Unbound Learning

Where theory meets real life, and learning has no limits.

Learning is innate to human beings. Researchers like DeCasper and Spence (1986) suggest that we begin learning in the womb, responding to our mother's voice and external sounds. So, when do we become “students”? When do we begin school? What if learning was never meant to be confined to classrooms at all?

In early life, our world is small like family, caregivers, and a close community. Yet we absorb everything. We learn to walk by falling. We learn to talk by mimicking. We express emotion, curiosity, and need without instruction. No grades. No curriculum. Just life. That’s why I wonder: If learning starts before school, why do we treat school as the center of learning?

This blog, Unbound Learning, questions the boundary between formal education and the broader, often invisible, landscape of human learning. For example, many Indigenous communities, including those here in Michigan, never separated learning from life. The Anishinaabe people pass on ecological knowledge and identity through practices like storytelling, fishing, and ceremonies (Styres, 2017). Learning is not an event; it’s a way of being.

Reflecting on this, I realize how conditioned I’ve been to see school as “real” learning. Maybe it's the tests and credentials. But what if we gave equal value to the learning that happens when a child builds a fort or when an adult learns coding from YouTube?

Some of my most meaningful learning moments happened outside school. I once volunteered at my school district where adults learned English, not from textbooks, but by playing together, practicing vocabulary through games and activities. I wondered: Why is this so effective? These learners seemed more confident than in traditional ESL classes.

Looking back, I now connect it to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, learning occurs through social interaction and is deeply contextual (Vygotsky, 1978). These adults weren't just memorizing words; they were building identity and community. Freire (1970) would call this “liberatory learning,” co-constructed through experience and dialogue.

Yet we often treat this kind of learning as “less than” academic learning. Why? Because we still privilege textbooks over lived experiences. So, I ask: What if we flipped that assumption? What if we built school curricula around real life instead of separating the two?

Of course, schools matter. I’m not dismissing them. But they must evolve. Culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay, 2018) and place-based education (Gruenewald & Smith, 2008) both argue that learning should reflect students-lived experiences, not erase them. When schools partner with community centers, museums, or elders, they extend and validate learning beyond the classroom.

Consider museums. Unlike classrooms, museums invite self-directed exploration. Learners ask their own questions, follow curiosity, and interact with history, art, or science. Falk and Dierking (2000) describe how learning in museums is shaped by personal, sociocultural, and physical contexts - something school often misses.

But unbound learning doesn’t require a museum. It happens on buses, in kitchens, on hikes, during podcasts or even in video games. What matters is the mindset: learning is everywhere and for everyone.

Digital Doors to Knowledge

In the new era of technology, learning can also thrive in virtual spaces, especially games and online platforms. James Paul Gee (2003) argues that good games embed powerful learning principles: active engagement, identity exploration, immediate feedback. I wonder, what if school worked like a game? In games, failure is part of learning, and persistence is natural because the experience matters.

I’ve seen this in action. A 10-year-old learns problem-solving through Minecraft mods. A retired grandparent studies Spanish on Duolingo. No classroom. Just curiosity and purpose. It’s not only fun, but also transformative.

Online courses, from YouTube to MOOCs, also expand access. Adults balancing work and caregiving can learn at midnight. Teens can explore topics missing from their school’s curriculum. I once took a free public school family engagement course through edX, learning deeply and on my terms. Could it be that relevance and timing matter more than seat time?

These experiences reinforce a truth: learning happens when people are motivated, supported, and free to engage. Whether through games, online platforms, or real-life interactions, unbound learning reflects the many ways people grow.

Still, I don’t want to romanticize it. Out-of-school learning is not always equitable. Access to resources, mentors, or technology often depends on race, class, or geography. So, who gets to learn freely? Who decides what “counts”? And how can we make learning more inclusive?

As educators, families, and policymakers, we must ask hard questions. Are our systems flexible enough to honor different ways of knowing? Are we opening real opportunities for all learners?

Creating Autonomy-Supportive Learning Environments | Jon Stolk | TEDxSMU

Unbound learning isn’t just a poetic phrase; it’s a call to rethink education. To broaden our definitions, to notice learning in everyday places, and to challenge the assumptions we've inherited.

Maybe true learning begins not in a classroom, but the moment we stop trying to contain it.

References

DeCasper, A. J., & Spence, M. J. (1986). Prenatal maternal speech influences newborns' perception of speech sounds. Infant Behavior and Development, 9(2), 133–150.

Falk, J. H., & Dierking, L. D. (2000). Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning. AltaMira Press.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Herder and Herder.

Gay, G. (2018). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Gee, J. P. (2003). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Palgrave Macmillan.

Gruenewald, D. A., & Smith, G. A. (Eds.). (2008). Place-Based Education in the Global Age: Local Diversity. Routledge.

Styres, S. (2017). Pathways for Remembering and Recognizing Indigenous Thought in Education. University of Toronto Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.

Image Credits

Freepik. (n.d.). Explosion fireworks abstract fibers [Image] Freepik.  https://www.freepik.com

Freepik. (n.d.). Cute baby going their first steps [Image]. Freepik. https://www.freepik.com

Freepik. (n.d.). Full shot smiley students in library [Image]. Freepik. https://www.freepik.com

Macrovector. (n.d.). Art gallery isometric icons set [Image]. Freepik. https://www.freepik.com

Freepik. (n.d.). Collage of numerology concept [Image]. Freepik. https://www.freepik.com

TEDx Talks. (2015, November 5). Creating autonomy‑supportive learning environments | Jon Stolk | TEDxSMU[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxlFzrfdqa4