book reviews , free lance writing , homeschooling , resources - books
Review: Unschooling Rules: 55 ways to unlearn what we know about schools …
… and rediscover education.
WHEW! what a title for a relatively slim volume. But don’t let’s it’s size fool you, this book by Clark Aldrich is packed with fact-based commentary on “traditional school” and “education methods” and why it ain’t working. According to the bio-blurb, Clark Aldrich is a “global education thought leader, labeled a guru by Fortune magazine. He works with corporate, military, government and academic organizations at both the board level and as a hands-on implementer.” Now, I’m not sure what a “global education thought leader” might be, but his credentials and acceptance by governments, media, and corporate personalities show me that he probably knows of what he speaks.Aldrich’s mission is to try to fix an education system that is broken; this book has some information that just might work!
Unschooling Rules is a fascinating read for anyone involved in educating our youth. Here are the 55 “rules” that Aldrich recommends be implemented in our schools/education systems (whether public, private or home) in order to truly educate our youth:
- learn to be, to do, to know
- focus on the 3Rs
- learn something because you need it OR because you love it
- 25 critical skills remain untaught: ethics, leadership, communicaiton, adapting, etc
- schools prep students for jobs, not for educating the students
- avoid the split between vo-tech/college prep, just educate
- unschooling is the way we all learn, most of the time
- a student in a classroom, learns how to be in a classroom, not how to be
- sitting in a classroom is not a natural, comfortable place to be
- books about animals, plants, art are no substitute for being with animals, plants, art
- small, self-contained models of living things will work almost as well as being there
- on-the-job-training, doing the work is more beneficial than just reading about doing
- work must always be meaningful
- include time for reflection, musing over what worked, what didn’t and why
- healthy food options is a reflection of the overall environment; don’t skimp on lunch!
- research and use all technologies that will work for different students with different needs
- read-alouds, podcasts, audio-books will help the learning process while the student is doing
- use a good spreadsheet software for planning, creation, and execution of most math problems
- a well-stocked library, with good, true books and other media is worth it’s weight
- read living books, not textbooks (he terms this “read what normal people read”)
- use of any media (books, computer games, etc) should be balanced with real life experiences
- formally learn only what will be used, reinforced in the next 14 days
- allow students to build solutions, rather than handing them premade solutions
- teachers need to lead by example
- expose the truths by experience not just teaching
- to teach: explore, play, add increased activity/rigor
- ideal class size is 5 not 50
- traditional school day = 3 hrs of formal instruction which can be covered in 2
- homework doesn’t add anything to education, other than work for the teacher
- if you teach it, you should do it (read a novel if you ask the student to read a novel)
- avoid the Stockholm syndrome
- traditional schools are erroneously designed for some winners, some losers and most in the middle
- customize lessons/learning experiences to each student
- there is no one answer for how to educate each student
- be/do the mission statement
- at least 15 models that are better than traditional school (incl summer camps, internships, family trips, etc)
- feed passions and expect excellence
- children don’t learn linerally but may be all over the place
- five subjects each day, every day … really?
- maturity occurs at different ages, but will occur
- socialize your children — multi-generational, multi-racial, etc
- same age children all together just doesn’t work
- as parents, don’t just drop-off … stay involved
- increase exposure to non-authority adults
- tests don’t work
- future is portfolios, not transcripts
- keep a focused journal to help develop situational awareness
- try different assessment-tools, not testing
- don’t assume traditional college/university if for all
- outdoors beats indoors
- walk, talk, walk, investigate, walk
- underschedule to take advantage of living
- parents care more about their child/children than a system ever will
- children should be raised, educated by people who truly love them
- “only sustainable answer to the global education challenge is a diversity of approaches”
I’ve only given broad brushstrokes of Aldrich’s work — if it’s interested you a bit, please do check out this book. Now, I don’t necessarily agree with all these “rules” or his analyses … but many of them make perfect sense to me. I’ve seen the bad and ugly of education (both from the student-side and the teacher-side) … I’ve seen the great benefits in my own home and others’ of alternative education ideas and practices.
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