Unschooling - Passion Driven Learning

Unschooling for us really is synonymous with passion driven learning. The passions come and go but while they are hot, they are heavily supported and well developed. The current obsession is Spider-Man, writing screenplays and making fan made movies. When I say obsession, I may be underestimating our current situation. L, programmer, hacker, jailbreaker, has always been one to delve deeply into any area of interest. He is an autodidactic dream because there is no stopping his natural desire to learn anything and everything about whatever the interest is. My main task is to figure out how best to support it. The content changes. The research, learning and knowledge acquisition is all encompassing.  

Every day we joyfully experience the benefits of how non adherence to traditional standards ignites genuine interest in learning and creating. Self-education, based on natural desire, is intrinsically motivated, authentic and meaningful. As unschoolers we choose to follow our interests and passions no matter what they are and how often they change.The point of all this is that self directed learning allows the creative mind to wander wherever it needs to go. Parents and educators in mainstream society have come to believe that all children of a certain age must learn a very specific set of facts generally in a prescribed manner and at the same age. 

"Self-education, based on natural desire, is intrinsically motivated, authentic and meaningful."

Children are individuals with different interests and learning styles. Unschooling allows for myriad ways of learning with no ceiling.  When we let go of societal expectations and realize that children are: born curious, true learning is everywhere, and life provides us with enough organic, meaningful lessons, then one no longer views school as the place for kids to get an education. Hmmm, where do I "get an education?" Even that statement demonstrates the passive recipient style of imparting information that dominates the school system.  Unschooled children have ownership over their own learning rather than having to experience what other people think is relevant being forced onto them while they sit still and shut up.  I am raising independent thinkers who challenge the status quo and think divergently.  Living with kids who are encouraged to question everything and challenge traditional thoughts makes every day a unique adventure in life learning.

Self directed, passion driven learning looks different for each family.  For some it means taking a lot of field trips, attending classes and incorporating a lot of nature.  For us, it means a great deal of technology, media, reading and real world discovery.  I am a huge proponent of having a prepared environment with easy access to compelling materials. Our home is flooded with graphic novels, puzzles, building toys in general and Lego in particular. Our field trips tend to be trips to the library, book stores, mobile stores, the Apple store and comic book stores.  

As unschoolers with no adherence to mainstream standards, having engaging toys, books and games around is essential. Strewing (scattering items all over in an unorganized fashion) is a favorite of mine to spark potential interest which can extend from the house to the car.  One cannot underestimate the power of a prepared (or strategically cluttered) environment for children to play, learn and develop their curiosity.  Play is integral to learning especially for younger children and should be embraced with as much enthusiasm and support as academic learning.    

Following your child's natural interest is an essential part of unschooling which can then be fostered through supportive resources to help satiate that child's interest. The key part is to make sure, as an adult, that you embrace your child's interest without inserting your own agenda or expectations. Part of being supportive and fostering independent learning is to understand your child's preferred learning style which may differ across content areas. Children may be incredibly enthusiastic about a topic for a day, a week or a year. There is no prescribed amount of time that makes an endeavor worthwhile.  Once a child has satisfied a particular interest, they are prepared to move on. They may come back to their previous passion areas in the future or make new connections with their knowledge and apply that to the next interest area. Years may go by before an interest becomes appealing again (Spider-Man); however, when it does it is generally tackled in an entirely different manner and with more depth.  

The freedom of unschooling is that you do not have to measure what your children have learned, nor do you have to determine whether you or society finds merit in it. The power and ability to learn independently is one of the most important tools necessary for our future problem solvers. Don't worry about fact accumulation or topic worthiness. Focus more on the process. The process of critical thinking, creativity, perseverance and problem solving all of which are subject neutral and integral to a budding autodidact. These are essential general disciplines that will be paramount for the current and future generations in our ever evolving world. 

If your child espouses most or all of these content neutral skills, then that child will be prepared for any type of career he desires. In school, they teach fact accumulation, rote memorization, regurgitation and external measurement to determine merit. Most of this content specific, top down education will have no relevance in the future. Sadly, schools de-emphasize problem solving, critical thinking and creativity in the face of standards based testing to ensure a homogenous society of mediocrity.  

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