Unschooling at School - or College?

Those of us whose teaching methods lean even slightly towards unschooling have probably experienced two things in common. 1) We are self-directed learners, for whom informal or spontaneous exploration has frequently yielded far better results (for us or our kids) than following a structured curriculum. 2) As parents we are faced with the challenge of reconciling our deeply personal experience of education with a world in which benchmarking, standardized tests and age-graded classes are presumed to be not only superior, but the only way to educate a young person.

This week I learned that there are schools which follow the unschooling model. Private schools, but schools all the same. If this interests you even in an academic sense, I suggest you take a peek at the web site of the Sudbury Valley School. Other schools using their model are listed on the site, for those interested.

Today I came upon an entry written by a blogger who is interested in restructuring colleges. In part of his post he writes:

Thirdly, and again in accordance to the unConference rules, I’d want to introduce the “law of the 2 feet” in my college. Students would be allowed to leave classes (quietly, of course) if they feel they aren’t learning anything from that session. They wouldn’t be forced to stay in any place or follow a fixed schedule. It would be in their hands. If they aren’t learning in one class, let them go to another class and explore. Students wouldn’t be required to have registered in that class or anything. I would go so far as to say students won’t be required to register for class. Attendance wouldn’t be compulsory. Students would be required to be on campus during specific hours, and during those hours, they can attend whatever classes seem interesting. If nothing appeals to them, they would be free to just hang out in the corridors and talk. It would encourage discussion and conversation, and help build community.

While some people might fear that no learning would happen in a college unless students were bound by external forces (registration, residency & course load requirements, grades, attendance taking) Derrick Kwa feels it would only improve college performance overall if each individual was responsible for his or her own learning experience. The Sudbury Valley School stands behind this belief as well:

The students at Sudbury Valley are doing what they want, but they are not necessarily choosing what comes easily. A closer look reveals that they are always challenging themselves; that they are acutely aware of their own weaknesses and strengths, and likely to be working hardest on their weaknesses. Along with their ebullient good spirits, there is an underlying seriousness — even the six-year-olds know that they, and only they, are responsible for their education. They have been given the gift of tremendous trust, and they understand that this gift is as big a responsibility as it is a delight. They are acutely aware that it is very unusual for young people to be given this much freedom or this much responsibility.

If even six-year-olds can thrive under such conditions, than surely it must be possible at the university level too?

Lately in the Quebec home-schooling community there has been a certain amount of discussion about what options will be open to our children when they are ready for college (CEGEP here) and university. While previously mature student admissions policies made it possible for students without the usual transcripts and diplomas to enter these institutions as long as they met certain age requirements the government is changing this, and many home-schoolers worry that they will run into red tape. It can be very frustrating some days to consider that, as so many provinces and states are opening up to all the myriad possibilities for education in this age of the internet, Quebec is in many ways limiting our options instead of expanding them. Reading about other places in the world where minds tend to be more open, can be quite a breath of fresh air!