Unschooling questions
Ren Allen
"Hello everyone, is this a group to get helpful advice???"
We like to think so.:) If you want advice on how to trust the learning
process, how to trust and respect your children and how to move closer
to radical unschooling, then YES!
"If so how do you get 2 teen
boys to learn when they are not going to choose to learn anything
unless they
are made. "
You might think you're making them learn, but the lesson they're
really learning is that you are the enemy and you don't trust them.
They might be able to spit back facts, but that isn't true learning.
They are actually choosing to learn every day of their lives, but it
might not be the things you think they "should" learn.
It takes a lot of trust, a lot of letting go and re-examining what
people really NEED for their life journey, in order to unschool
effectively.
"They ask me all the time why do
they have to learn the things that Switched on Schoolhouse is trying
to teach
them when they don't see they are ever going to use it in life,
especially the
History lessons."
Smart boys you have!!
They won't use it unless they're interested in it. They won't remember
it unless they need the information for a real life reason. History is
usually presented in such a dull format...but history is really
stories. Stories of interesting people and events, not a timeline to
remember. I bet they're interested in fascinating stories....most of
us are.
Have they learned that George Washington is the first president of the
United States? I bet they could quite confidently tell you that "fact".
The truth of the matter is, he WASN'T!
He was actually the 8th president.
So what is more important? For your children to know a set of facts,
or to have questioning minds that are ready and willing to absorb new
information when it comes along? I say the ready mind is far better
than some predictable set of facts you could just look up on your
computer anyway.
Ren
We like to think so.:) If you want advice on how to trust the learning
process, how to trust and respect your children and how to move closer
to radical unschooling, then YES!
"If so how do you get 2 teen
boys to learn when they are not going to choose to learn anything
unless they
are made. "
You might think you're making them learn, but the lesson they're
really learning is that you are the enemy and you don't trust them.
They might be able to spit back facts, but that isn't true learning.
They are actually choosing to learn every day of their lives, but it
might not be the things you think they "should" learn.
It takes a lot of trust, a lot of letting go and re-examining what
people really NEED for their life journey, in order to unschool
effectively.
"They ask me all the time why do
they have to learn the things that Switched on Schoolhouse is trying
to teach
them when they don't see they are ever going to use it in life,
especially the
History lessons."
Smart boys you have!!
They won't use it unless they're interested in it. They won't remember
it unless they need the information for a real life reason. History is
usually presented in such a dull format...but history is really
stories. Stories of interesting people and events, not a timeline to
remember. I bet they're interested in fascinating stories....most of
us are.
Have they learned that George Washington is the first president of the
United States? I bet they could quite confidently tell you that "fact".
The truth of the matter is, he WASN'T!
He was actually the 8th president.
So what is more important? For your children to know a set of facts,
or to have questioning minds that are ready and willing to absorb new
information when it comes along? I say the ready mind is far better
than some predictable set of facts you could just look up on your
computer anyway.
Ren