Unschooling

More than a million children in the world are homeschooled. Generally speaking, homeschooling is an approach in which children are taught at home by a parent. It is hard to talk about homeschooling in general terms, however, because there are different degrees, if you will, of homeschooling. Some parents teach their children at home using a curriculum adopted from a nearby charter school, for example; some families implement a co-op program; and other parents create their own curriculum, that still involves textbooks and tests, but does not mirror any other formal curriculum. At an extreme end of the homeschooling spectrum is unschooling. Unschooling involves a child learning through exploration of interests. Unschooling occurs 24 hours a day, as opposed to 8, and 12 months a year as opposed to 9. Unschooling does not involve textbooks, lesson plans, or even curriculum guides. It is a form of homeschooling in which the parents serves as a facilitator in their child's education rather than a teacher.

The 'Unschooling' parenting controversy of whether or not unschooling could be considered child abuse, is brought up in this clip from Dr. Drew on HLN.

Personally, I think that saying this "learning-centered democratic education", as one unschooling supporter calls it, has the potential to become abusive is a little extreme. I think that some amount of structure is good, but I also believe that children are curious enough to want to learn various things. I also think that part of the problem with homeschooling in general is that homeschooled students sometimes do not have a life outside of their home and their family. When children are placed in a diverse social setting they learn from their peers, and the exposure to new and different things fosters a desire for learning.

I don't believe that unschooling or homeschooling in general is a bad thing. (I mean I was homeschooled up until 6th grade). But I think that it all depends on the parent and how well they make un/homeschooling a part of life rather than a way of life.

Webquests

For more than two decades, teachers have you been using WebQuests to teach material to students in a new and exciting way. WebQuests are online tools for learning that allow participants to explore material about content as it's presented in the World Wide Web. Like any other lesson plan, a teacher can adopt an existing WebQuest and make it something that fits their specific class.
WebQuests allow students to take the material they are learning and apply it to real life examples. In addition, WebQuests give students greater responsibility for their learning, as they are doing the research and performing the tasks using the internet as their main resource.

In middle school, students learn about Civics and Economics. This lesson is all about being a citizen of the United States, becoming a citizen, and the rights, responsibilities and duties all citizens have. Creating a Becoming a U.S. Citizen Webquest is a great way for Civics & Ecnomics students to learn about the strict process immigrants must go through to become citizens of the United States. A WebQuest such as this could also get students to think about what it would be like for them to become a citizen of a foreign country. This topic is a great example of a way in which a WebQuest initiates greater exploration of a concept, exploration that is so important in a child's education.

Raising Autism Awareness

Last week, I attended a session sponsored through the psychology department about raising awareness of those affected by autism, and giving information on an organization that does just that. Essential Pieces is a structured educational group that strives to improve the information and assistance available to parents, siblings, and professionals affected by autism. It is continuing to grow, with a branch just established here in Richmond. While offering important information and assistance, Essential Pieces is also a support group that is helping several families across Virginia.

I was grateful to have attended that session. Having worked closely with someone with autism, I am always intrigued, fascinated by, and excited for the increase in awareness of ASD. For the past five years, I have worked as a therapist for a child who suffers from autism. Zack was diagnosed with autism when he was three, and now at age eleven, there is a substantial difference between where he was then and where he is now. Zack's Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program is run through the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. A specialist from CARD, who has been working with Zack since his diagnosis, has been a huge help in training therapists for Zack's program, and it is because of this program and the information CARD is providing his family, that Zack has made such great progress.

Organizations like Essential Pieces and Card are so inspiring. Autism affects a wide range of people, whether you are a parent, sibling, friend, distant relative, professional, or ABA therapist, and it's important that we continue to raise awareness for the cause.