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The Unschooling Unmanual
Unschooling isn't a technique - it's living and learning naturally, lovingly, and respectfully together. The Unschooling Unmanual features 11 essays by 8 Nanda Van Gestel, Jan Hunt, Daniel Quinn, Rue Kream, Kim Houssenloge, Earl Stevens, and Mary Van Doren. Through engaging personal stories, examples, and essays, the writers offer inspiration and encouragement for seasoned and prospective unschoolers alike. ''A concise, readable and accessible manifesto for natural learning and trust in children, The Unschooling Unmanual brings together contributions from eight authors in eleven very readable essays. The Unmanual is a great introduction to learning and unschooling for people coming from an educational perspective... at the same time it can be an invaluable confidence booster for people already on an unschooling journey.'' - Arun Pradhan, The Parenting Pit '' The Unschooling Unmanual is a unique and empowering book about the growing trend of unschooling. It is the book to give to doubtful or fearing partners and family as well as anyone considering or interested in this life.'' - Dayna Martin, Unschooling America
91 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 5, 2016
Amazing! It's short, but really got me thinking about the 'educational system', and what it means to learn. There are a lot of references to John Holt by the various writers that contributed, and I am inspired by them to go out and get books about children and learning that he wrote.
Some passages I particularly enjoyed:
"I can sum up in five to seven words what I eventually learned an a teacher. The seven-word version is: Learning is not the product of teaching. The five-word version is: Teaching does not make learning. As I mentioned before, organized education operates on the assumption that children learn only when and only what and only because we teach them. This is not true. It is very close to one hundred percent false." - John Holt
"When people say that school prepares children for the real world, what's implied is that it is the difficult parts of school (doing things you don't want to do, forced interaction with peers, following rules that you don't believe in) that are important. What's implied is that the real world is going to be an unhappy place and that being treated unfairly by people is a part of life." - Rue Kream
"The question we should ask ourselves is: What does our society need most - people who will always do as they are asked, or independent, creative thinkers? People who have been dominated from an early age learn to dominate others when they get the chance, while people who are happy about who they are and have self-respect, will respect others." - Nanda Van Gestel
If you care about your kids education, you should read this book, for an alternative perspective on education than the one commonly spoken of in society.
Some passages I particularly enjoyed:
"I can sum up in five to seven words what I eventually learned an a teacher. The seven-word version is: Learning is not the product of teaching. The five-word version is: Teaching does not make learning. As I mentioned before, organized education operates on the assumption that children learn only when and only what and only because we teach them. This is not true. It is very close to one hundred percent false." - John Holt
"When people say that school prepares children for the real world, what's implied is that it is the difficult parts of school (doing things you don't want to do, forced interaction with peers, following rules that you don't believe in) that are important. What's implied is that the real world is going to be an unhappy place and that being treated unfairly by people is a part of life." - Rue Kream
"The question we should ask ourselves is: What does our society need most - people who will always do as they are asked, or independent, creative thinkers? People who have been dominated from an early age learn to dominate others when they get the chance, while people who are happy about who they are and have self-respect, will respect others." - Nanda Van Gestel
If you care about your kids education, you should read this book, for an alternative perspective on education than the one commonly spoken of in society.
May 16, 2011
This book is a must read if you are a parent. I know it is about a style of homeschooling, but the information teaches much on the development of children and how they learn. If you are already an unschooler, it serves as a book of encouragement and as a reminder of why you do what you do. If you are a homeschooler of other methods, I think it is an eye opening approach that should be considered. If you are finding your way in the homeschool world, this would be helpful in your search as you consider many options.
The main point of the book is that children are natural learners. Rewards and incentives should not be necessary if your child is enjoying learning, therefore, forced learning often times creates disinterested children that need rewards and incentives to get through the work. Also, when a child wants to learn, they retain the information better and longer as opposed to kids who are forced to do enough to get the grade or memorize enough for the test and then forget most of it.
If your child is having trouble in school or if your homeschooling child is resisting curriculum, this book may offer thoughts as to why your child is having trouble. It also offers suggestions on how to go about helping your child.
I myself have started putting this into practice and my husband has already noticed behavior changes in the boys. They have even been getting along a bit better. There are less power struggles regarding "school". Best of all, they are learning!
The main point of the book is that children are natural learners. Rewards and incentives should not be necessary if your child is enjoying learning, therefore, forced learning often times creates disinterested children that need rewards and incentives to get through the work. Also, when a child wants to learn, they retain the information better and longer as opposed to kids who are forced to do enough to get the grade or memorize enough for the test and then forget most of it.
If your child is having trouble in school or if your homeschooling child is resisting curriculum, this book may offer thoughts as to why your child is having trouble. It also offers suggestions on how to go about helping your child.
I myself have started putting this into practice and my husband has already noticed behavior changes in the boys. They have even been getting along a bit better. There are less power struggles regarding "school". Best of all, they are learning!
June 4, 2010
A short (88 pages) book of essays about the benefits of unschooling.
"Schooling: The Hidden Agenda" by Daniel Quinn gives the best description of why our public schools are failing. And John Holt, who went from (public) teacher of the year to a leading force in the unschooling movement, writes a beautiful essay on children as natural learners.
Recommended for anyone who is unsure whether they are 'qualified' to teach their own.
"Schooling: The Hidden Agenda" by Daniel Quinn gives the best description of why our public schools are failing. And John Holt, who went from (public) teacher of the year to a leading force in the unschooling movement, writes a beautiful essay on children as natural learners.
Recommended for anyone who is unsure whether they are 'qualified' to teach their own.
August 12, 2016
A good place to go when feeling unsure about unschooling. It's not much of a "here's what we did" since it will be so different for every family, but much more philosophical. In the end, it absolutely helped me understand unschooling better but also helped me better define why it wasn't the right choice for my family.
October 10, 2012
This is a slim volume, so it isn't an overwhelming read. A nice series of essays to read before the school year to renew my trust in myself and my children's ability to learn. We're not really unschoolers, but I would like to say that my approach is at least informed by an understanding of the unschooling philosophy.
September 19, 2010
I thought I'd kick off the new school year by reading about how depressing schools are. Yay!
I'm reading John Holt at the same time, and found the best parts to be his essay and his quotes throughout this slim book.
I'm reading John Holt at the same time, and found the best parts to be his essay and his quotes throughout this slim book.
August 13, 2010
A collection of essays about unschooling, mainly written by parents of unschoolers. The type-setting and editing is pretty bad, but otherwise it's a pretty good book. It explains what unschooling is and addresses most of the major concerns, though in a rather fluffy way. Some of the problems with the standard K-12 system that they point out are so dead-on, and some of the ways they word it, it seems almost shocking and absurd that such a system even exists, let alone that everyone sends their kids there.
April 2, 2013
This book made me feel guilty about not planning to homeschool! There were some points I had to disagree with however. For example, it is quite useful to learn when you really do have to listen to someone and do what they say. Also, there are quite a few times when adults have to sit down inside and work even when they want to be outside doing something else! I left it casually around so that John could glance through it (with predictably hrumph-type results).
January 28, 2011
Loved it. It's super-short, just a collection of essays by unschoolers, but it's nice reassurance for anyone seriously considering going this route, and probably a good read for those who're on the fence or just curious.
November 6, 2012
It's not the "how to" I thought it would be, given the title, but it is a short and lovely collection of explanations of why people choose to unschool.
May 30, 2017
I love this little book bundled with different memoirs and thoughts and excerpts from authors and from different people on Unschooling. And so much is quotable and sense <3 Great book to have a quick read on and get thoughts to share with others. Its not a how to or a guide, rather a source of inspiration. It would be interesting to have a more up to date version of this book to apply to current generation of social media and technology habits.
Some of the ones I highlighted (I highlighted a TON):
“The child is curious. He wants to make sense out of things, find out how things work, gain competence and control over himself and his environment, and do what he can see other people doing. He is open, perceptive, and experimental. He does not merely observe the world around him. He does not shut himself off from the strange, complicated world around him, but tastes it, touches it, hefts it, bends it, breaks it. To find out how reality works, he works on it. He is bold. He is not afraid of making mistakes. And he is patient. He can tolerate an extraordinary amount of uncertainty, confusion, ignorance, and suspense. … School is not a place that gives much time, or opportunity, or reward, for this kind of thinking and learning.”
......
Toddlers ask many questions, and so do school children — until about grade three. By that time, many of them have learned an unfortunate fact: that in school, it can be more important for self-protection to hide one’s ignorance about a subject than to learn more about it, regardless of one’s curiosity.
......
There is no need to motivate children through the use of extrinsic rewards, such as high grades or stars, which suggest to the child that the activity itself must be difficult or unpleasant; otherwise, why is a reward, which has nothing to do with the matter at hand, being offered? The wise parent says, “I think you’ll enjoy this book”, not “If you read this book, you’ll get a cookie.”
....
By reading a good book, we can look inside someone’s mind and heart. I have always found that the right book will come into my life at the exact right time, but in school I had to read books that someone else had chosen, and it almost destroyed my love for reading.
....
Granted that the schools do a poor job of preparing children for a successful and fulfilling life in our civilization, but what things do they do excellently well? Well, to begin with, they do a superb job of keeping young people out of the job market. Instead of becoming wage-earners at age twelve or fourteen, they remain consumers only — and they consume billions of dollars worth of merchandise, using money that their parents earn.
...
Self-taught people in many fields often produce fresher, more unique, and more creative work than those who have been taught specialized techniques and methods. (this is so true..)
.....
Gardeners do not worry about late-blooming roses, or measure their daily progress — they trust in nature’s good intentions, meet the needs of the plants under their care, and know that any further intervention would interfere with the natural flow of their growth.
....
our primary focus has always been “how to learn” and “how to obtain information”, As John Holt wrote, “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 needs to be learned.”
Some of the ones I highlighted (I highlighted a TON):
“The child is curious. He wants to make sense out of things, find out how things work, gain competence and control over himself and his environment, and do what he can see other people doing. He is open, perceptive, and experimental. He does not merely observe the world around him. He does not shut himself off from the strange, complicated world around him, but tastes it, touches it, hefts it, bends it, breaks it. To find out how reality works, he works on it. He is bold. He is not afraid of making mistakes. And he is patient. He can tolerate an extraordinary amount of uncertainty, confusion, ignorance, and suspense. … School is not a place that gives much time, or opportunity, or reward, for this kind of thinking and learning.”
......
Toddlers ask many questions, and so do school children — until about grade three. By that time, many of them have learned an unfortunate fact: that in school, it can be more important for self-protection to hide one’s ignorance about a subject than to learn more about it, regardless of one’s curiosity.
......
There is no need to motivate children through the use of extrinsic rewards, such as high grades or stars, which suggest to the child that the activity itself must be difficult or unpleasant; otherwise, why is a reward, which has nothing to do with the matter at hand, being offered? The wise parent says, “I think you’ll enjoy this book”, not “If you read this book, you’ll get a cookie.”
....
By reading a good book, we can look inside someone’s mind and heart. I have always found that the right book will come into my life at the exact right time, but in school I had to read books that someone else had chosen, and it almost destroyed my love for reading.
....
Granted that the schools do a poor job of preparing children for a successful and fulfilling life in our civilization, but what things do they do excellently well? Well, to begin with, they do a superb job of keeping young people out of the job market. Instead of becoming wage-earners at age twelve or fourteen, they remain consumers only — and they consume billions of dollars worth of merchandise, using money that their parents earn.
...
Self-taught people in many fields often produce fresher, more unique, and more creative work than those who have been taught specialized techniques and methods. (this is so true..)
.....
Gardeners do not worry about late-blooming roses, or measure their daily progress — they trust in nature’s good intentions, meet the needs of the plants under their care, and know that any further intervention would interfere with the natural flow of their growth.
....
our primary focus has always been “how to learn” and “how to obtain information”, As John Holt wrote, “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 needs to be learned.”
April 8, 2021
Easy reading and sound reassurance if you are thinking about pulling your kids out of school during these times or even never considering the option of sending them off to any institutions. The book might make you believe that everything will be fine if you choose to homeschool or unschool, as learning is so deeply rooted in humans that with enough parental nurture, support and trust your kids will be thriving learners.
March 25, 2018
A quick, easy read. This short book is a compilation of essays and experiences that the contributors had with unschooling. Some have children who are still young, while others have children who are teens or young adults. I appreciated the perspective that was offered, and I would be interested in reading more of John Holt’s works (pioneer of the unschooling approach).
August 1, 2022
Super short, I wish it had more meat to it. But there were some really interesting and thought provoking ideas in here. I think most educators (home or not) should give it a quick look through and consider some of its points.
July 16, 2018
كتاب يجعلنا نتأمل مدى فعالية النظام المدرسي بشكل عام، جيد كان أم سيء
May 25, 2022
Enjoyed this collection of perspectives on unschooling.
July 29, 2023
This is a really great compilation of essays by people who have used the unschool method. I appreciated different looks at what it actually looks like.
June 17, 2015
Excellent! I think this book, or rather, collection of essays, has single-handledly convinced me to continue homeschooling this coming Fall, or at the very least, seek out different options instead of jumping back into the public school setting out of fear. It also has helped my continued resolve to relax my public-school-at-home mentality. It's a tough road to step off that conveyor belt! I loved the essay entitled "What About College?," and of course, John Holt's essay was good. The book makes a great case for unschooling, but it also makes a great case for homeschooling in general and I believe we can mix some of the principles of unschooling into our days. Unschooling is not nearly as hippie as one might assume and it makes so much sense in regards to freedom and preserving that natural love of learning.
June 29, 2015
I really like the idea of child-directed learning, but actually allowing it to happen, without feeling like I have to be initiating the learning opportunities, is difficult for me. This book gave me the inspiration I need to loosen up a bit and to trust my children more. To recognize their natural desire to learn, even if it isn't about the things I think they should be learning in the here and now. And the immense life-long rewards that can come as a result. It's a compilation from multiple authors and I enjoyed getting the perspectives of multiple unschooling parents. I read a borrowed copy, but this is a book I will purchase for future reference.
January 24, 2012
This is very short, shorter than they claim because frequently, you'll have a whole page dedicated to one quote, and if a chapter ends on the left/back of the page, instead of starting the next chapter on the right/front of the next page, they leave it blank. I found that to be a little annoying. Anyway, this is good for someone who is new to unschooling, but if you've read a lot about it, you already know what they're going to say. Not exactly what I expected but still a good book.
November 26, 2015
I've read many different books on unschooling but this was one of my favorites! I liked that it was a short easy read but was filled with so much information and it was a book of short essays, written by different people! Some books I've read on the topic are longer and good but tend to say the same things over and over! This book was to the point and covered different aspects of unschooling from informative to experiential.
May 3, 2010
Short, heartfelt essays from many different angles are a quick read and make a wonderful mosaic of the "unschooling" movement. I found this the perfect reassurance for the decisions our family has made over the past year and would highly recommend it to parents and anyone who wants to understand why someone might choose to not school their child.
November 7, 2013
Through reading this book I have a better understanding of unschooling - though it is not for me or my family. Some of the essays were bland or poorly written, but I now feel more relaxed about homeschooling and letting my children guide the social studies and science topics of their education. I agree that children will seek out learning opportunities if you step back and give them a chance.
November 19, 2011
A book filled with good arguments in favor of unschooling, and information on what to expect. I only wish I had a paper copy so I could conveniently leave it somewhere for my husband and mother to read...
June 21, 2012
A quick and easy look at the philosophy/lifestyle of unschooling through brief essays by various authors and activists. This is the first book I've read on unschooling specifically and it definitely peaked my interest and left me wanting to read more.
March 3, 2022
Interesting cultural and societal critique. I think they are probably right - learning come naturally, and schools are a system that forces knowledge in a particular order and take the fun out of it for many people
October 28, 2008
A quick read - but repetitive for those who've read lots of unschooling books. This would be good to give someone who is looking into unschooling.
September 28, 2009
So far an absolutely wonderfully insightful book.
September 28, 2010
A short collection of people patting themselves on the back for unschooling. Nothing new or particularly helpful.
February 9, 2013
This book has me really fired up and excited about unschooling my children. The essay by Daniel Quinn has changed my life. I can't wait to read books by John Holt and Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews