Learning in the Absence of Education
Essays on Homeschooling
© Beverley Paine
Index
Homeschool
Australia
Natural Learning
A natural approach to education, in my definition, is just getting on with life. Doing those things you have to do each day, and not worrying about whether or not you are learning anything. We don't think about learning as it happens, especially when we are hot on the trail of learning to do something new, like abseiling or macramé. We just do it. Natural learning is letting your children follow their interests and supporting that, with money, resources, access, guidance, patience... Natural learning is also recognising that we don't need an educational curriculum to learn personal hygiene, physical development, social development, work skills, anything.
I don't think natural learning is cramming as many experiences as you can into life, but exploring many areas in depth, until a learning threshold is reached and the learner comes to a stop, to pick it up later when time has added maturity. Learning is like travelling up along a spiral, you keep coming back over the same stuff, but at a different level of understanding. Kids naturally swap from one spiral to another when they are ready.
I compiled this list of practical tips for adopting a natural learning style in the home environment, then reflected that many of are just down to earth sensible parenting practices. I guess that is the essence of natural learning - continuing to parent with the same care and attention that we gave our babies and toddlers, with the same heightened level of interest that we felt for our children back then. I hope you enjoy the list, and can find some tips of your own to add!
Take the effort to be positive. Reword into positive phrases anything negative you say. This may take a long time to learn - we are still learning this after nearly fifteen years! It needs perseverance. For example, instead of saying ‘Don’t run inside!’, try ‘Please walk inside’. Say what you want rather than point out the undesirable behaviour. And say yes more than no. Save no for those times it is really needed - for truly dangerous situations or behaviours.
Have clear agreements, expectations and consequences. Be consistent. This is especially important around disturbing people who are busy working on something. Everyone should have the right to work undisturbed if they require or desire it. Reorganise the environment to reduce incidences of disturbance (this also has the bonus of increasing independence). Have things readily available - easy to see, easy to reach. Let people know where things are kept, perhaps by labeling shelves, cupboards, files, boxes, etc. You can use pictures for non-readers. Have stuff freely available - and have alternatives available when particular things run out. Creative people generally use a lot of resources - accept this and budget for it, or find cheap or free alternatives.
Have reasonable expectations which are linked to the development of the child, not the ‘norm’ or ‘average’. Remember, though, that children are quite capable of performing difficult tasks and to conceptualise quite complex ideas if you and they believe they can - trust and have faith in their growth.
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Excerpt from Learning in the Absence of Home Education: Essays on Homeschooling
© Beverley Paine, 1999
