Guerrilla Learning: How to give your kids a real education with or without school
is the provocative title of an amazing book written by Grace Llewellyn nearly 20 years ago. Llewellyn is both a teacher and a researcher. She considers that school is a waste of time and that students learn better when they are self-motivated and not locked inside the school walls. Llewellyn is well known in the homeschooling world. However, she prefers to use the term ‘unschooling’ as she considers that homeschooling denotes moving the school to the home. She defines unschooling as a learning method that has no formal structure or curriculum vitae.
What can we learn from her Guerrilla Learning as a school? Llewellyn challenges students to turn off the television, go abroad, visit libraries, museums, use internet and other resources to research and learn. She mentions five keys essentials for the learning process. These are: opportunity, time, interest, freedom and support.
Opportunity
Having access to reading, writing, dialogue, arts, mathematics and logic, science and nature, the community and the future. Immersion in knowledge and culture.
Timing
This refers to cognitive age and to respect of each child’s developmental rhythm. Vygotsky would define this as working within the zone of proximal development.
Interest
We don't have to motivate children to learn different concepts and skills and expect them to show interest. We need to wait, as motivation should arise from the children, not from the teacher. When a child is motivated by something then it is the right time to learn.
Freedom
Giving children freedom so they can choose when, how and what to learn, following their own rhythms and interests, allowing themselves to self-regulate without imposing our schedules, timetables and demands.
Support
When it is needed and requested, providing materials, resources, explanations, celebrating their mistakes, successes and especially - the most important - witnessing their success.
We can observe these five keys in our life and in the life of our children.
