My research into the Maker Movement has taken me into many interesting, winding paths. One such path is "Unschooling." Unschooling is a learning theory coined by educator John Holt in the 1970s (Ingram, 2020). One of the main principles of Unschooling are that children foster their own curiosity by learning through exploration and natural life experiences (Stevens, 1994). Children have ownership in their learning and are encouraged to follow their interests through learner-driven activities (Ingram, 2020). These core concepts of Unschooling are tangential to the foundations of the Maker Movement. Both Makers and Unschoolers encourage learning through play and creativity and both value learner-driven exploration.
Now, as a third grade public school teacher, I understand that implementing the Unschooling theory is not feesible or ideal for everyone. I do believe that there are important Unschooling ideals that are worth bringing into a school or homeschooling setting. Student-centered learning is a foundation of this learning theory that can translate into a formal school setting. One small way I bring student-centered, or learner-centered activities into my classroom is by giving my students choice in their writing, reading, or research. By allowing my students to explore something they are interested in, I am promoting their engagement in the lesson. Another pillar of the Maker Movement and Unschooling that is very valuable to bring into a classroom setting is to allow your students time to learn through creative exploration and, well, making! One amazing way to help encourage this kind of creating in your classroom is through a maker space. Educator Diana Rendina defines makers spaces as "a place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore and discover using a variety of tools and materials" (Rendina, 2015). This can look different depending on your space, context, and age group.
This is a screenshot of an infographic I created on Canva about the Unschooling learning theory.
Resources
Ingram, T. (2020, July 17). The case for unschooling. Vox.
https://www.vox.com/first person/2020/7/17/21328316/covid-19-coronavirus-
unschooling-homeschooling
Rendina, D. (2015, April 2). Defining makerspaces: What the research says. Renovated
Learning. http://www.renovatedlearning.com/2015/04/02/defining-makerspaces-part-1/
Stevens, E. (1994). What is unschooling? - The natural child project.
https://www.naturalchild.org/articles/guest/earl_stevens.html
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