Want to know more about child-led learning?
ARTICLES
A Thousand Rivers: What the modern world has forgotten about children and learning "When you push a child to do something she simply developmentally can not do, you create a profound belief that (a) I hate this; (b) I can’t do this; (c) I will never be able to do this, and (d) There’s something wrong with me. - Carol Black
I Quit, I Think - John Taylor Gatto, an award winning NYC public school teacher, expresses his concerns about the public school system and it's harmful effects on children.
Free-range education: Why the unschooling movement is growing "A once-utopian idea – allowing kids to ‘discover’ their own education path while learning at home – goes mainstream." - Stephanie Hanes
What Kids Need From Grown-Ups (But Aren’t Getting) An interview with Erika Christakis' about her book, The Importance of Being Little. This book "is an impassioned plea for educators and parents to put down the worksheets and flash cards, ditch the tired craft projects (yes, you, Thanksgiving Handprint Turkey) and exotic vocabulary lessons, and double-down on one, simple word: Play" - Corey Turner
The Play Deficit Children today are cossetted and pressured in equal measure. Without the freedom to play they will never grow up" - Peter Gray
BOOKS
Free to Learn, Peter Gray In Free to Learn, developmental psychologist Peter Gray argues that our children, if free to pursue their own interests through play, will not only learn all they need to know, but will do so with energy and passion. Children come into this world burning to learn, equipped with the curiosity, playfulness, and sociability to direct their own education. Yet we have squelched such instincts in a school model originally developed to indoctrinate, not to promote intellectual growth. To foster children who will thrive in today's constantly changing world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development. Drawing on evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history, Gray demonstrates that free play is the primary means by which children learn to control their lives, solve problems, get along with peers, and become emotionally resilient. This capacity to learn through play evolved long ago, in hunter-gatherer bands where children acquired the skills of the culture through their own initiatives. And these instincts still operate remarkably well today, as studies at alternative, democratically administered schools show. When children are in charge of their own education, they learn better—and at lower cost than the traditional model of coercive schooling.
Learning All the Time, John Holt The essence of John Holt's insight into learning and small children is captured in Learning All The Time. This delightful book by the influential author of How Children Fail and How Children Learn shows how children learn to read, write, and count in their everyday life at home and how adults can respect and encourage this wonderful process. For human beings, he reminds us, learning is as natural as breathing. John Holt's wit, his gentle wisdom, and his infectious love of little children bring joy to parent and teacher alike.
VIDEOS