A growing number of parents are reportedly “unschooling” their children, removing them from traditional schools and letting their interests determine their curriculum. Coined in the late 1970s, the term “unschooling” generally means adopting a more open-ended, student-driven form of education where the teacher or parent serves as a facilitator or guide rather than an instructor. Advocates say it enourgages some students’ curiousity and makes them more interested in learning, while critics say it fails to teach students what they need to know.
What do you think is behind the growing unschooling movement? What do children gain or lose by it? What could teachers in traditional schools learn from it, if anything?
