This morning I watched, uncustomarily, TVNZ's Breakfast programme and caught an item on "unschooling", described as "home-schooling without the books". Broadcaster and education commentator, Gordon Dryden, spoke about the unconventional and controversial experiential learning technique.

Serendipitously, while clearing emails after a week away, I opened an email from my brother with this video, made by my nephew Matt, arguing against homework. I think it's great.

The serendipity for me is that it embodies the spirit of unschooling, showing how kids as young as 8 years old can harness a range of skills –constructing an argument, planning, writing, using humour, editing etc - without schoolbooks but merely experimenting using the technology around them.

I love the idea of unschooling and, as so eloquently stated by Dryden, it does not need to be a threat to conventional education. Rather, unlike my experience at school 35 years ago, it can add an exciting and creative learning alternative.

And, of course, there's no homework!