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We hope that this unschooling blog provides some insight into one way of implementing unschooling and self-directed learning.

September 29

Ethan started a creative writing class today at the community centre. He wasn’t too interested in going but ended up really enjoying the class. They worked on developing a character today.

September 30

Ethan had violin class and taekwondo class today, too.

October 1

Here’s a link to the video about the cannonball pulsar on his YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Bc7LyKSCgL0

October 2

Ethan had nature school today. Here’s what his teacher, Mink, wrote about the day:

Our crew kicked off the day by journeying to a large field downhill of the sign in spot to play a very special game. We were greeted there by none other than the great wizard Dumbledor himself, who welcomed us all to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Scott took the mic from there, and explained a super fun game called “forest quidditch” that involves several different types of balls and 4 teams! Afterwards, our instructors performed some knife safety skits which were simultaneously hilarious and harrowing. Many lessons were learned the hard way through these skits, and in the end we are all glad that Mikaela is still alive.

After knife skits, all of the groups went in different directions in search of good places to practice their carving skills. Mink’s group headed into the first and focused on carving their bow-drill kits. A few kids even finished their kits and started to use them! They enjoyed having a potential new group member with them. At the end of the day, they headed back out to the field for a very captivating game of “Icky Stick.”

October 3

October 4

October 5

In the morning, Ethan had his symphony class and his second swimming lesson of the week. He said that the extra swimming lesson has helped his progress in the class.

Ethan made a video about the end of the universe. He summarized things that he learned from other sources to create this video: https://youtu.be/NIfED8shNug

And that was Ethan’s week!

Are you keeping all of these[ideas] in one notebook? 

 yes, actually! I usually keep them in my main notebook. the one that I write my stories, and what I did for the day!.

Do you refer to it before you make videos? 

not exactly, but I keep the notebook close sometimes, so I can refer back to it. so, I usually learn about the subject, then I sometimes teach it to my mom, then, once, I made a transcript, because I didn’t remember what to say. then, usually, I decide what format to make my video in, (like drawing, drawing on the computer, making a slideshow, or Powtoon.) then, I make the video!

Do you use this journal as a place to brainstorm and plan out your instructional videos as well? 

not really, I kind of go right at it, then if I get it wrong, I check my notebook. but, most of my space-science videos are from the notebook that I already talked about!

What is it about Jeremy Shafer that you so enjoy, Ethan? 

oh, yeah. well, he is silly, and a good teacher because he goes slow in the instructional videos! he loves origami too!

Does he do things in his Youtubes that you would try to emulate? 

yes, maybe plan out what I am going to do and say before I record my video(like my transcript I use a lot- oh wait, that was only once.).

What are your Halloween plans?

my Halloween plans? well, my costume is gonna be something related to space, or math, so I have no idea. (yet!)

Where do your new ideas come from?

mostly from fun things(like things that are fun in math, and science, and other things)(for example, when I watch a video and I see something cool, I learn more, then I just do it), and my writing mainly comes from NASA.

 What are you curious about? 

well, mostly about things that are fun to do, like for example space, because of all the things that are being discovered every day (like a live video)!

How have you used questions to learn more about something?

well… not really, technically when I have a question, I will look it up on google or something…(I can’t think of a time I used a question to learn more, so I need some help.)(my mom just said that she is gonna ask more questions from now on)

How could you share your idea with others?

well, I would share it as a blog or something on youtube! (I don’t tell my friends because I have too many things to talk about, so I just tell them to go to my youtube channel.)

What are the different ways you could share your ideas?

well, (a) I could share it as a blog post, (b) I could upload a video, (c) I could write 

about the subject,(d)talk about it to people, (e)make a viral video, or (f)scream it out the window(needs more work).

When did you try something new this week? How did that go?

well, this week, I tried different things with dry ice, and that was fun because there are so many things to do! thanks for the inspiration!

When did you try something hard this week? How did that go?

these days, I learned how to shoot a projectile at a slope, and learning how to calculate the distance up the slope it landed!(this was hard because there are so many things to do and remember the ways to do it!)but, that was fun, because I learned how to do something new!

Tell [me] about a time you made a mistake …

well, there is the Arduino number keypad coding, and I made a mistake in the coding! so, if you make a mistake in the code, the whole thing “malfunctions”, and it shows an error message!

When was a time when you learned from a mistake you made?

that one about the Arduino, I learned that you should always follow the instructions, and you may make mistakes while following the instructions! (so don’t worry if you make a mistake)(must fix it after though)

What is the number keypad for? (Arduino)

the number keypad was just for connecting it to the computer, and it will type out a number!

Does Ethan get frustrated? How does he handle these more difficult emotions these days? 

Carl and Dong Eun answering…

No, it doesn’t seem like he gets frustrated these days. He seems to handle most situations really well. Since he chooses the situations he wants to be a part of, he doesn’t need to deal with many challenging or frustrating situations compared to kids who are in a classroom. 

When he goes to his classes, those are mostly fun and engaging. He goes to the school playground almost every day after the kids get out of school to play with his friends and does things he enjoys. 

The only time he gets annoyed is when we ask him questions while he’s focused on doing something and he doesn’t feel like answering. Or when he’s tired he can get frustrated. 

Overall, he handles his emotions quite well. This Tuesday, he will be starting a new mindfulness class so that might help him learn new tools for dealing with his emotions.

I am glad to hear you are sharing Ethan’s educational story with people you meet and through your blog. 

I too find that a lot of parents have no idea that there is government subsidized distance learning opportunities for k-12 learners in BC. it is actually quite progressive. 

What do you think Self Design or the BC Ministry should or could do to better inform the public of the choices that they have in education.?

I heard this interview and story on CBC quirks and quarks. 

I am interested to hear Ethan’s thoughts on this new technology?

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/oct-5-2019-is-red-meat-bad-deflecting-asteroids-politics-making-us-sick-and-more-1.5307212/nasa-is-testing-a-plan-to-deflect-killer-asteroids-by-crashing-into-one-1.5307218

After watching his two incredible videos this week on the End of the Universe and pulsars…I am wondering if Ethan could do research and on anything in space what is he most interested in? Last year it seems like black holes really captivated him. 

What are Ethan’s big questions about the universe? 

I know his goal is to work at NASA, but does he have a field or focus which he feels drawn to in Space exploration at this time? 

What are his dreams he wants to fulfill at NASA? 

I will write more tomorrow…sorry I sent the completed email by accident

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August 25

August 26

August 27

August 28

August 29

this is all Ethan’s work(for today)

August 30

again,Ethan wrote this post

August 31

Ethan made a lot of videos this past week! He also learned about what it would take to prepare for the SAT. He seems pretty motivated to learn more and push himself. Let’s see how the rest of this school year goes.

It’s a good thing I did a bit of research on the SAT because they have made some changes in the types of questions they ask. 

I was going to suggest studying analogies, but apparently they have been removed. Some of the math questions have changed as well. I guess the 2016 version is the most recent version of the test. 

https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-analogies-and-comparisons-why-removed-what-replaced-them

Vocabulary is still an important component, it is just asked in different types of questions. 

I took the SAT before it had an essay component. 

I think essay writing is an important skill to practice. 

I checked out the Khan Academy SAT test prep and it looks very good. So it is a great place to start for sure. 

I suggest reading some articles and having Ethan do more analytical written responses to them or argue a position.

When I was in Grade 6 I scored high on a standardized test and was asked to take the SAT early as part of a talent scouting.It looks like John Hopkins University is still doing it. So it is possible for Ethan to take the exam early if he wanted to. I think he is an excellent candidate, especially in math and with a little bit of test prep. 

https://cty.jhu.edu/talent/testing/

The SAT is a timed paper-and-pencil-based reading, writing, and math assessment with optional essay that’s used globally as a predictor of college and career readiness. It is open to Talent Search students in grades 7-8*. The SAT is a good choice for students who seek early exposure to the SAT and want to potentially qualify for CTY’s Study of Exceptional Talent, which provides resources and support to exceptionally bright students. Registering for the SAT through MyCTY ensures that scores are reported by College Board directly to CTY.

When were you thinking of having him take the exam? 

I think in order to best develop critical reading skills is to ask lots of open ended questions and engage in discussion about pieces of writing/text. In addition to discussing it , writing about it also develops these skills:

Critical reading is a more ACTIVE way of reading. It is a deeper and more complex engagement with a text. Critical reading is a process of analyzing, interpreting and, sometimes, evaluating. When we read critically, we use our critical thinking skills to QUESTION both the text and our own reading of it.

The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making.

The benefits of critical reading is given below:

Helps to organize main ideas from a given topic. Helps to understand more difficult reading assignment and to obtain a better understanding for what was read. Helps to make opinions and assumptions based on what is read. Helps base judgement on evidence.

Here is an article on how to develop critical reading skills. I think we will have ongoing conversations about this: http://www.edu-nova.com/articles/critical-reading-skills/

I am not responding in full to this observing for learning as I am working on the Learning Plans this week. I am really excited to see that Ethan is starting to do more of his own reporting. This is fantastic and looking forward to reading more of his thoughts and reflections.

I am so happy to hear Ethan had a fantastic summer. I did too! Here are a few pics from my trip to Slovenia

My favorite bridge sculpture in Slovenia, three blocks from my father’s house and a view of the castle from the city center. 

Panorama from the top of the highest peak in Slovenia

Have a great weekend, 

Natasha

Hi Natasha!

As mentioned in my email, we’re excited about the upcoming year and have thought about helping Ethan work towards his long-term goal of working at NASA. We’ve done some research into what he would need to study for university but would love some guidance on how he can prepare to take the SAT.

We’ve found SAT test prep on Khan Academy so Ethan will be using that. We’ve also looked up book lists and would like to continuously introduce those books to Ethan.

The biggest questions we have are:

1. What can we do to plan and help Ethan reach his goal? Even if he doesn’t actually achieve it, we still want to encourage him and offer any support we can.
2. We know that critical reading skills will be necessary. How can we help him develop those skills?

The idea is that we want to be a little more strategic and purposeful with Ethan’s learning. He obviously loves to learn and is highly self-motivated so we want to take advantage of that and see what happens.

Anyway…

Summer was good. Ethan took swimming lessons twice a week in July and August. He was able to pass level 8 so he was very happy about that. 

He mostly kept up with jogging in the morning. Combined with swimming twice a week, we noticed how much faster he could swim and that his endurance was much better than before.

He did a lot of reading. One of his favourites was the Philosophy Files and his absolute favourite was Wild Robot. He must have read Wild Robot at least 5 or 6 times and he listened to the audiobook over and over, too.

We went camping a number of times at local campgrounds in Squamish and Porteau Cove but only for 1 or 2 nights. We’re going again for a night on Sept. 2 to celebrate Ethan’s birthday. He’s invited a few friends to come up for the day for his birthday party. He’s really excited and counting down the days.

But back to the upcoming school year…

Ethan is currently enrolled in the following activities:

• Taekwondo twice a week
• Swimming twice a week
• Violin class once a week
• Symphony class once a week
• Nature school once a week

We put him in two swimming classes because we want him to get as much physical activity as possible. He grew about almost an inch over the summer and we think most of that was due to swimming.

We’ll probably go to public skating sessions whenever possible and may also do some skiing in the winter.

But for now, we’re all looking forward to the upcoming SelfDesign year and really helping Ethan propel his learning even further.

Thanks.

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