Dive Brief:
- The unschooling movement embraces self-directed learning, leaving students to follow their own interests — and while it scorns a standard curriculum, it could provide insights for traditional education.
- According to eSchool News, project-based learning fits into the unschooling model, letting students solve real-world problems and giving them a level of autonomy over the learning experience, and 20Time projects or a Genius Hour that give students free reign to explore have intrigued some traditional teachers.
- The unschooling philosophy can drive professional development decisions in schools, and it lies at the heart of the gap year concept, which some parents are even considering for students before they graduate from high school.
Dive Insight:
Traditional public school classrooms are generally constrained by the demands of curricular standards and the pressure to prepare students for state tests or college entrance exams. Many teachers will find it difficult to incorporate an unschooling component into their classrooms because any time for purely self-directed learning may seem like too much. Educators that have tried to capitalize on the maker movement report similar problems. Many schools are fitting in that time for tinkering and exploration through after-school clubs or summer camps. “Making” inherently requires the time for students to try, fail and try again while solving problems.
Supportive administrators can help teachers carve out the time for this type of activity during the school day. In the absence of this, providing opportunities for self-directed learning can also benefit students when it happens outside of school hours.