By Peter Gray Ph.D. / Freedom to Learn Ruby Lou and I were children when children were free. We reunited recently. I opened Chapter 1 of my book Free to Learn with the following paragraph: I’ve learned from hundreds of great teachers over the course of my life, but if I had to […]
Dads tend to engage in more active, physical play activities with their young children. Shutterstock/pyrozhenka Play is an important way for children to learn about the world around them. Through play, they learn cultural norms, socialisation guidelines and experiment with different ways to interact with their environment. But play between a father and […]
Credit: shutterstock Despite all the research that tells parents how good it is for their children to spend time playing outside, they are spending more time indoors than ever before. It seems that concerns about the dangers of climbing trees or getting lost means that many parents are nervous about allowing their children to engage […]
One of the biggest revelations offered by people who live outside of schools and enforced curriculum is just how effortless, how ever-present, how natural learning can be. People sometimes ask me how I learned a specific thing, growing up, and I often have trouble answering. Both because, by now, my […]
Inquiry encourages students to explore and understand the application of concepts in a real-world context. from shutterstock.com Inquiry-based learning emphasises a student’s role in the learning process and asks them to engage with an idea or topic in an active way, rather than by sitting and listening to a teacher. […]
Those seeking natural living and learning environments for children, especially children, in need, could get together to discuss possible solutions to an issue many have likely observed. The, not intended, abuse of children by agencies that were created to help children in need. I am referring specifically to governmental social […]
If they ask, tell them the truth. www.shutterstock.com Ah yes, December. Christmas trees and decorations are popping up in shop windows, the weather is warming up, and the school holiday period looms. This may be exciting or distressing, depending on your relationship with your family. Not everyone celebrates Christmas. But, […]
Pursuit of passions requires time for play and self-directed education. By Peter Gray Ph.D. Freedom to Learn This post is a somewhat modified version of the transcript of a TEDx talkI delivered in May, 2018. Follow your passions. That’s what almost every commencement speaker says to the new graduates. It’s almost cruel. If all you’ve […]
It takes effort and imagination, but the benefits are many. from www.shutterstock.com Contrary to the belief we Aussies are a nature-loving outdoor nation, research suggestswe’re spending less and less time outdoors. This worrying trend is also becoming increasingly apparent in our educational settings. I have devoted the majority of my teaching and […]
Moral growth is promoted when we allow little ones to act on their instincts. By Peter Gray Ph.D. Freedom to Learn commons An all-too-common belief in our culture —often held implicitly rather than explicitly — is that babies come into the world as either asocial (the “blank slate” belief) or antisocial (the “original sin” […]