories of knowledge are simply artificial; they exist for reasons that have nothing to do with learning, nor with the advancements of knowledge. Chemistry blends seamlessly into physics and math and biology and sociology…rather than create artificial boundaries, it's fun to see where something leads". Pg15, Patrick
"...more
ได้ทั้งคอนเซ็ปต์และรูปธรรมในหลายเรื่อง แต่อย่างไรก็คงต้องพิจารณาร่วมกับสังคมของเรา ในแง่สถานภาพทางเศรษฐกิจ กฎหมาย โครงสร้างสาธารณะ เช่นห้องสมุดสาธารณะที่มีบทบาทสำคัญมาก และความร่วมมือของชุมชน น่าจะมีหนังสือของไทยที่รวมรวบแบบไทยๆไว้เยอะ อยากเห็นบทสัมภาษณ์เด็กเพิ่มเติมจนถึงวัยผู้ใหญ่และการส่งต่อความรู้ผ่านการเรียนแบบนี้ รวมทั้ง น่าจะมีภาพของประวัติศาสตร์ของพ่อแม่ในการศึกษาก่อนที่จะมาให้ลูกเรียน เพราะเพื่อจะได้เห็นความแตกต่างเฉพาะ เนื่องจากว่าทั้งหมดแล้วการศึกษาแบบ Unschooling นั้นเป็นเรื่องเฉพาะ จ...more
Carrie
added it
Maybe this book would be helpful to someone who:
feels clueless about how to use resources in their community in their homeschooling.
or
is looking for more proof that kids can learn without textbooks.
I lost interest almost immediately. I'm not sure if that's because of the book or because my university program drummed into my skull the fact that children can be trusted to learn, but need a rich environment.
Also, I think the sub-title, "How to Use the Whole W...more
feels clueless about how to use resources in their community in their homeschooling.
or
is looking for more proof that kids can learn without textbooks.
I lost interest almost immediately. I'm not sure if that's because of the book or because my university program drummed into my skull the fact that children can be trusted to learn, but need a rich environment.
Also, I think the sub-title, "How to Use the Whole W...more
This was a good book except it was DATED. They still referenced AOL and many families didn't have internet access (which a lot still probably don't but the internet is much more common). It was frustrating having a lot of the references out of date. Much of it was anecdotal and didn't really speak about issues in depth. Like how to handle chores which is a huge issue in our household.
I did find confidence in it which is part of the reason I read it but as I stated, it's very dated (19...more
I did find confidence in it which is part of the reason I read it but as I stated, it's very dated (19...more
A few of the sections written by the author had interesting ideas, but I think I rather of heard more of the stories of the people who responded to her survey in a more detailed, less disjointed fashion than the way this book was organized. I think it'd have been more useful. I love the resources, though, given at the end of each chapter.
flipping through this again (checked it out last summer, too) as i look for inspiration for the coming year.
this year it is really making me think differently - that and learning more about project-based learning. it's a tricky thing sometimes to find the right learning environment for your specific kiddos.
this year it is really making me think differently - that and learning more about project-based learning. it's a tricky thing sometimes to find the right learning environment for your specific kiddos.
I really enjoyed this. While it seems funny that unschooling would need a handbook, it was a great introduction and gave me ideas for the future. I really liked the example transcript for college applications and the stories from the kids who had lived unschooled lives.
Disappointing title (not much "how to" in this handbook). If I had known nothing about unschooling, this might have been more helpful. Still, it reminded me why I am choosing to homeschool and got me thinking about my own philosophy of education.
My lovely hubby suggest this book to me. He said that both of us could create a wonderful learning environment for the children at home. And voila...I found this book very informative and practical too. I love this book!
I feel like this book gave me a good look into what unschooling is and how it can work. There are lots of individual examples in all different subjects which gave me a glimpse into the lives of unschoolers and their families.
I enjoyed this book for all the ideas of how learning looks at home.... What materials or resources do I need to provide my kids in order to spark their interest and start them in pursuit of knowledge? Such a fun mindframe!
This is a great book for those curious about homeschooling and/or the art of unschooling.
This book is full of information, explanation, reassurance, encouragement, resources, additional reading, experiences and more.
I'm just wondering though, wouldn't a true unschooler be put off by the idea of an unschooling handbook?!
This book is full of information, explanation, reassurance, encouragement, resources, additional reading, experiences and more.
I'm just wondering though, wouldn't a true unschooler be put off by the idea of an unschooling handbook?!
This is largely a collection of informal essay-style interviews with unschooling parents and students. I was encouraged and gathered a few ideas...But this was not an exhaustive, scholarly, or particularly detailed book. Worth checking out, but get it from the library. I did.
Griffith has a good amount of advice for those considering the unschooling theory of teaching. Heh. That really doesn't make much sense because unschooling isn't a theory...or even a method, but more of a lifestyle.
Although not MORE motivated to attempt unschooling, I am certainly more comfortable with my child's future success should we decide to.
Although not MORE motivated to attempt unschooling, I am certainly more comfortable with my child's future success should we decide to.
This is in constant rotation in reality so I can't really classify it as read, to read, or currently reading because it is all three! This book is a very helpful homeschool resource!
this unschooling book was pretty much a collection of testimonials and anecdotes from unschooling families. not particularly thrilling, but some useful reminders of things to do.
wonderful overview, i especially enjoyed the simple accounts from parents and children about their views on education and unschooling.
A solid introduction to concepts of unschooling, but wildly outdated in its practical information, even when I read it years ago.
I think by this point I've read so many books on homeschooling in general and unschooling in particular that this book really didn't grab my interest. I did a lot of skimming and can't say I learned anything new. Maybe better as a reference throughout the years ahead?
Very helpful into what Unschooling is. It made it very appealing as well, but not sure I will do that with my son.
Good information and ideas especially since this is an option I'm considering in the near future.
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