Originally published on PsychologyToday.com at my blog, “Freedom to Learn“. In many previous posts I have contended that children come into the world biologically designed to educate themselves. The evidence comes from observing the amazing learning capacities of children before they start school (here), the ways that children and adolescents in…
Yes, and … A Parenting Idea
In most live shows (improv, radio, skit shows, etc), they teach you that the main rule is “yes, and”. What this means is that when working with other people you work off of each other, build off what the other person does, never contradict the other person (some exceptions are…
The Socialization of Children
From time to time when asked, I tell someone who doesn’t already know, usually extended family or new acquaintances, that we are keeping our kids home from school. They look puzzled until I use the word “homeschooling”. Like clockwork, sooner or later, they mention the social aspect of schooling and…
Why Our Coercive System of Schooling Should Topple
Originally published on PsychologyToday.com at my blog, “Freedom to Learn“. I’ve been called a crazy optimist, a Pollyanna, a romantic idealist. How can I believe that our system of compulsory (forced) schooling is about to collapse? People point out that in many ways the schooling system is stronger now than…
Interview of Stuart Norman by Pam Laricchia
The following is a lightly edited transcript from Pam Laricchia’s interview of me on her podcast, “Exploring Unschooling” in the Fall of 2016. PAM: Hi, everyone! I’m Pam Laricchia from livingjoyfully.ca, and today I’m here with Stuart Norman. Hi, Stuart. STUART: Hi, Pam. PAM: Hi. How are you doing? STUART:…
Drew Dorsey – Living and Learning as a Father in an Unschooling Family
Being relatively new to the unschooling community (in 2008), our family is meeting new people regularly and treasuring the discovery of new friends with similar principles and lifestyles. We truly value these new acquaintances, for each time we meet a new unschooling family, they serve as another role model, sounding…
The Culture of Childhood: We’ve Almost Destroyed It
Originally published on PsychologyToday.com at my blog, “Freedom to Learn“. I don’t want to trivialize the roles of adults in children’s lives, but, truth be told, we adults greatly exaggerate our roles in our theories and beliefs about how children develop. We have this adult-centric view that we raise, socialize, and educate children. Certainly…
Interview of Alan Marshall by Pam Laricchia
The following is a lightly edited transcript from Pam Laricchia’s interview of me on her podcast, “Exploring Unschooling” in the Winter of 2018. PAM: Hi everyone, I’m Pam Laricchia from livingjoyfully.ca and today I’m here with Alan Marshall. Hi Alan! ALAN: Hello. PAM: Hello! Alan is an unschooling dad, a…
Action, Life, and Learning
It is my understanding that the greatest contribution made by Ludwig von Mises to economic theory is his formulation of the study of human action, or praxeology, and the subsequent discovery of the action axiom. Paraphrased, the action axiom states that people “purposefully utilize means over a period of time in order…
Why Don’t Students Like School?
Originally published on PsychologyToday.com at my blog, “Freedom to Learn“. Someone recently referred me to a book that they thought I’d like. It’s a 2009 book, aimed toward teachers of grades K through 12, titled Why Don’t Students Like School? It’s by a cognitive scientist named Daniel T. Willingham, and it has received rave…