Life learning

Life learningWhat Unstructured Education Looks Like and Its Benefits

What is life learning?Life Learning happens when education is allowed rather than forced. Our lessons come from daily life rather than textbooks and lectures. It is more focused on developing real life skills and relevant knowledge than it is on memorizing facts in a rigidly structured environment. It fosters independent thinking rather than encouraging children to blindly accept the social indoctrinations forced upon us in large groups. It also involves the freedom to pursue knowledge of the individual childs choosing, which in turn nurtures an amazing passion for learning not observed in most traditionally educated children. Dont be afraid to open your mind; your brain isnt going to fall out.

John Holt was an American educator who recognized the failure of the public school system and went on to become a proponent for natural learning. He coined the term unschooling and wrote several books on the subject.

natural learning isA philosophy, that children will learn what they need to know, when they are ready to learn it(According to available statistics) it is practiced mostly by high earning professionals, many of whom are educators themselves Mainly kinesthetic Often misunderstood due to the progressive & abstract nature of what is learned, how learning occurs and how it is gaugedreal life is not separated into neat little categories learning happens constantly & often independently testing a students knowledge goes against the philosophy of life learningA very mindful way of living & truly connecting with your children

natural learning is notA lack of education, rather a completely different approach to learning. Formal instruction is very purposefully left outFor the unmotivated. It involves long days, often with cranky children there are no breaks, sick days or vacations for unschooling parents Measurable by standardized tests, rather by the delight observed in a childs eyes when they are allowed to pursue their passion and by the superior outcomes that unschooled children typically achieve compared to their institutionally educated peers A replication at home of the school environment, to do so is missing the point completely

Lets compare SCHOOL NATURAL LEARNINGExposes child to select subjectsLearning is forced to happen on a rigid scheduleTeaches right answer convergent thinkingStudents are taught what to thinkAge specific learningExposes child to whole worldLearning doesnt end with a bell or seasonTeaches exploratory & divergent thinkingStudents are taught how to thinkStudents can advance at any time

SCHOOL NATURAL LEARNINGLearning is divided into subjectsKnowledge is given to students by a teacherInfo is less likely to be retained when students are forced to learn subjects they are not interested inGoals are set by teachersThere is a specific curriculum/textbooks etc.

Learning crosses many subjectsEveryone learns together (There is no teachers manual)Info is far more likely to be retained when students can relate and apply it to real life situations Goals are set by studentsVariety of subjects with endless resources (elders, siblings, outdoors, museums, events, travel, life experiences LEARNING JUST HAPPENS)

School / life

Why did we choose Life learning?I saw the public school system failing my children. Evan, although an A student, was becoming a mindless drone destined for a life of indentured servitude and Tristan was miserable; highly intelligent however he loathed anything to do with learning and stubbornly refused to do any kind of book work. He had an amazing teacher in his last year at LPS who was unusually flexible and I noticed a significant difference in Tristans attitude toward learning. This inspired me to research alternatives to traditional schooling. I happened upon the life learning philosophy and it really resonated with me. After making the leap to unschooling, I observed two completely different children who are now discovering new things with enthusiasm.When I saw the self-motivation and passion both kids were developing for exploring the world around them I was sold.

What does our education plan look like?Determine Family Goals (Assessed & modified periodically throughout the year) Eg:Spend 6 mos in Yelapa, MX to participate in Spanish immersion program

Determine Individual Goals (Constantly being modified) Eg: Learn to code Create a websiteMaster cursive writingPaint a famous pc of art

Plan & Execute

INDIVIDUAL goalsEVANTRISTANContinue Art classesProgress in gymnasticsEnhance English communication skillsBrush up on rusty French Explore Biology Develop an ecommerce business planPossibly re-enter the French Catholic system in 9th gradeTravel Continue to develop and grow math, marketing and SEO skills by working on existing ecommerce businessContinue to explore science with a stronger focus on astrophysics & marine biology Learn a 2nd languageExplore coding/app developmentTravel

How do we learn without school?Were asked time and again how in the world we are able to learn anything without teachers, schedules and textbooks.

We have to ask, where do you find time to learn anything with them?

what does the execution of our education plan look like? Outings to the library, zoo, local events, historical areas, science center, art gallery, theater, musical performances etc.Participation in activities like gymnastics, dance classes, piano lessons and art classes Formal online credit courses as well as open source courses of all levels including: biology (Minecraft School), coding (Hackety Hack), PBS Virtual Classroom, Khan Academy, Udemy (websites: 1XL Math, CoolMath)Interacting w/adults & elders in community (Weve learned the art of winemaking, drywalling, mechanics, driving ATVs and about budgeting, finance, interest rates, taxes, voting etc.)

Execution, contdTravel (While living abroad we interacted w/stingrays, eels, tropical fish, birds, coatimundi, crocs & lizards in their natural habitat, explored the rainforest and coastal areas of Central America, explored Mayan ruins/archeological dig sites, gained daily exposure to Spanish & Kriol language through many hours spent with locals. This experience taught us about early Mesoamerican culture & beliefs, current customs & holidays, economics, ecosystems, preservation, policies, laws, marine biology, geology etc. of Belize, Mexico & Guatemala)Volunteering (learned about First Aid/CPR, hurricane & tsunami safety, disaster relief as well as animal control policies & practices in different countries)

Upcoming planned activities

2 weeks in the Dominican Republic (Nov)1 week in southern Florida to explore marine life in different coastal areas (Nov)Windsor Symphony (Dec 18)Belle Isle Conservatory (Dec 11)Online Biology course (Jan 11- Feb 20) Coding course (Dec)Volunteering in the W.I.N.G.S. Wildlife Rescue clinic (late Nov start date) Imagination Station in Toledo, OH

What about the S word?

FORCED ASSOCIATION IS NOT SOCIALIZATION!

Homeschooled children are socialized in a much healthier way than those forced to deal with bullying, peer pressure, herding, anonymity & mindless conformity in the school environment.

We are able to mix with people of all ages, backgrounds, education levels & socio-economic profiles, not just our peers!

Would they have learned gratitude if they hadnt lived among some of the happiest people in the world who didnt even own a pair of shoes?16

How do we socialize?Both children attend teen dances occasionallyTristan meets up with some boys from the local Skate park from time to timeEvan has playdates with her schooled friends and their friends, cousins etc. are often a part of thatThey both have sleepovers with their friends most weekends and school holidaysThey attend and host parties (eg: birthdays, Halloween etc.)Their friends usually accompany us on outings (trampoline park, zoo, historical sites, events etc.) As a family, we gain a larger sense of community through our volunteer initiatives

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All work & no play?NEVER!

We also learn tons from unstructured activities like:

Minecraft: reading, math, geometry, geology, creative thinking skills, cooperationWord Games/Puzzles: spelling, vocabulary, brain boostingBoard Games (Life, Battleship, Planet Earth): math, strategy, critical thinking, financial planning, taxes, investing, geography, biology etc.Baking/cooking: fractions, life skillsBowling: math, angles, momentum/inertia, addition, multiplication etc.Contests/games: math, probability*even texting, emailing, group chats, social media all develop written language skills

Formal instructionDo we ever use formal instruction or lessons? Of course we do when its appropriate. When it fits naturally and flows with the topics we are discussing.

How do we separate learning, socialization and leisure?

ITS QUITE SIMPLE WE DONT!

Living is learning and when kids are living fully and energetically and happily they are learning a lot, even if we dont always know what it is. ~ John Holt

Preparing for the futureHow Does Natural Learning Get You Into College?

According to stats, more unschoolers pursue post-secondary education than traditionally schooled students. They have no problems meeting entry requirements and as a matter of fact, are at an academic advantage due to their high motivation, high capacity for self-initiative, self-direction and self-control. ~ from a study published in Psychology Today

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201406/survey-grown-unschoolers-i-overview-findings

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Fact:Of the 3 million available jobs today, less than 20% require a 4 year degree.

This means we are lending money we dont have to kids who cant pay it back so they can educate themselves for jobs that no longer exist.

How Am I qualified to teach?I dont teach, as a rule I provide a rich, stimulating learning environment and act mainly as facilitator in the learning process. I certainly dont have all the answers but we research together. This is how kids learn to be resourceful.

As we settle into the information age, children need to be taught how to learn relevant information, how to figure things out independently, not to regurgitate facts that dont interest them. Its no secret that these facts will only be retained long enough to pass a test and then mindlessly forgotten.I was educated myself in the public school system and I couldnt tell a rhombus from a trapezoid today if my life depended on it.

I have to thank Tristan for changing that with his hologram project!23

What do I know?I can however, tell you that education reform is desperately needed to reflect our changing world.

As a parent-facilitator, I am a member of the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents and was a volunteer for them from 2012-2014. A large part of my role was responding to inquiries related to homeschooling/unschooling policies, legalities etc. and providing support to families who were facing obstacles placed by local school boards, branches of govt etc. It is my personal mission to educate and spread awareness of alternative education on a global level. This is a huge undertaking and although some days it can be exhausting, the reward will be well worth the challenges when we reach a place in society where all forms of education are looked upon with equal value.

Eg: CRA doesnt have any alternative option on their forms to verify who has care and control of a child other than a school signature. This is extremely non-inclusive. 24

Is this satisfactory?POLICY/PROGRAM MEMORANDUM NO. 131 SUBSECTION 21(2), CLAUSE (A) of the Ontario Education Act states: When parents give the board written notification of their intent to provide home schooling for their child, the board should consider the child to be excused from attendance at school. The board should accept the written notification of the parents each year as evidence that the parents are providing satisfactory instruction at home.This begs the question, Is our form of education satisfactory?

Ontario's Education Act as it pertains to Unschooling

You decideWe might not be able to tell you what X * Y= but we can tell you how to find out. We can tell you of 19th century expressionists, what a stingray feels like, the definition of Ichthyology, the temperature of liq. N2 and all about 31 (Ga) on the periodic table. We can tell you which path the early Mayan people took to transport goods for trade and what censorship, Libertarianism & GMOs are, why chameleons really change color and whether to use who or whom. We can tell you todays prime lending rate, what a Canadian Dollar is worth in other countries and what kind of haircuts Chief Tecumseh was handing out in the War of 1812.

We think satisfactory is a rather rudimentary threshold. We hope something as important as our education is never labeled satisfactory. It should be(and is) quite AMAZING!

Tristans latest project

He created a hologram projector by first learning how to draw a rhombus on graph paper to the correct proportions, then he cut out a template and use it to make 4 screens out of clear, hard plastic. (He later realized during a 2nd attempt that it was easier and just as visually appealing to use clear, flexible plastic.) The four screens were then secured together and placed, inverted onto his iphone screen while he played a recorded video from youtube of various items which now appeared to be suspended in a holographic form. This project has inspired him to research a way to create his own quad split video to display on this projector.27

Miss evans passion

ART

Evan has been taking formal art classes since 2013 with Colleen Castonguay in Windsor Colleen is a Bob Ross certified instructor and holds classes specifically for homeschooled children. Although her goals change from time to time, Evans current hope is to one day open an art studio/gallery of her own. 28

Links, resources etc.Some Of Our Published Projects and A Glimpse Into Our Lives Articles, Research Results & Other Unschooling Families http://wildkidz.blogspot.cahttp://tristansjunglelove.blogspot.ca/http://dragonboardz.com

This is a blog that I author; it includes details of our day to day activities, challenges and thoughts on life learning. http://acrocatemyhomework.blogspot.ca/

http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/10/myths-unschooling-children/http://jual.nipissingu.ca/2013/01/12/year-2013-volume-7-issue-14/http://ontariohomeschool.org/unschooling/http://ontariohomeschool.org/hrleeds/http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/09/02/how-do-unschoolers-turn-out/http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/0502/zen_and_the_art_of_unschooling_math.htm

creditsContent by: Evan Krawcar Tristan Krawcar Mandy Lee

Media Provided by: Tristan Krawcar

Composition by: Mandy Lee

Editing: Tristan Krawcar Mandy Lee