Sandra Dodd

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/0608gr-
knight0608Z12.html#

I'm afraid that will be cut off, but if you cut and paste the whole
thing you can see the article where I saw it.

It's weird, but it's more positive than negative. And I think it was
a serious mistake for an "expert" to use the word "ignoramus"
regarding something about which he knows nothing.

===============================================


Unschooling unpopular, but it's growing trend


Jun. 8, 2006 12:00 AM

I suppose it is human nature to crave something of which one has
never had enough.

I feel that way about education. And although it is a bit late in the
day for me to fill that gaping void in my existence, I cannot resist
reading about the methods designed to turn ignorance into knowledge.

There is, of course, a multitude of practices - schools private and
public, kindergartens, elementary classes, middle schools, high
schools, colleges, universities. Then there are home-schoolers whose
children, according to studies, often become valuable members of our
culture.

Just when I was enthralled by the revolution in education triggered
by home schooling, along comes a brand new movement so advanced in
its philosophy as to boggle the most progressive mind. The message is
startling in its simplicity: Let's let the kids decide what they want
to learn.

Let the children set their own curriculum. How can kids ever achieve
their all-important self-esteem when adults ceaselessly hamstring
their inborn desires and dreams? Would little Mozart have composed
anything worth listening to had he been shoved away from his piano to
attend Math 1? Would young Shakespeare have dreamed of Hamlet had he
been distracted by having to recite how he spent his summer vacation?

Nothing elucidates the benefits of allowing kids "to be themselves"
better than the recent Republic article on the topic. "No one tracks
unschooling," says the piece, "but Pat Farenga, president of Holt
Associates, an unschooling advocacy group in Maine, said that books,
Web sites and blogs have helped the movement grow to an estimated 10
percent of homeschoolers. That would mean there are about 1,200
unschoolers in Maricopa County.

"The idea behind unschooling is that children will learn faster if
they choose what they learn instead of a teacher choosing for
them. . . . The theory behind unschooling is that it builds on a
child's natural abilities, which helps them develop intrinsic
motivation."

Wouldn't you know it, though, even the brightest ideas will bring out
the usual spoilsports? Take Thomas Hatch, associate professor at
Columbia University's Teachers College.

Says he, "Children who aren't self-motivated may not function well
because no one makes them do the work. Likewise, students who flit
from topic to topic within a few minutes won't benefit as much as
those who focus and are persistent."

Tom Horne, Arizona superintendent of public instruction, is even more
brutally skeptical. To have students pursuing only subjects that
interest them while neglecting core topics, he asserts, "is a recipe
for producing unskilled ignoramuses."

Obviously neither of the gentlemen has undergone a moment of
unschooling or they would realize the unsullied wisdom coming out of
the mouths of babes. Alas, the unschool revolution will just have to
struggle along without their help. It'll just take a bit longer.
Maybe a half-century, with luck.



Hans Knight of Gilbert is a former writer with the Philadelphia
Bulletin. He has contributed to the New York Times, Baltimore Sun and
other publications

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/0608gr-
knight0608Z12.html#

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Cindy Fox

FYI - this article is referring to one that was written earlier and
I'm not sure anyone posted a link here. It was on the front page of
the Arizona Republic on May 8th. Here's the online version and the
comments at the bottom are very interesting. Of course you'll have
to make sure you get both lines copied in the address....

http://www.azcentral.com/families/education/articles/0508unschooling0
506.html

Take care, c.

--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...>
wrote:
>
> http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/0608gr-
> knight0608Z12.html#
>
> I'm afraid that will be cut off, but if you cut and paste the
whole
> thing you can see the article where I saw it.
>
> It's weird, but it's more positive than negative. And I think it
was
> a serious mistake for an "expert" to use the word "ignoramus"
> regarding something about which he knows nothing.
>
> ===============================================
>
>
> Unschooling unpopular, but it's growing trend
>
>
> Jun. 8, 2006 12:00 AM
>
> I suppose it is human nature to crave something of which one has
> never had enough.
>
> I feel that way about education. And although it is a bit late in
the
> day for me to fill that gaping void in my existence, I cannot
resist
> reading about the methods designed to turn ignorance into
knowledge.
>
> There is, of course, a multitude of practices - schools private
and
> public, kindergartens, elementary classes, middle schools, high
> schools, colleges, universities. Then there are home-schoolers
whose
> children, according to studies, often become valuable members of
our
> culture.
>
> Just when I was enthralled by the revolution in education
triggered
> by home schooling, along comes a brand new movement so advanced
in
> its philosophy as to boggle the most progressive mind. The message
is
> startling in its simplicity: Let's let the kids decide what they
want
> to learn.
>
> Let the children set their own curriculum. How can kids ever
achieve
> their all-important self-esteem when adults ceaselessly hamstring
> their inborn desires and dreams? Would little Mozart have
composed
> anything worth listening to had he been shoved away from his piano
to
> attend Math 1? Would young Shakespeare have dreamed of Hamlet had
he
> been distracted by having to recite how he spent his summer
vacation?
>
> Nothing elucidates the benefits of allowing kids "to be
themselves"
> better than the recent Republic article on the topic. "No one
tracks
> unschooling," says the piece, "but Pat Farenga, president of Holt
> Associates, an unschooling advocacy group in Maine, said that
books,
> Web sites and blogs have helped the movement grow to an estimated
10
> percent of homeschoolers. That would mean there are about 1,200
> unschoolers in Maricopa County.
>
> "The idea behind unschooling is that children will learn faster
if
> they choose what they learn instead of a teacher choosing for
> them. . . . The theory behind unschooling is that it builds on a
> child's natural abilities, which helps them develop intrinsic
> motivation."
>
> Wouldn't you know it, though, even the brightest ideas will bring
out
> the usual spoilsports? Take Thomas Hatch, associate professor at
> Columbia University's Teachers College.
>
> Says he, "Children who aren't self-motivated may not function
well
> because no one makes them do the work. Likewise, students who
flit
> from topic to topic within a few minutes won't benefit as much as
> those who focus and are persistent."
>
> Tom Horne, Arizona superintendent of public instruction, is even
more
> brutally skeptical. To have students pursuing only subjects that
> interest them while neglecting core topics, he asserts, "is a
recipe
> for producing unskilled ignoramuses."
>
> Obviously neither of the gentlemen has undergone a moment of
> unschooling or they would realize the unsullied wisdom coming out
of
> the mouths of babes. Alas, the unschool revolution will just have
to
> struggle along without their help. It'll just take a bit longer.
> Maybe a half-century, with luck.
>
>
>
> Hans Knight of Gilbert is a former writer with the Philadelphia
> Bulletin. He has contributed to the New York Times, Baltimore Sun
and
> other publications
>
> http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/0608gr-
> knight0608Z12.html#
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>