I like the idea of relaxing home school. I want less bookwork and more fun, a casual atmosphere to our learning. I guess that is why I am attracted to the unschooling method. For eleven years I have stuck to curriculum, work books, schedules and I am tired! I am spending a lot of time thinking about learning, how it happens, what is needed, and the more I think the more that I become convinced that a less formal approach might just work!
My two oldest home schoolers are 14 and 16 and in many ways I wish I could take them back and start again! I have changed so much over the years and I regret the pressure that I put on them to do so much bookwork. They had it easier than their older siblings who had a typical school at home approach! Maybe my younger children will benefit from a new vision, or maybe it will all fall back in my face as a complete disaster! I will never know unless I give it a go! It is hard for such a structured mum to let go, almost like trusting the harness on a bungee jump! the end result might be thrilling but there is the chance that the harness might break and I'll fall in a big way~
I was speaking to my son in law, a university graduate, about his views on education. He told me that a lot of his learning was memorization for test but a lot of that information is now forgotten! Although he admitted to being able to recollect that information if given the oportunity to read through a text and remind himself of the lesson. That makes me question the validity of test! if we are only learning for that reason then what is the long term benefit?
How do I , as an adult, learn? well in a simplified version I guess I learn by repeating a situation! Say for instance I decide to attempt a new recipe. The first time I will follow the recipe book word for word, the second time I might remember some things and by the tenth time I am an expert! But what if I didn't cook that recipe again for twelve months? The chance is that I will need to take another look at the cook book to remind myself!
This is early days and I am still in the thinking, analyzing stage so forgive me for my ramblings!
My two oldest home schoolers are 14 and 16 and in many ways I wish I could take them back and start again! I have changed so much over the years and I regret the pressure that I put on them to do so much bookwork. They had it easier than their older siblings who had a typical school at home approach! Maybe my younger children will benefit from a new vision, or maybe it will all fall back in my face as a complete disaster! I will never know unless I give it a go! It is hard for such a structured mum to let go, almost like trusting the harness on a bungee jump! the end result might be thrilling but there is the chance that the harness might break and I'll fall in a big way~
I was speaking to my son in law, a university graduate, about his views on education. He told me that a lot of his learning was memorization for test but a lot of that information is now forgotten! Although he admitted to being able to recollect that information if given the oportunity to read through a text and remind himself of the lesson. That makes me question the validity of test! if we are only learning for that reason then what is the long term benefit?
How do I , as an adult, learn? well in a simplified version I guess I learn by repeating a situation! Say for instance I decide to attempt a new recipe. The first time I will follow the recipe book word for word, the second time I might remember some things and by the tenth time I am an expert! But what if I didn't cook that recipe again for twelve months? The chance is that I will need to take another look at the cook book to remind myself!
This is early days and I am still in the thinking, analyzing stage so forgive me for my ramblings!
0 Response to "Stepping back and taking another look"
Post a Comment