Here’s one explanation of the education gap, and why it keeps increasing. Published on September 19, 2013 by Peter Gray in Freedom to Learn Suppose you are a student in a high school or college course and a magic fairy offers you the following choice: (1) You will learn the material in the course […]
For good biological reasons, children want & need to move beyond their parents. Published on July 20, 2013 by Peter Gray in Freedom to Learn I’m all for natural parenting. The basic premise of such parenting, at least as I view it, is that you trust your children’s instincts and judgments. For example, you […]
Few students and parents are upset by the use of tracking devices on students. Published on November 14, 2012 by Peter Gray in Freedom to Learn The opening of schools in San Antonio this fall brought a flurry of news reports about the new ID badges that all students at John Jay High […]
by Peter Gray The best practices for teaching reading in school do not mimic natural learning. Progressive educators have always believed that methods of classroom instruction should be based on children’s natural ways of learning, that is, on the ways that children learn in life outside of classrooms. This has […]
by Peter Gray Children’s Mental Health Crises Plummet in Summer and Rise in the School Year Imagine a job in which your work every day is micromanaged by your boss. You are told exactly what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. You are required to […]
The hours spent studying, learning and growing together have finally paid off, and your homeschooled child is headed to college. Not only will he be studying at an institution for the first time, he will also be living on his own and taking responsibility for most of his immediate needs. […]
Your son wakes you up bright and early – “Mom, I’m ready to get started.” Instead of taking out his math and science textbooks, he brings up an e-book on the computer on how to build hot rods. Instead of writing out multiple pages of division problems, he creates fascinating […]
Of the 3.2 million high school students who graduated in early 2012, about 2.1 million were enrolled in college that October, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As the father of a 2013 graduate, it’s normal for you to want your daughter to be one of the 66.2 percent preparing for college. […]
By Peter Gray The monsters under the bed are real. Infants and young children in our culture regularly protest going to bed. They make all sorts of excuses. They say they are not tired, when in fact they obviously are tired. They say they are hungry, or thirsty, or need to […]
Creativity blossoms in a non-controlling, non-judgmental environment. Published on October 16, 2012 by Peter Gray in Freedom to Learn In my last post I wrote of evidence that children’s creativity has declined over the past two or three decades, a period during which children’s lives, both in and out of school, have become increasingly controlled and regulated […]