I have done a combination of homeschooling, unschooling, and self-directed learning for about 5 years now, and in that time I have tried out a number of different resources.
Here’s a list of 13 different resources that are great for those persuing a non traditional education, such as homeschooling, unschooling, or self-directed learning.
Most of these resources are good for students who are in their teenage years. A lot of them are also good for adults, so if you’re an adult looking to learn a new skill or subject, these resources will help you out.
Only a few of these resources will be useful to young students.
www.edx.org
Has free courses from multiple universities and institutions, such as:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Harvard University
- Berkeley University of California
- University of British Columbia
- The University of Queensland
A lot of courses are self paced, and for a small fee can come with a verified certificate upon completion. Some courses also have eligibility for academic credit.
Courses are offered on a large variety of subjects including, but not limited to:
- Computer Science
- Business & Management
- Data Analysis & Statistics
- Humanities
- Language
- Art & Culture
- Design
- History
- Literature
- Medicine
- Music
- Philosophy & Ethics
www.coursera.org
Has courses offered by universities around the world on a variety of subjects. Most courses have to be paid for in order to be accessed in their entirety, however auditing is free for a lot them.
Some of the best courses I’ve taken on Coursera are:
- Calculus One from The Ohio State University
- Greek and Roman Mythology from the University of Pennsylvania
- An Introduction to Interactive Python Programming from Rice University
- Principles of Computing from Rice University
- Introduction to Chemistry: Reactions and Ratios from Duke University
- Introduction to Chemistry: Structures and Solutions from Duke University
- From the Big Bang to Dark Energy from The University of Tokyo
Unfortunately, some of the courses that I have listed are no longer available.
In general, I find Coursera’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses to be the most worthwhile and educational.
www.thegreatcourses.com
Has lots of courses taught by experts in their fields. Unfortunately not free, however the courses are all incredibly educational.
www.lynda.com
Has a large variety of courses, on a lot of different subjects. Also not free, however in my experience with it, the course teachers work in the fields that they are teaching about.
www.open2study.com
Has a large variety of courses. I’ve never used this, but my mother has recommended it for this list.
alison.com
Has a large variety of courses. I’ve also never used this, but my mother has also recommended it for this list.
www.khanacademy.org
Very useful for learning mathematics, especially from kindergarten to grade 12. I know a lot of people have used this to learn math.
projecteuler.net
Computational exercises that are solved via computer programs. The solutions have to be solved by a computer, and so it provides great experience with programming and applying mathematical concepts.
www.codecademy.com
Interactively teaches these programming languages for free:
- Python
- Java
- JavaScript
- Bash/Shell
- Ruby
- SQL
- HTML & CSS
www.musictheory.net
Has several lessons and exercises pertaining to music theory, from how to read music to how to identify notes and chords by ear.
Hacking Your Education by Dale J. Stephens
Has a variety of unschooling success stories, also contains lots of resources and exercises to help with self-directed learning.
blog.uncollege.org
Uncollege is an organization that Dale Stephens founded.
Story Engineering by Larry Brooks
Great resource for teaching creative writing. Contains information on all aspects of stories such as plot, characters, style, and theme. Excellent for those who want to write novels or screenplays.
Just a reminder that I will be posting every Monday on the topic of homeschooling, unschooling, and self directed learning, so if you enjoyed this post, check back next week for a new one.
Cozy Rebekah 