Why I Unschool Math

There are people that insist that math can't be unschooled.  Everything else can, but math must follow a curriculum.  I don't agree.  I have seen the math curriculum here in B.C. change so often that teachers begin to suspect it's simply a way of making more work for them.  The curriculum setters move topics around, up and down the grade levels, splitting them up, mashing them together.  Yeah, the curriculum is pretty fluid.

Then there are people who say that math is everywhere and, left alone, children can't help but learn math.  I don't totally agree with that either.  We need to support math learning in the same way we support language learning.  Children need to see math being used on a daily basis; they need to share math with a loved one; they need the opportunity to practice, make mistakes, and get feedback.

But I do agree that trying to control what and how a child learns is counter-productive.  Imagine having someone looking over your shoulder while you build a jigsaw puzzle.  Imagine that person telling you where to put the puzzle pieces and correcting you every time you tried to put one in the wrong place.  Imagine that person lecturing to you the best way to put a puzzle together.  Would you continue to have an interest in putting together puzzles?  Or would you perhaps decide that you aren't good at them and only special people could do puzzles? 

Traditionally, this is how we teach math.  We give children a small section of the puzzle and ask them to build it.  Then, we tell them how to understand the math and how to apply it.  We watch as they do exercises and correct every mistake as it occurs.  And if they aren't seeing the whole picture, we lecture some more.  Math is so much fun!

A linear curriculum compounds the difficulties of learning math.  Children learn in spurts and lags.  They need to make meaningful connections between the things they know and the things they learn.  They need to understand things in a variety of contexts (I don't mean just "applications" or "word problems").  A linear curriculum doesn't allow for any of these learning needs. 

Unschooling is more than a reaction to the current teaching models.  I believe that children know best how they need to learn.  They can regulate how much they are ready to learn and how long they need to digest it.  They make connections naturally, and the connections they make on their own are the most meaningful.  They know best the context in which what they are learning makes sense.  My job is that of a sounding board, a companion along the road, and a provider of knowledge.  I offer rather than deliver.

Unschooling math, thus far, is a bit of an experiment for me.  My children are still young and the few models of unschooling families I have seem to focus on literature, history, and nature.  I am happy to share our experiences, and I would be glad to read about any thoughts and experiences from both those who ponder the possibilities and those who have 'been there, done that.'