Michelle – Texas Unschoolers

Forward to this article: I wrote this article on my personal blog back in 2012. It has by far been the most popular blog post on my personal site. I thought it might be beneficial to some to share it here. I’ve learned since I wrote this article that everything in this post can be applied to just about every video game, tv show, movie, pop culture and everything in between. It just requires for the parent or guardian to step out of what they’ve been told about visual media and watch what is actually going on with the individual child.~ Michelle Conaway

Who would have ever thought I would have been okay with my kids making a full time job out of playing a video game? I sure never thought I would get there. But I have. My boys spend most of their waking hours on a computer game called Minecraft.

Over the years, after I decided to homeschool, I found myself migrating more towards a philosophy of life called Unschooling. Yes, we pulled out the text books and “educational” websites at the beginning of our homeschooling journey, but my kids got bored with it. I saw them resisting the work I was providing for them and not retaining much of what I was teaching. They would even pretend to be sleeping in the mornings, trying to avoid my “school” work.

For the last couple of years, I’ve let go of doing anything that looked schoolish. Of course, if they want to do worksheets, they are welcome to explore that, but gone are the days that I force them to sit and do anything. Instead, I’ve started asking them what they would like to do and let them do it. What I’ve observed as they play video games, watch cartoons, make their own cartoons on Zimmertwins and read Garfield books is a huge improvement in their reading, math, vocabulary and social skills. In essence, I’ve fully embraced the unschooling philosophy that everyone learns differently and learns best when given the opportunity to pursue things that they enjoy doing. I know I always have. Why would that be different for my kids?

In March we were introduced to the computer game called Minecraft. My boys took to it like nobody’s business! This game is so much fun and the fun and depth with which they play never ends. You can create worlds from scratch, build your own towns, tools, weapons and avatars. You can play on multi servers where you plan communities with other people playing the game. I have observed my kids developing many new skills playing Minecraft and wanted to write about them here.

Problem Solving Skills

When you spawn in Minecraft you are in the middle of nowhere with only trees, caves and animals roaming around. If you are playing in survival mode, you will also see creepers, skeletons, zombies, spiders or enderman that will attack you starting at sundown. You must try to survive by cutting down trees and building yourself some type of primitive shelter to protect yourself from the monsters that come out at night. You also have a hunger bar and if you don’t find food, you will die.

Sounds easy, but trust me it’s not. You must come up with a statagy for surviving that first night and be quick about it lest you die at the hands of the monsters in the dark or a hungry belly. I have seen the kids come up with elaborate plans for surviving that first night. They’ve learned to hunt for food, build shelter, mine coal for torches and make tools from natural resources all within the span of a 10 minute Minecraft “day”.

After that, they have to think quickly about how to continue to survive and build up a world in which they can live more easily. They plan gardens, set up farms with pigs, cows and chickens, build crafting tables and furnaces. They figure out how deep they must mine in a cave to find diamonds, gold and other precious metals. They must learn which weapons or tools work best for hunting, defending themselves against monsters and mining. The stakes get higher the more you survive. If you die you are at risk of losing all of the accumulated materials you have collected in your inventory.

Minecraft provides a continuous arena in which to flex those problem solving muscles and continue down the path to further development in the game.

Research Skills

The boys have learned how to research by playing Minecraft. When they want to learn a new trick or how to build an intricate lighting system for a mansion they have built they head to WikiHow, Youtube and other internet sources. There they find tutorials on how to build elaborate systems for their cities- how to run recessed lighting, how to build irrigation systems, how to plant and maintain gardens and how to build extravagant things like showers for the bathrooms or fireplaces for the living rooms. They have learned to bookmark their favorite tutorial sites, share them with friends, and even explain to others how to do certain things. They are even considering doing their own tutorial videos for youtube.

Communication Skills

The boys have learned to communicate very well playing Minecraft. They have met friends through our Shine with Unschooling group and also through the Unschooling Gamers Yahoo Group and Facebook Group. Through these groups they have learned to set up and use Skype. It’s not uncommon to have several kids from all over the world playing Minecraft on our family server while skyping with each other.

They are learning to work together to gather food for the community, build stores to sell armor, weapons and food, build amusement parks and engineer new cities. They are learning to maneuver through different personality types and problem solve disputes between the players. They are learning to respect the wishes of others and communicate their own wishes and come to agreements on what is going to happen within the world.

If they don’t learn to communicate well on Minecraft, the game doesn’t go as well. Working with others on the Multiplayer servers is key to building and maintaining a world that works for everyone. Kind of like real life, huh?

Typing Skills

With no keyboard or formal typing lessons, the boys have become very fast keyboarders. There is a chat section on Minecraft which has motivated them to learn to type faster and more accurately.

Cameron told me the other day that he is so glad I didn’t force him to do the typing program I tried to get him to do. Through his love of working on the computer he has gotten to be a master typist.

Spelling Skills

Spelling has improved immensely for the boys as they learn to navigate through the internet and chat with friends on Minecraft. It is essential that they are able to communicate with their friends on the chat section of Minecraft or in forums where they are trying to get answers to their questions. This has motivated them to learn to spell well so that they are understood by their friends.

Vocabulary

I have seen the boys vocabulary expand a lot as they learn new words through friends or on the internet in articles they are reading about Minecraft. Many times they use words that me and their Dad are amazed by. Their new vocabulary spills out into their every day conversations. I can’t imagine that my forced vocabulary lists would have yielded boys who use language as well as they do.

Science

Both Cameron and Caleb have asked to go to the library to get books about diamonds, obsidian, gold, silver and other gemstones. They have learned a lot about the layers of the earth. They have learned about all types of stone, wood, gemstones, caves and mining. Their love of Minecraft has peeked their interest in all sorts of geological study.

They have also become interested in Bioms. There are deserts, jungles, forests and oceans on Minecraft. Many different creatures live within the different biomes and the kids have loved learning about them all and often jump over to the internet to explore one biome or another.

Creativity

I have seen a surge of creativity in the boys since they started playing Minecraft. Cameron’s love of drawing has expanded to drawing worlds of Minecraft scenery. Caleb has come up with stories about Minecraft characters. They have learned to invent tools and other things that help them problem solve in their game. Caleb and I even built a real stone pickax out of sticks and stones at the family farm recently.

I see them being more creative about problem solving in real life as well. They are more likely now to work out a problem for themselves, rather than ask me for a solution. They seem to be getting more creative in everything they do.

Math and Spacial Reasoning Skills

In order to build a structure that is functional as well as visually pleasing, you must develop math and spacial reasoning skills. I have seen the boys figure out in their heads how many blocks will be necessary for a foundation – doubling, tripling and even quadrupling that number in their heads and then apply that to a building in Minecraft. I have witnessed them taking an idea in their minds and building complete cities with recessed lighting and fountains and statues and stores using spacial reasoning and math skills. They are figuring it out on their own without any “formal” training in engineering. It really is remarkable to see some of the things they’re building. I also have Minecraft installed on my computer and haven’t had near the success that these kids do. Obviously, spacial reasoning and I don’t get along very well.

If you’re worried that your child is playing too many video games or that they seem to spend a lifetime on Minecraft, just know and trust that they ARE learning. Play the game yourself to get an idea of the difficulties that must be endured just to survive much less build elaborate cities. Talk to your kids and listen to what they are doing and how they are figuring out HOW to do it.

They ARE learning from these games. Many times it’s obvious that they are gaining valuable skills and sometimes it looks just like play. Gaming is truly an amazing way to explore the world if we can just let go of our preconceived ideas about it and let our children (and ourselves) thrive at it.

-Michelle

Learn more about Michelle on our Contributors page.

If you’ve started down the homeschooling path, or are about to, you’ve probably heard the term deschooling. You may have heard people talking about it at a homeschool group gathering or read about it online. It may have been suggested on a Facebook group or other online community.

But what does it mean? You may think that deschooling sounds like a waste of time. You may even be afraid of the word. It seems to defeat the whole purpose of keeping your kids at home. You’ve brought or kept your kids home to do school, not deschool. So why is it so important and why do you keep seeing it pop up in conversations in the homeschool/unschool world?

Let’s take a look at deschooling. Even if your kids have never stepped foot in an institutional learning facility, you probably have. At the very least, you live in a society that values institutional style learning, where the child is told what, when, how and where to learn.

For the past 150 years our society has bought into the fact that when children reach a certain age, it’s time to stop learning naturally and start being taught. Kids in institutional learning facilities are required to learn certain things by certain ages or else they’re labeled as behind. You as the parent have probably bought into that idea to one degree or another. There is so much momentum behind this idea that in order to step away from it and look at it objectively, most of us need to deschool, let go of the school mindset and find another way.

What Is Deschooling and How Do I Do It?

Deschooling is a time that we get to relax. Think of it as a summer vacation. It’s a letting go. A period of rest and rejuvination. A time that we can just be with our kids and have fun, leaving behind anything that looks “schoolish”. It might be good to set up a predetermined period of time in which you vow to not even think about school. Give yourself time to let go of the artificial learning parameters set by the school systems.

If you’re kids have been in a school setting, they need time to decompress. To “be” and not have to worry about producing. They might watch t.v. for hours or play video games for days on end. That’s okay. You might go on walks around the neighborhood, sleep late, cook together or play board games. For the deschooling period, allow everyone, including yourself, to have a break from rushing to some invisible finish line.

The focus is on being together and also having time and space to think. It’s a great time to drop all expectations of HOW life should be and just LIVE life together as it is right now.

For you as the parent, this can be a great time to read all of the information there is about every form of homeschooling out there. It can be an information gathering time. A time to see what resonates with you and try it on for size.

Why Should We Deschool?

Our society and most of the world for that matter have bought into an idea that just isn’t true. We’ve bought into the idea that children need adults to define a curricula and implement it, otherwise the children will stop learning.

Did your child ever have lessons to teach them to walk? Did they ever have a teacher who taught them to talk? In most instances, the answer is no. They learned by watching you, their siblings and the world around them. They learn these things because they are the natural progression of a child. They don’t have to study or take classes to learn these things. They naturally want to do them.

Children are naturally curious about the world. When left alone, children will remain curious about the world and nothing will stop the learning process.

Deschooling allows us to contemplate a new way. It allows us to see how learning really happens. It gives us an opportunity to examine our paradigm around education and life in general and gives us new perspectives to work with. Deschooling can help us to shed the belief that learning has to happen in a certain way. It opens our eyes to the learning that is happening in every activity we participate in.

Deschooling is the gift we give to ourselves and our children – the gift of time to reexamine all that we think we know and be open to a new understanding.

What are the Benefits of Deschooling

Deschooling gives you time to discover – your children’s learning styles, their interests, ways to communicate better. It’s a time to discover how to be together all day, every day.

It gives you time to research and think about the different approaches your family might want to take.

It allows everyone to relax without feeling the need to produce.

It helps the child rediscover that learning is fun and can happen in ALL activities.

It helps kids that may have been in difficult situations at school to de-stress and relax.

It gives the parent time to observe their children and discover what they like, what they dislike and what their gifts and talents are.

What sort of Things Can We Do When We’re Deschooling

First and foremost, put the focus on Being rather than Doing. Inspired Doing will happen when a child is relaxed and enjoying him or her self. Allow the child to lead for a while. Let them do what they are inspired to do, even if that is to sleep. Having said that, here are a few ideas:

Stay up late watching movies, then sleep late the next day.

Go for walks

Play board games together

Have alone time – As much as your child needs.

Work on Projects together

Do Volunteer work

Build a Garden – take a gardening class together

Get outside and play – football, bike rides, soccer, playgrounds

Read-alone or together or better yet BOTH!

Play Video Games together – Parents: See what the buzz is around that new video game your child has been dying to play.

Hang Out – Talk about everyday life together

Go out for Pizza

Wash the Car together

Camp out in the backyard – gaze at the stars and contemplate the miracle of life

There are so many things you can do with your kids. You can also give your kids (yes, even your teen) time to play. Let yourself play. Rediscover what it’s like to just enjoy life on a day to day basis.

What If I Don’t Want to Deschool? My kids are already “behind”!

Deschooling may come later for you. You may jump right in with the curricula that you’ve chosen and then realize you need a break. Even some of the seasoned unschoolers started out jumping right into curricula, only to realize that a big break was needed shortly after.

Deschooling will not make your kids more “behind”. In fact, it just might give them the rest and inspiration that they need to excel at something they didn’t have time for when they were in school or doing school at home. Watch for those things and work on letting go of what our school systems have told us our children “should” be doing. Instead focus on what they are already doing and learning, without comparing it to anyone else.