Self-Ed 101: Deschooling

Anna    Basics     Basics, beginner, change, deschooling, new, self-ed 101, start, starting out, unschooling, what it's like

The way you think in school can be applied to many things in life. It’s a kind of thinking people understand. Unschooling involves a different way of thinking. That’s why we have deschooling.

What is Deschooling?
Deschooling is the process of unlearning schooled thinking. It involves letting go of old habits and approaching learning in a new way. It means letting go of the thought that learning only happens in schools.

There are a lot of ideas and concepts to let go of: grades, schedules, curriculum, tests, teaching, diplomas, certifications, school years, and even (especially) the teacher/student relationship. Deschooling means letting go of the idea that learning is separate from life. When you take away school, its structure, its vocabulary and its ideas, you’re left with learning. read more

The Best Unschooling Tool: The Internet

Anna    Resources     book, books, deschooling, deschooling society, internet, ivan illich, quotes, Resources, technology, tools

“A good educational system should have three purposes: it should provide all who want to learn with access to available resources at any time in their lives; empower all who want to share what they know to find those who want to learn it from them; and, finally, furnish all who want to present an issue to the public with the opportunity to make their challenge known. … It should use modern technology to make free speech, free assembly, and a free press truly universal and, therefore, fully educational.” – Ivan Illich

In Deschooling Society, Ivan Illich spoke of a system he felt would help society disconnect from its dependence on schools. He rejected the idea of relying on an elite few allowed to teach and control the people. Instead, Illich proposed ideas for making society a more supportive learning environment. His system focuses on networks (learning webs) that promote learning in ways that make it more relevant and more accessible. Illich spoke of how technology could be put to use in his system:

• “The operation of a peer-matching network would be simple. The user would identify himself by name and address and describe the activity for which he sought a peer. A computer would send him back the names and addresses of all those who had inserted the same description. It is amazing that such a simple utility has never been used on a broad scale for publicly valued activity.”

In a decade when it was little more than a concept, Ivan Illich had effectively described the internet. read more