by Lucie Shores

Created on: May 16, 2008   Last Updated: January 14, 2010

According to recent scientific theories, the new frontier for research and understanding will be the human brain, but how does one use the subject to examine the subject? 

Unschooling represents risk-taking in terms of everything we know about society, but not in terms of what we know about learning.  It  is time to end the industrial model of education and begin to consider a 'quantum approach'  that has much more in common with brain processes. 

"Unschooling" is one of the oldest ideas in existence. In contrast to industrial strength education, the roots of learning are found in the ideas of Greek philosophers like Socrates, Aristotle and Plato.  Socrates may have been known for giving a speech or two in his day, but the Socratic method consisted of asking questions without answers. The student and the teacher discovered the answers together.

Collectively, "unschooling" means taking education back from the industrial revolution and opening it up to processes more in line with learning. Individually, it is based on unique learning styles, diverse opportunities and a wide variety of accomplishments. Individuals come to understand each other and the world around them in terms that make sense to themselves and to their own situations. Such learning is done by asking open-ended questions rather than by teaching only what is known. In an open and exploratory way the essence of what is still unknown can be revealed with fewer preconceptions to get in the way.

Unfortunately that method has little to do with how schools work today.  We expound on progress, but our teaching methods represent the status quo.  Good teachers, even in ancient times, did not expound at length on various subjects while onlookers took notes. They asked real questions without expecting a particular answer. In depth discussions were the rule and follow-up questions were unlimited. Learning was a pursuit of those who were interested and capable, based on what mattered at the moment.

"Unschooling" focuses not only on the essential truths of our world but the essential nature of ourselves. That type of education is more relevant today than it ever was. There is no need to ply all children with lists of facts or even a common set of learning tools, since most relevant information is easily accessible through tools whose use children are coming to know better than we as adults.

By giving control and direction of education to a child he or she becomes aware, learns to see and to ask questions, to test solutions and experience outcomes. The value of connections, relationships, and collaboration becomes obvious.  The essence of learning can only be discovered by understanding one's own perspective and forming one's own questions. In that way, with our support, children can discover for themselves what counts in terms of what works.

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