Asking Questions

One reason unschooling works for our family is that I've never loved the idea of following a set curriculum.  Instead, I like to ask questions, listen to my kids' questions about the world, and look for answers, which usually lead to more questions.  Until we get to a point where the answers are more like theories or opinions - of which there may be many.  Then we can start coming up with our own theories based on what we know.  Sometimes we can test our theories, sometimes we just discuss them.

Some Examples:
Ollie was interested in the Grand Canyon.  He had heard it was a huge hole in the ground and that lots of people visited it.  His questions were:
"How did the canyon get made?"  and, "Why do so many people visit it?"

We started researching the Grand Canyon online, in books and asking family members.  We did and erosion project with different colors of sand in layers - I had read about it and it sounded like fun to me.  The kids got a kick out of it too.

We also did a project involving freezing and thawing wet rocks repeatedly to see how they changed.

We read about metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous rocks and tried to identify them based on what we read.

 We visited our Natural History Museum and found more rocks.  Finally, we went to the Grand Canyon.  We actually saw and talked about the layers, about what minerals could make the different colors in the rocks, saw a movie about the first known European expedition to canoe it, and talked to staff who knew so much about its history.

We got a lot out of these "lessons," but there was no set curriculum.  We had questions and we found different ways to look for answers.  I know that not everyone can take a week-long field trip, but you can still get a lot out of asking questions.

Around the same time Julian was interested in the Eiffel Tower.  He wanted to know, "Why was it built," "What was it made of,"  "How did they build it," and "How big is it?"  In looking for the answers to these questions, we found out that the guy Eiffel (who designed the tower) also designed and oversaw the construction of the inner skeleton of the Statue of Liberty.

Capturing Teachable Moments

                                                         Ice cream comes out of here?!

            Modeling Learning All the Time (from my last post) leads right into Capturing Teachable Moments because if the parent is modeling learning and inquisitiveness, the child will be learning and inquisitive, so Teachable Moments will arise habitually.  Teachable Moments refers to direct teaching to the child when they show a direct interest in something.  This does not refer to “teaching them a lesson” when things go wrong or their behavior is somehow unacceptable for the situation at hand.  Often it refers to a child showing an interest in what an adult is doing, the adult slowing it down and walking them through it only as far as the child wants to go.  I know if I try to keep teaching once the child’s interest is gone the material will not get through. 

            In the home this could look like a parent changing the oil in their car and the child asking to help.  Depending on the age, skill level and interest of the child, the parent talks to them about what they are doing, allowing the learner to take part in as much of the process as possible.  Of course, not every single happening in the home can be accommodated in this way, but many things can be, what’s needed on the part of the parent is sometimes a colossal dose of patience. 

Modeling Learning All the Time

                                                                 Mmmmmmm....table.

Modeling Learning All the Time simply means that the parent or guardian must be engaged with the world in such a way that they are learning all the time.  In this way the child or children learn what it means to be curious about and in the world; they learn how to do real world research.  Maybe most importantly, they aren’t afraid of what they don’t know, in fact they learn to be excited by what they don’t know.  They are excited to ask questions and easily soak up the answers – sometimes even the first time they hear or see them.  One doesn’t need to use drills or flashcards when the learner has an intrinsic need to know something. 

I offer two examples of what this looks like in our home.  The children may see me researching new cookbooks to get at the library.  The children see me request a particular book be sent to our local downtown library.  Then they go with me to pick it up a few days later and notice me flipping through it once we’re home, they may even want to look at it with me and talk about what they see.  When I come across an ingredient I don’t know about, the children witness me looking it up in the index and, if needed, looking it up online.  They may even come over and join in at some point, asking about the ingredient, the recipe, or the process.  This is how children learn how to learn, just as children learn how to speak what is spoken to them and around them.

Access to Resources

Julian and Oliver examine a femur bone from a giant game of "Operation" at the Grossology exhibit.

            Access to Resources is another fundamental piece of the unschooling puzzle.  Resources can mean internet for research, videos and communication, or easy access to books and materials for projects, or access to outside spaces like mountains and parks.  This also includes the immediate community surrounding the unschooling family, whether it’s an unschooling community or simply the people who live in the neighborhood.  None of these things are essential on their own except perhaps the aspect of community.  For instance, if a family lived in a rural area they might have access to outside spaces, they may have many books or videos in the home, or they may have internet.  Because they have internet, they have access to the wider unschooling community, whether or not they have a community of people living near them.  Of course, if a family did not have internet and also didn’t feel a sense of community in their neighborhood, they may need to find a different way to connect with people in the world.  The need for connection is not singular for unschoolers, it’s a human need.  I won’t pretend that any of these things would be easy for all families to provide, but that doesn’t make them less essential to a healthy unschooling environment.