Kendra

My husband and I are thinking of unschooling our 12 year old. We're going on our 4th year of homeschooling. He has auditory processing, expressive language difficulties, and difficulty with reading comprehension and needs visual in order to learn. I have tried everything and have been feeling pulled toward unschooling recently.

I know unschooling is more of a philosophy. But, I'm just wondering, how do I start this with a 12 year old that has been schooled regularly with books and a schedule the past seven years? He loves video games. I'm afraid if I let him loose he'll just want to do that all day. I've thought of making up a list of things he could do from the hours of waking up until around 3 p.m. such as taking an old appliance apart, work outside in the yard or garden, watch Mythbusters or some kind of educational video, play guitar, play an educational board or card game, or do a science experiment out of one of the various books we have. Do you think something like this would get the ball rolling with natural learning? Help. Thanks.

Kendra

Schuyler

http://sandradodd.com/deschooling. Start there. Start with the idea that your son needs time to rest, to heal, to come about a bit. To unschool first he needs to deschool, he needs to just stop doing school, of any kind. Assigned Mythbusters watching or playing guitar or playing an "educational", by your definition, card game are all instruction. They are all you telling him what is an acceptable way of learning. That's natural learning, that's you telling him what is a good thing to do versus what is a bad thing to do. Video games bad, Mythbusters good. http://www.livingjoyfully.ca/unschooling/getting_started/what_is_deschooling.htm%c2%a0 is Pam Laricchia's review of deschooling. Read it. Read it and implement it. 

Don't be afraid that if you let him choose he will choose video games. Choose them with him. Look at the amazingness that is video games. They are seriously cool. http://sandradodd.com/videogames/%c2%a0is huge and fabulously full of goodness about video games. You say he has difficulty with reading comprehension. Video games require huge comprehension skills, even if it isn't derived from reading, and often a fair bit of it is. Read this: http://sandradodd.com/game/nintendogold. Let go of the notion that video games are bad. Embrace them. Be that mother who hangs out with her son while he's playing Call of Duty and is really and truly aware of just how difficult it is to shoot that guy in the head, or even to notice that guy's head. 


Schuyler


________________________________
From: Kendra <kendrabrowning3@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, 10 September 2012, 11:07
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] Help with 12 Year Old


 
My husband and I are thinking of unschooling our 12 year old. We're going on our 4th year of homeschooling. He has auditory processing, expressive language difficulties, and difficulty with reading comprehension and needs visual in order to learn. I have tried everything and have been feeling pulled toward unschooling recently.

I know unschooling is more of a philosophy. But, I'm just wondering, how do I start this with a 12 year old that has been schooled regularly with books and a schedule the past seven years? He loves video games. I'm afraid if I let him loose he'll just want to do that all day. I've thought of making up a list of things he could do from the hours of waking up until around 3 p.m. such as taking an old appliance apart, work outside in the yard or garden, watch Mythbusters or some kind of educational video, play guitar, play an educational board or card game, or do a science experiment out of one of the various books we have. Do you think something like this would get the ball rolling with natural learning? Help. Thanks.

Kendra




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BRIAN POLIKOWSKY

" Do you think something like this would get the ball rolling with natural learning?"


What would get the ball rolling would be to first let him deschool  and for you to deschool together while you read more and learn more about unschooling.
Learning is everywhere !
If he is a visual learner and loves to play video games it makes total sense that he gets to play as much as he wants.
Here are some links and you will be busy reading them. They will help you a lot! 



http://sandradodd.com/beginning%c2%a0


http://sandradodd.com/help%c2%a0


About deschooling:

http://sandradodd.com/deschooling%c2%a0

About "If I let him":

http://sandradodd.com/ifilet%c2%a0


About saying Yes more:
http://sandradodd.com/gradualchange%c2%a0

http://sandradodd.com/yes.html%c2%a0


and I already have sent you the link to the Video Games page.


Here is another great site and very easy to read:

http://joyfullyrejoycing.com/%c2%a0


 Alex Polikowsky


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alma

--- In [email protected], "Kendra" <kendrabrowning3@...> wrote:
>
> My husband and I are thinking of unschooling our 12 year old... He ... needs visual in order to learn ... He loves video games.



Sounds like he's ahead of you then in what he needs to learn!!

Don't be scared of video games. If you don't play yourself it can be hard to see the learning at first. You might inspire yourself with these links

http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html

or search TED talks for "video games" - http://www.ted.com/search?q=video+games

or, if you prefer books, here're a couple of good ones:

"Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World" by Jane McGonigal

"Don't Bother me Mom - I'm Learning!" Marc Prensky

Video games may play a massive role during deschooling, they may play a massive role during unschooling. They may not. But either way don't judge them before you understand them.

Alison
DS1(10) and DS2(7)

Joyce Fetteroll

I don't think Sandra's pages on video games got listed:

http://sandradodd.com/videogames/
http://sandradodd.com/game/reading

If video games have been limited, he *will* play a lot. First because limiting anything someone wants or enjoys creates a sense of scarcity:

http://www.sandradodd.com/t/economics.html

It's about TV but it applies to *everything*.

And because video games are hugely complex puzzles. They take a lot of time to solve. He will play a lot because he's hugely engaged. After you've given him some time to deschool, add more to his life rather than trying to subtract games. Make his life full and rich so he has choices.

Joyce