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66-519: The term unschooling was coined in the 1970s and used by educator John Holt , who is widely regarded as the father of unschooling. Unschooling is often seen as a subset of homeschooling, the key difference lying in the use of an external or individual curriculum. Homeschooling, in its many variations, has been the subject of widespread public debate . Critics of unschooling see it as extreme, and express concerns that unschooled children will be neglected by parents whom might not be capable of sustaining

132-637: A better path into that world than anyone else could make for them." Parents of unschoolers provide resources, support, guidance, information, and advice to facilitate experiences that aid their children in accessing, navigating, and making sense of the world. Common parental activities include sharing interesting books, articles, and activities with their children, helping them find knowledgeable people to explore an interest with (for example physics professors or automotive mechanics), and helping them set goals and figure out what they need to do to meet their goals. Unschooling's interest-based nature does not mean that it

198-563: A consultant to American schools. By the 1970s he decided he would try reforming the school system and began to advocate homeschooling and, later, the form of homeschooling known as unschooling . He wrote a total of 11 books on the subject of schooling as well as starting the newsletter Growing Without Schooling ( GWS ). Holt was born on April 14, 1923, in New York City ; he had two younger sisters. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy , then attended Yale University , graduating in 1943 with

264-473: A context with so little structure compared to standard schooling practices. Some critics maintain that it can be difficult to build sufficient motivation in students to allow them learn without guardrails, and that some students might be left behind as a result, and that they might fare poorly compared with their peers. Opponents of unschooling fear that children may be at the mercy of bad parents, like those who withdraw their children from school without taking on

330-480: A contrast to versions of home schooling that were perceived as politically and pedagogically "school-like," in that they used textbooks and exercises at home in the same way they would be used at school. In 2003, in Holt's book Teach Your Own (originally published in 1981), Pat Farenga , co-author of the new edition, provided a definition: When pressed, I define unschooling as allowing children as much freedom to learn in

396-662: A degree in Industrial Engineering. Directly after graduating he enlisted with the United States Navy , and served in World War II on the submarine USS Barbero . He was discharged in 1946, then joined the United World Federalists , an organization that promoted world peace through the formation of a single world government. He rose up the ranks of the organization, and served as the executive director of

462-402: A manner that harmonizes with the philosophies behind unschooling. For example, Sudbury model schools are non-coercive, non-indoctrinative, cooperative, democratically run partnerships between children and adults—including full partnership with parents—in which learning is individualized and child-led, in a way that complements home education. Concerns about socialization can also be a factor in

528-468: A matter of preference. Students have different learning needs, but in a traditional school setting, teachers seldom customize their evaluation method for an individual student. While teaching methods often vary between teachers, and any teacher may use multiple methods, this is sometimes haphazard and not always individualized. Encourage a child to choose a personal project they can work on while their parents focus on their own tasks. Ask questions like, "What

594-518: A more objective opinion on the American school system. Being new to the environment, it is thought that he was able to make more objective distinctions than other educators as to what the schools said they were doing and what they were actually doing. For the first many years of his teaching career, he maintained the belief that schools overall were not meeting their missions due to using the wrong methods and pedagogical approaches, and that these failures were

660-616: A newsletter for homeschooling parents. In 1977 Growing Without Schooling was developed and distributed. It is thought that this newsletter is the first published periodical regarding homeschooling in the United States. Holt's focus began to switch from critiquing school systems and writing from afar to speaking engagements and educating adults on how they can teach their children while learning themselves. His next book, Never Too Late: My Musical Autobiography (1978), focused on showing adults that they were not too old to learn new things. This

726-509: A normal range of eight to fifteen months, and begin to talk across an even larger range, unschoolers assert that they are also ready and able to read, for example, at different ages. Natural learning produces greater changes in behavior (e.g. changing job skills) than traditional learning methods, although not necessarily a change in the amount of information learned. Traditional education systems typically require all students to begin reading and learning mathematical concepts like multiplication at

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792-582: A pile of paper with a cup of colored markers in the center of the table, bringing a piano into the home, or filling the space with books, are easy ways to cultivate this atmosphere. Psychologists have documented many differences between children in the way they learn. Standardized testing , which is required in traditional American schooling (a study conducted by the Council of Great City Schools has shown that students in U.S public schools will take, on average, 112 standardized tests throughout their school careers ),

858-795: A proper educational environment, and the child might lack the social skills, structure, discipline, and motivation of their schooled peers. Critics also concern if unschooled children will be able to cope with uncomfortable or challenging situations. Proponents of unschooling disagree, asserting that self-directed education in a non-academic, often natural and diversified environment is a far more efficient, sustainable, and child-friendly form of education than traditional schooling, as it preserves innate curiosity, pleasure, and willingness to discover and learn new things. However, some studies suggest that children who have participated in unschooling may experience academic underdevelopment. The term unschooling probably derives from Ivan Illich 's term deschooling . It

924-489: A recurring observation by first-time visitors to a Sudbury school that the students appear to be in perpetual " recess ". Implicitly and explicitly, students are given responsibility for their own education: The only person designing what a student will learn is the student. Exceptions are when a student asks for a particular class or arranges an apprenticeship . Sudbury schools do not compare or rank students—the school requires no tests, evaluations, or transcripts. Reading

990-441: A role in their community—including with older and younger people—and can therefore learn to find their place within more diverse groups of people. Parents of school children also have little say regarding instructors and teachers, whereas parents of unschoolers may be more involved in the selection of the coaches or mentors their children work and build relationships with. According to unschooling pioneer John Holt, child-led learning

1056-466: A set curriculum . Unschooling contrasts with other forms of homeschooling in that the student's education is not directed by a teacher and curriculum. Unschooling is a real-world implementation of the open classroom methods promoted in the late 1960s and early 1970s, without the school, classrooms, or grades. Parents who unschool their children act as facilitators, providing a range of resources, helping their children access, navigate, and make sense of

1122-424: A uniform way, without considering their personal pace, prior knowledge, or future goals. However, this perspective is debated, and many believe that structured education can provide valuable support for diverse learning styles and needs. Create an environment that nurtures growth by treating the home like a garden—one that you water and care for, rather than focusing on direct instruction. Simple actions, like placing

1188-516: A variety of approaches to designing and practicing unschooling. Some of the most popular include: Unschooling families may adopt the following philosophies: Many other forms of alternative education also prioritize student control of learning, albeit not necessarily by the individual learner. These include free democratic schools , like the Sudbury school , Stonesoup School , and open-learning virtual universities . Democratic schools gives students

1254-546: A variety of reasons, many of which overlap with reasons for homeschooling . Unschoolers criticize schools for lessening the parent–child bond, reducing family time, and for creating atmospheres that are fearful. Some unschoolers argue that schools teach children facts and skills that will not be useful to them, whereas, with unschooling, children learn how to learn, which is of more enduring use. Some assert that schools teach children only how to follow instructions, which does not prepare them to confront novel tasks. Another argument

1320-499: Is a "hands-off" approach to education; parents tend to be involved, especially with younger children (older children, unless new to unschooling, often need less help in finding resources and in making and carrying out plans). Because unschooling contradicts assumptions of the dominant culture , advocates suggest that a paradigm shift in regards to education and child rearing is required before engaging with unschooling. New unschoolers are advised that they should not expect to understand

1386-745: Is a more effective way to learn music compared to sight reading. Unschoolers sometimes state that learning any specific subject is less important than learning how to learn. In the words of Holt: 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 must be learned. Unschoolers suggest that this ability for children to learn on their own makes it more likely that later, when these children are adults, they can continue to learn in order to meet newly emerging needs, interests, and goals; and that they can return to any subject that they feel

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1452-506: Is a natural and ongoing process, and that curiosity is an intrinsic part of human development. Proponents argue that children have an inherent desire to learn, and that traditional educational systems, with their standardized curricula and structured schedules, may not always align with individual needs, interests, or abilities. Critics of conventional schooling suggest that a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach can limit children's potential by requiring them to engage with specific subject matter in

1518-412: Is a result of the wide range of people they have the opportunity to interact with, although it may also be "difficult to find children [...] for, well, socialization". Opportunities for unschoolers to meet and interact with other unschoolers has increased in recent years, allowing unschoolers to have interactions with other children with similar experiences. Unschooling is based on the belief that learning

1584-986: Is careful not to forget what he studied until after the test is taken." Eventually, his new methods for teaching caused him to be terminated from his position, which he claimed was due to the school wanting to maintain "old 'new' ideas not new 'new' ideas." After leaving Colorado, Holt sought other opportunities in education. Although it took him some time to come to a conclusion about his own thoughts on education as well as make sense of his observations, studies, and data, ultimately he felt that schools were "a place where children learn to be stupid." Once he developed this conclusion, his focus shifted to making suggestions to help teachers and parents capable of teaching their children how to learn, thus prompting his second book, How Children Learn , in 1967. Despite his successful career, he still met rejections, resentment, and false hopes from colleagues and school systems surrounding his ideas and methods. This reality pushed him further and further into

1650-576: Is more efficient and respectful of children's time, takes advantage of their interests, and allows deeper exploration of subjects than what is possible in conventional education. ...the anxiety children feel at constantly being tested, their fear of failure, punishment, and disgrace, severely reduces their ability both to perceive and to remember, and drives them away from the material being studied into strategies for fooling teachers into thinking they know what they really don't know. Some schools have adopted relatively non-coercive and cooperative techniques in

1716-433: Is no formal or regulated definition of a Sudbury Model school, there are now more than 60 schools that identify themselves with Sudbury around the world. Some, though not all, include "Sudbury" in their name. These schools operate as independent entities and are not formally associated in any way. Sudbury schools are based on: "The fundamental premises of the school are simple: that all people are curious by nature; that

1782-412: Is no predetermined educational syllabus , prescriptive curriculum or standardized instruction. This is a form of democratic education . Daniel Greenberg , one of the founders of the original Sudbury Model school, writes that the two things that distinguish a Sudbury Model school are that everyone is treated equally (adults and children together) and that there is no authority other than that granted by

1848-450: Is that the structure of school is not suitable for people who want to make their own decisions about what, when, how, and with whom they learn because many things are predetermined in the school setting, while unschooled students are more free to make such decisions. In school, a student's community may consist mainly of a peer group, that the parent has little influence over or even knowledge of. Unschoolers may have more opportunity to share

1914-665: Is treated the same as any other subject: Students learn to read when they choose, or simply by going about their lives. "Only a few kids seek any help at all when they decide to learn. Each child seems to have their own method. Some learn from being read to, memorizing the stories and then ultimately reading them. Some learn from cereal boxes, others from game instructions, others from street signs. Some teach themselves letter sounds, others syllables, others whole words. To be honest, we rarely know how they do it, and they rarely tell us." Sudbury Valley School claims that all of their students have learned to read. While students learn to read at

1980-566: Is widely regarded as a poor gauge of intelligence. Its formulaic and rigid way of questioning does not allow for any creative thought or new ways of thinking. Unschoolers assert that unschooling is better equipped to adapt to such differences in thought processes, measuring intelligence through observation, rather than testing. People vary in their learning styles , that is, how they prefer to acquire new information. However, research in 2008 found "virtually no evidence" that learning styles increased learning or improved performance, as opposed to being

2046-443: Is your project ?" or "What are you working on?" to teach time management and project skills, such as setting deadlines, holding meetings, and managing budgets —even if the project is something as simple as a lemonade stand . Developmental psychologists note that just as children reach growth milestones at different ages, children are also prepared to learn different things at different ages. Just as most children learn to walk during

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2112-520: The Lesley Ellis School , also in Cambridge. While teaching, Holt came to the belief that the students in his classroom, despite often being intelligent and from wealthy backgrounds, were more timid and unsure than the infant and toddler children of his sisters and friends. Holt became disillusioned with the school system after several years of working within it; he became convinced that reform of

2178-579: The consent of the governed . While each Sudbury Model school operates independently and determines their own policies and procedures, they share a common culture. The intended culture within a Sudbury school has been described with such words as freedom, trust, respect, responsibility and democracy. The name "Sudbury" originates from the Sudbury Valley School , founded in 1968 in Framingham, Massachusetts , near Sudbury, Massachusetts . Though there

2244-554: The Time: How Small Children Begin to Read, Write, Count and Investigate the World, Without Being Taught , was published posthumously in 1989. It contained a number of his writings for Growing Without Schooling . The GWS' newsletter has since garnered followings in a number of different countries and has been continuously distributed since its inception as a tool for the promotion and encouragement of homeschooling in light of

2310-467: The ability to take classes as they please, as well as befriend children from all age groups (as the schools do not separate students into grades). Students can also practice the idea of democracy in many ways, as voting is a large part of their school experience. As a form of homeschooling, unschooling faces many of the same critiques as homeschooling. Criticisms of unschooling in particular tend to focus on whether students can receive sufficient education in

2376-544: The cause for rendering young scholars as children who were less willing to learn and more focused on avoiding the embarrassment and ridicule of not learning. As Holt wrote in his first book, How Children Fail (1964) "...after all, if they (meaning us) know that you can't do anything, then they won't blame you or punish you for not being able to do what you have been told to do." This notion led him to make changes within his own classroom to provide an environment in which his students would feel more comfortable and confident. With

2442-442: The classroom. While Holt was an advocate of children having more rights and abilities to make decisions for themselves, he felt that the free school movement was not the answer to the question of how to fix the school system. Holt then wrote Escape from Childhood: The Needs and Rights of Children (1974), in which he claimed that children should have independence including the right to work for money, receive fair and equal treatment,

2508-450: The decision to unschool. Some unschoolers believe that conditions in conventional schools, such as age segregation , the ratio of children to adults, or the amount of time spent sitting and obeying orders of one authority figure, are not conducive to proper education. Unschooling may broaden the diversity of people or places an unschooler is exposed to. Unschoolers may be more mature than their schooled peers on average, and some believe this

2574-412: The elementary level. The traditional approach to teaching music theory involves learning how to read music and play it exactly as written. The unschooling approach follows the "Garage Band Theory," created by Duke Sharp. This method is a take on "playing songs by ear"- it draws on a person's natural ability to recognize music and pick up on the same sounds in different songs. Unschooling parents believe it

2640-755: The following: Learning is a natural by-product of all human activity. Learning is self-initiated and self-motivated. The educational model states that there are many ways to learn and that learning is a process someone does, not a process that is done to him or her; According to the model the presence and guidance of a teacher is not necessary. The free exchange of ideas and free conversation and interplay between people provides broad exposure to areas that may prove relevant and interesting to students. Students are of all mixed ages. The older students learn from younger students and vice versa. The presence of older students provides role models, both positive and negative, for younger students. The pervasiveness of play has led to

2706-687: The group's New York State chapter when he left in 1952 due to frustration with the organization's lack of progress. Holt's sister encouraged him to become an elementary school teacher, and in 1953 he began teaching at the newly-formed Colorado Rocky Mountain School , a private school in Carbondale, Colorado . In 1957 and 1958 he taught at the Shady Hill School , a private elementary and middle school in Cambridge, Massachusetts . In 1959 he taught fifth grade at

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2772-408: The idea of deschooling. After a few more years of teaching and some visiting professor positions at area universities, Holt wrote his next two books, The Underachieving School (1969) and What Do I Do Monday? (1970). Both books focused on his belief that schools weren't working and ideas about how they could be better. Holt had determined by this time that the changes he would like to see happen in

2838-425: The integration of learning into the everyday life of the family and wider community. Points of disagreement include whether unschooling is primarily defined by the initiative of the learner and their control over the curriculum, or by the techniques, methods, and spaces used. Peter Gray suggested the term self-directed education , which has fewer negative connotations. Parents choose to unschool their children for

2904-473: The lack of school system reform. Sudbury model A Sudbury school is a type of school, usually for the K-12 age range, where students have complete responsibility for their own education, and the school is run by a direct democracy in which students and staff are equal citizens. Students use their time however they wish, and learn as a by-product of ordinary experience rather than through coursework. There

2970-462: The more the better) we can make available to them. It is in part an argument in favor of doing it, in part a report of the people who are doing it, and in part a manual of action for people who want to do it." This manual has since been revised by Holt follower and homeschooling parent Patrick Farenga, and is still distributed today. Even after his death in 1985, Holt's influence on homeschooling continued through his work. His final book, Learning All

3036-407: The most efficient, long-lasting, and profound learning takes place when started and pursued by the learner; that all people are creative if they are allowed to develop their unique talents; that age-mixing among students promotes growth in all members of the group; and that freedom is essential to the development of personal responsibility." All aspects of governing a Sudbury school are determined by

3102-416: The right to vote, and even the right to choose new parents. At the time, his notions of children having so many rights and responsibilities was not very popular, but since then the court systems have seen more and more cases of children attempting to realise many of Holt's suggestions, such as choosing their legal guardian. Although many of Holt's previous works had discussed the needed reform and failure of

3168-499: The role of "teacher." This leaves children directionless, which can affect them later in life if they have no practice expanding their curiosity and integrating into society. In a 2006 study of children aged five to ten, unschooled children scored below traditionally schooled children in four of seven studied categories, and significantly below structured homeschoolers in all seven studied categories. John Holt (educator) John Caldwell Holt (April 14, 1923 – September 14, 1985)

3234-469: The same age. Unschooling proponents believe that this one-size-fits-all approach can cause some children to become disengaged if they have already mastered a topic, while others may struggle if they are not yet ready to learn it. While not necessarily an essential part of a formal education, most students in America take part in some form of music making. 97% of American public schools offer some form of music at

3300-548: The school system was not possible and began to advocate homeschooling . He believed that "children who were provided with a rich and stimulating learning environment would learn what they are ready to learn, when they are ready to learn it". Holt believed that children did not need to be coerced into learning; they would do so naturally if given the freedom to follow their own interests and a rich assortment of resources. This line of thought came to be called unschooling . Holt's Growing Without Schooling newsletter, founded in 1977,

3366-404: The school systems were not likely to become a reality. These changes included the relationship between children and the teachers and school community. At this point in the history of education, the free school movement was in full swing, and his next book, Freedom and Beyond (1972), questioned much of what teachers and educators really meant when they suggested children should have more freedom in

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3432-446: The school's code of law . Usually, there is a set procedure to handle complaints, and most of the schools follow guidelines that respect the idea of due process of law. There are usually rules requiring an investigation, a hearing , a trial , a sentence , and allowing for an appeal , generally following the philosophy that students face the consequences of their own behavior. The Sudbury pedagogical philosophy may be summarized as

3498-483: The support of his colleague Bill Hull, Holt began putting less emphasis on grades and tests, and began taking steps to decrease the notion of ranking the children. He focused on his students being able to grasp concepts, rather than having them work for the correct answer. Instead of using the typical methods to determine students' progress, he adopted a more student-centered approach. Patrick Farenga paraphrased Holt's distinction between good and bad students: "a good student

3564-411: The term radical unschooling to emphasize the complete rejection of any distinction between educational and non-educational activities. Radical unschooling emphasizes that unschooling is a non-coercive, cooperative practice, and seeks to promote those values in all areas of life. These philosophies share an opposition to traditional schooling techniques and the social structure of schools. Most emphasize

3630-518: The themes of educational philosophies proposed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau , Jiddu Krishnamurti , Paul Goodman , and A.S. Neill . After Holt's death a range of unschooling practitioners and observers defined the term in various ways. For instance, the Freechild Project defines unschooling as: [T]he process of learning through life, without formalized or institutionalized classrooms or schoolwork. American homeschooling parent Sandra Dodd proposed

3696-541: The traditional school system, his seventh book, Instead of Education: Ways to Help People do Better (1976), focused more on his encouragement that parents find legal ways to remove their children from compulsory schools. Specifically, he referred to an Underground Railroad in which schoolchildren could escape the failing school systems of which he had been so critical. The book caused a number of parents to reach out to him regarding their own homeschooling of their children. This correspondence grew so much that he decided to start

3762-605: The unschooling movement. His writings have influenced many individuals and organizations, including the Evergreen State College, Caleb Gattegno , Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions, the National Youth Rights Association , and the Freechild Project. Holt did not have a teaching degree, which many believe allowed for his work in the private school sector to make way for him to have

3828-426: The unschooling philosophy at first, as many commonplace assumptions about education are unspoken and unwritten. One step towards this paradigm shift is accepting that "what we do is nowhere near as important as why we do it." Unschooling is a form of homeschooling , which is the education of children at home or places other than in a school. Unschooling teaches children based on their interests rather than according to

3894-431: The weekly school meeting, modeled after the traditional New England town meeting . School Meeting passes, amends and repeals school rules, manages the school's budget, and decides on hiring and firing of staff. Each individual present—including students and staff—has an equal vote, and most decisions are made by simple majority. School rules are normally compiled in a law book, updated repeatedly over time, which forms

3960-480: The world as their parents can comfortably bear. It allows children to develop knowledge and skills based on their own personal passions and life situations. In the same passage Holt stated that he was not entirely comfortable with this term, and would have preferred the term living . Holt's use of the term emphasizes learning as a natural process, integrated into the spaces and activities of everyday life, and not benefiting from adult manipulation. It follows closely on

4026-436: The world; they aid their children in making and implementing goals and plans for both the distant and immediate future. Unschooling expands from children's natural curiosity as an extension of their interests, concerns, needs, and goals. Unschooling differs from discovery learning , minimally invasive education , purpose-guided education , academic advising , phenomenon-based learning , and thematic learning . There are

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4092-540: Was America's first home education newsletter. He also set up John Holt's Bookstore, which made selected books available by mail order. This brought in additional revenue that helped sustain the newsletter, which carried very little advertising. Holt's sole book on homeschooling, Teach Your Own , was published in 1981. It quickly became the "Bible" of the early homeschooling movement. It was revised by his colleague Patrick Farenga and republished in 2003 by Perseus Books. Holt wrote several books that have greatly influenced

4158-450: Was an American author and educator, a proponent of homeschooling (specifically the unschooling approach), and a pioneer in youth rights theory. After a six-year stint teaching elementary school in the 1950s, Holt wrote the book How Children Fail (1964), which cataloged the problems he saw with the American school system. He followed it up with How Children Learn (1967). Both books were popular, and they started Holt's career as

4224-408: Was not sufficiently covered or learn a completely new subject. Many unschoolers disagree that there is a particular body of knowledge that everyone, regardless of the life they lead, needs to possess. In the words of John Holt, "If children are given access to enough of the world, they will see clearly enough what things are truly important to themselves and to others, and they will make for themselves

4290-567: Was popularized through John Holt's newsletter Growing Without Schooling ( GWS ). Holt is also widely regarded as the father of unschooling. In an early essay, Holt contrasted the two terms: GWS will say "unschooling" when we mean taking children out of school, and "deschooling" when we mean changing the laws to make schools non-compulsory... At the time, the term was equivalent to home schooling . Subsequently, home-schoolers began to differentiate between various educational philosophies within home schooling. The term unschooling became used as

4356-507: Was translated into ways in which parents who had no experience in education could learn to teach their children on their own in a homeschooling setting. In 1981, the first edition of Holt's most noteworthy book on unschooling, Teach Your Own: The John Holt Manual on Homeschooling , was published. This book, as noted in the first lines of the introduction, is "about ways we can teach children, or rather, allow them to learn, outside of schools—at home, or in whatever other places and situations (and

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