Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

TPP 146a: Self-Directed Learning Advocate Blake Boles on Unschooling

Dec 9, 2022

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My guest this week is Blake Boles, the self-directed learning advocate behind Unschool Adventures and the author of several books on unschooling, including The Art of Self-Directed Learning, Better Than College, and College Without High School, as well as the host of the Off-Trail Learning podcast.

Now… you may be reading this and thinking, I’m not homeschooling my child or “unschooling” isn’t my thing. But I’m going to encourage you to listen to what Blake has to say. Because regardless of your child’s educational circumstances, there is wisdom to be gleaned from Blake’s philosophy on self-directed learning and helping our kids grow up into intrinsically motivated humans who understand themselves and are driven to seek out the information and resources they need to achieve their goals. I also love that Blake’s approach beautifully challenges those traditional timelines that our differently wired kids often don’t meet anyway. So… have a listen and let me know what you think. I’m curious to hear how this lands with you.

Blake Boles is the founder and director of Unschool Adventures and the author of The Art of Self-Directed Learning, Better Than College, and College Without High School. He hosts the Off-Trail Learning podcast, speaks for alternative schools, writes for The Alliance for Self-Directed Education, and has keynoted multiple homeschooling conferences.

Things you’ll learn from this episode

What unschooling actually is (in comparison with traditional or eclectic homeschooling)
The most common myths and assumptions surrounding unschooled kids
How intrinsic motivation is the key to helping a student learn what they want to learn when they’re ready to learn it
The ways in which unschooling and self-directed learning respects a child’s unique timeline
What the transition from a traditional educational model to unschooling might look like might look like
What a transition to university looks like in the U.S. for children who’ve been homeschooled, and how to do it
How parents who are homeschooling their child can play the role as “consultant” rather than teacher, and giving child the room to become truly self-directed
Tips for parents looking to dip their toe into unschooling