3 Reasons for Homeschoolers to Embrace Consent-Based Learning or Child-led learning
Hey fellow life long learners! Today, I want to share with you the three evidence based reasons why consent-based learning is the way I’m heading in my homeschooling journey, maybe you want to consider it too? And no I’m not talking just pre-k or Kindergarten, consent based learning works for all ages and stages.
Consent-based learning is an approach to education that emphasizes the importance of obtaining consent from students before engaging in any learning activities. It recognizes that learners have autonomy and should have a say in what, how, and when they learn. Sometimes called or very similar to the idea of:
- child led learning
- interest led learning
- delight directed learning
- autonomous learning
- self-directed learning
- learner-centered learning
- interest-based learning
- empowerment learning
- democratic learning
- unschooling
These terms are not actually interchangeable but are often used that way, you can read more over at Ben & Me Blog if you are interested. Today I'm going to stick with "Consent Based Learning".
In a consent-based learning environment, students are actively involved in the decision-making process. They have the freedom to choose their learning goals, the topics they want to explore, and the methods they prefer for learning...BUT that doesn't mean that they get to skip out of practice or give up at the first hurdle. In consent based learning environments it's the facilitators or educators role to help students achieve their big goals by working through the small but often difficult stuff of the day to day, procrastination, failure, set-backs etc...
1. FOSTER INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
Consent-based learning allows children to take ownership of their education. According to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, autonomy-supportive learning environments foster intrinsic motivation, leading to better academic outcomes and increased engagement. This stud and many more found that you only need three pre-conditions for intrinsic motivation - competence, autonomy, and relatedness. I have experienced this personally, I have learnt so much about blogging in the last couple of months because I am interested in doing it, I read blogs about blogging (very meta!), I listen to podcasts, I watch YouTube videos, I read articles. I even read Google’s 197 page document to figure out how to rank on the first page of google! No one told me to do this, I am just interested and I have been making time for it in my busy mom life. I have the three pre-conditions for self motivation, competence (I can read and write a blog), autonomy (I can spend my very limited free time however I want and am doing this n the white space of my day) and relatedness (This is very relevant to my life, I want to share some of the more niche things I have found with the world, I don’t want it to be hidden on one corner of the internet!).2. INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING
Every child has unique strengths, interests, and learning styles. Consent-based learning honors these differences, allowing for tailored education plans. Todd Rose of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and author of “The End of Average: How We Succeed in A World That Values Sameness” argues that a well-designed and executed personalized learning model can enhance teacher-student interaction. “You can best facilitate those deep social interactions by having a system that understands each person as an individual and is responsive to that.”
3. ENCOURAGE CURIOSITY
By following a consent-based approach, we encourage our children to explore their passions. I love this quote in Ainsley Arment’s book “Children are born with all the wonder they will ever need. Our Job is not to take it away”. As a parent I have seen this, my kid was born curious. Curious enough to want to learn to walk and talk, not easy things to do! Curious enough to open every cupboard in the kitchen and curious enough to put every single thing in their mouths! This is not a new observation, John Hold talks about this a lot in his books too and he wrote these in the 60s.
Want to know more about consent based learning? Try Sophie Christophy’s blog - https://sophiechristophy.com/
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