Podcasts about learn why unleashing

In this episode, we dive into the revolutionary ideas of developmental psychologist Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Gray challenges conventional education by making a bold case for self-directed, play-based learning – or "unschooling" – as the best path to prepare kids for a rapidly changing world.Drawing on insights from anthropology, psychology, and history, Gray argues that unstructured play is essential for developing problem-solving skills, emotional resilience, and social competence. We'll explore how freeing children from rigid educational systems can unlock their potential, foster independence, and nurture a lifelong love of learning.Join us as we question the traditional schooling model and discover why trusting children to take charge of their learning could be the key to their happiness and success. Learn about Dr Peter Gray herehttps://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/morrissey/departments/psychology-neuroscience/people/affiliated-and-emeritus/peter-gray.htmlLearn about Sudbury Valley free to learn school here.https://sudburyvalley.org/Support the showSubscribe and support the podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/367319/supporters/newLearn more at www.profselenabartlett.com

In Part 2 of Parenting Trends, Lisa and Cheree explore the importance of nurturing a child's imagination through reading and play. Discover the essential "work" happening in a child's brain during these activities and why they are crucial for healthy development.Resources from Today's Podcast:Reset your child's brainBalanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable ChildrenFree to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for LifeHow Children LearnHow to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with NatureHow to teach your child during play: The Three R's by Ruth BeechickCheree's List of Chapter Book Bedtime Read Alouds for Elementary & Middle School age children:-Tales of the Kingdom-Little Pilgrim's Progress-God's Smuggler-George Muller-Prince Warrior series -The Cross and the Switchblade

Play isn't a reward for learning, it is the learning. In this episode, we dig into the puritanical reflex to be suspicious of anything fun, and rebuke it with developmental science and lived experience. We give ideas on how to create playful conditions for deep, sustainable learning for your kids and even yourself.We also break down how to evaluate homeschool learning you're already doing: How does it look like play? How are you capitalizing on tools, clothing, kinesthetic energy, excitement, and engagement? Does the skill being honed lead to something the kids actually want to do? If you're feeling stuck and bored with your homeschooling, or if your kids are feeling that way, this is the episode for you. Resources:Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that's sure to grab and keep your child's attentionCheck out the Brave Writer Practice Pages Peruse the Brave Writer Book ShopLearn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs Read all the Brave Writer class descriptionsCheck out the Class Schedule for Fall Sign up for Brave Writer 101Explore Tools for the Art of WritingRead Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary HappinessRead How Children LearnRead Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for LifeSign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684Connect with Julie:Instagram: @juliebravewriterThreads: @juliebravewriterTwitter: @bravewriterFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriterConnect with Melissa:Website: melissawiley.comSubstack:

“Most people don't want to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that distraction is always an unhealthy escape from reality.” My latest guest, Nir Eyal, writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. In our conversation, Nir gives it to us straight. Distraction is killing us, and stopping us from reaching our full potential. In a world that is constantly conspiring to keep us distracted, Nir provides an alternative: we can take back control. We can regain our agency. All of these ideas are presented in his book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life (co-authored with Julie Li). This book is a clear guide to understanding the psychology behind our impulses and is chock-full of great anecdotes and peer-reviewed studies to help you better manage your time, and your life. Nir's framework is not only interesting, it is practical, so I suggest you check out our Substack, where you'll find the episode transcript and some actionable takeaways. I also encourage you to buy Nir's excellent book and start applying his strategies to your own life.  I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did! Important Links: Nir's personal blog Nir's LinkedIn Nir's Twitter Nir's YouTube channel Nir's Habit Tracking Tool Nir's Schedule Maker Tool Show Notes: What Being Indistractable Is All About Etymology of the Word Distraction The Strong Pull of Internal Triggers The Tyranny of the To-Do List The Difference Between High Performers and Low Performers The Dangers of Labelling Ourselves Using the Psychology of Identity Using Self-Determination Theory to Diagnose Distraction The Perils of Snowplow Parenting Believe the Good Science Nir as Emperor of the World Books / Articles Mentioned: Indistractable; by Nir Eyal (+ bonus content) Nir's articles on Timeboxing, Values, FOMO and Wage slavery Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life; by Peter Gray

Has children's play become too safe? Research suggests that efforts to prioritize safety harms children's mental and physical development during play and contribute to anxiety. One solution: introduce risk into play. We visit an adventure playground where kids play unsupervised with anything from scraps of metal to hammers and nails. Plus, what are the evolutionary benefits of play? After all, we're not the only species who like to roughhouse, sled, or chase balls. And, reclaiming play for those who have outgrown recess. Guests: David Toomey - Professor of English, University of Massachusetts. Amherst and author of “Kingdom of Play: What Ball-Bouncing Octopuses, Belly-Flopping Monkeys, and Mud-Sliding Elephants Reveal About Life Itself.” Mariana Brussoni - Developmental psychologist who studies children's outdoor risky play, and professor at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Medicine Yoni Kallai - Interim director, head playworker and co-founder of play:groundNYC Peter Gray - Psychology researcher at Boston College and author of "Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life" Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has children's play become too safe? Research suggests that efforts to prioritize safety harms children's mental and physical development during play and contribute to anxiety. One solution: introduce risk into play. We visit an adventure playground where kids play unsupervised with anything from scraps of metal to hammers and nails. Plus, what are the evolutionary benefits of play? After all, we're not the only species who like to roughhouse, sled, or chase balls. And, reclaiming play for those who have outgrown recess. Guests: David Toomey - Professor of English, University of Massachusetts. Amherst and author of “Kingdom of Play: What Ball-Bouncing Octopuses, Belly-Flopping Monkeys, and Mud-Sliding Elephants Reveal About Life Itself.” Mariana Brussoni - Developmental psychologist who studies children's outdoor risky play, and professor at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Medicine Yoni Kallai - Interim director, head playworker and co-founder of play:groundNYC Peter Gray - Psychology researcher at Boston College and author of "Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life" Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we teach our children social and emotional awareness in a fun and play filled way? Eventually our children will become adults so when they walk out into the world, we want them to step into their lives as aware and in control of their emotions as possible. In this episode we discuss:The resources Yara has put together to support social and emotional learningThe importance of playing and therefore learning how to self regulate Crafts which help engage children in social awarenessHow kids cope with anger and the tools to help them while learning this emotionDifferent discipline options during transitional points How to manage your own emotions as a parent Communication points in your child's day so you can check inHow Yara relaxesAbout The Guest - Yara HabanbouYara Habanbou has experience in the field of education, and is deeply passionate about nurturing social-emotional skills in children, helping them grow not only as students but as kind, compassionate, and resilient individuals. She is the creator of seaofknowledge.org, where she shares tons of printables, ideas and activities to nurture kids' social skills as well as their academic skills.Website www.seaofknowledge.orgFacebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolineM Instagram @seaofknowledgeyara—Resources mentioned in the podcast episode:Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown and Christopher VaughanThe Power of Play - learning what comes naturally by David ElkindFree to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for LifePlay=Learning: How Play Motivates and Enhances Children's Cognitive and Social-Emotional Growth Edited by Dorothy G. Singer, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, and Kathy Hirsh-PasekCalm and Connected Ep 154: Ways to Connect with Kids and Teenshttps://www.janinehalloran.com/podcast/calm-and-connected-episode-154About The Host - Janine HalloranJanine Halloran is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, an author, a speaker, an entrepreneur and a mom. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Janine has been working primarily with children, adolescents, and their families for over 20 years. She is the Founder of 'Coping Skills for Kids', where she creates products and resources to help kids learn to cope with their feelings in safe and healthy ways. Janine also founded 'Encourage Play' which dedicated to helping kids learn and practice social skills in the most natural way - through play! If you're interested in learning more about how to teach kids coping skills, download your free Coping Skills Toolkit:https://copingskillsforkids.com/newsletterIf you're interested in joining the Coping Skills Community Hub, an ever-expanding resource library and community of families and professionals teaching kids how to cope, learn more at https://copingskillsforkids.com/hubIf you'd like to purchase Janine's products, including the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook, Social Skills for Kids Workbook, Coping Cue Cards, and more, visit https://store.copingskillsforkids.com or https://amazon.com/copingskillsforkidsConnect with Janine on Social Media Instagram: @copingskillsforkids Facebook: facebook.com/copingskillsforkids and facebook.com/encourageplayYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JanineHalloranEncouragePlay

Jeu libre, jeu risqué, jeu non-structuré... Le développement de l'enfance passionne visiblement la génération actuelle de jeunes parents et les nouveaux termes se multiplient d'un ouvrage à l'autre. Comment s'y retrouver, et surtout, avons-nous réellement affaire à de nouveaux concepts? Dans cet épisode riche de réflexions et de conclusions tirées de la plus récente littérature, Chloé et Marie-Philippe s'inquiètent du déclin du jeu dans la vie des enfants et proposent des manières de l'intégrer davantage tout en tenant compte des ressources de temps et d'énergie. Un épisode que l'on espère éclairant et rassurant.    Cet épisode s'adresse à ceux et celles qui:  - se questionnent sur l'emploi du temps des jeunes enfants;  - souhaitent intégrer le jeu libre et le jeu risqué au quotidien;  - ont envie de jouer et d'être plus créatif en tant qu'adulte.    Ressources mentionnées:  Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One) Le drame des enfants parfaits: Pour une permaculture de l'enfance, Céline Lamy  End the Phone-Based Childhood Now, Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic  Nos enfants, le téléphone et le virtuel, Patrick Lagacé, La Presse

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Ryan Moyer speaks with play expert, Dr. Peter Gray about his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students For Life. They discuss the characteristics of an activity that allow it to be considered play, the developmental skills learned during play, why play has declined since the 1950's, and how parents & schools can create environments to foster play. For more on Peter, visit his Substack at petergray.substack.com. Why Do We Do That? is a psychology podcast that deconstructs human behavior from the perspectives of social scientists, psychologists, and others that use applied psychology in their work. Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Patreon |

Discover why play is essential for your child's growth, from enhancing cognitive development to fostering social skills. Today, I'm joined by Dr. Peter Gray, a research professor at Boston College specializing in psychology and neuroscience, who has dedicated his career to understanding the value of play in children's lives. He is a founding member of the board of Let Grow and author of the acclaimed book "Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life." Dr. Gray shares insights into how play promotes creativity, problem-solving, and emotional well-being in young children, unraveling the transformative power of play-based learning in schools. Explore the therapeutic benefits of play therapy for children and learn how engaging in play activities can reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being. Join the conversation on the role of play in promoting physical fitness, creativity, and the development of social skills. Tune in to understand why play is crucial during early childhood development and how it positively impacts brain development and adult mental health. Dr. Peter's Substack Free to learn book An Article from Dr. Peter ⁠Jamie's Website⁠⁠ Jamie's Courses ⁠⁠Jamie's Instagram Jamie's Patreon⁠⁠ Oh Crap! Potty Training⁠⁠ Oh Crap! I Have a Toddler (00:01:12) The Significance of Unstructured Play in Child Development (00:08:01) Discovering Passions Through Self-Directed Play (00:11:10) The Role of Rules in Children's Play (00:20:04) The Power of Age-Mixed Play in Reducing Bullying (00:27:31) Unstructured Free Play Fostering School Friendships (00:40:25) Developing Street Smarts Through Age-Mixed Play (00:42:59) Decline of Neighborhood Play due to Organized Activities (00:56:50) The Impact of Academic Pressure on Student Mental Health (01:03:59) Creating a Nurturing Environment for Children (01:10:46) Fostering Independence Through Solo Adventures

This week, Kaity and Adriane chat with Peter Gray, research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College and renowned author of "Free to Learn." This episode is all about the power of play in learning, shedding light on how self-directed exploration can ignite children's natural curiosity and shape their futures. Peter shares his journey into the field of education and his personal experience with his son's struggles in traditional schooling. He discusses the pivotal moment that led him to discover Sudbury Valley School, an alternative school focused on self-directed education. Peter also talks about his study on the graduates of Sudbury Valley School, which found they were successful in various careers, debunking the notion that traditional schooling is necessary for success. Episode 34 also explores: 

In this podcast episode returning guest Peter Gray, retired professor of psychology at Boston College, makes an argument for why we should consider other ways of understanding and structuring learning in and outside of school. We talk about college and access to working life, possible alternative ways of learning an occupation, David Geary's evolutionary theory of biologically primary and secondary abilities, what we need to learn and when we need to learn it, what we can observe in kids who aren't taught in the conventional ways, kids who learn to read on their own or who learn the whole math curriculum in a couple of months in their late teens, how our expectations influence learning, consequences for not reading when society expects you to, how and when children learn to walk and what we do when they don't, whining in different cultures, the summer slide, and what to say when people complain that they wish that someone had forced them to learn something earlier in life, how children's independence and autonomy relates to their mental health, how we try to fix problems by taking away children's liberty and responsibility, why we should teach them about dangers instead of trying to get rid of them, and many other topics.  Even if you don't find yourself agreeing with all of Peter's arguments, we would love to hear more about what points he's making that you think are valid and worth considering. How can we let alternative views on education actually widen our current understanding of learning and schooling, instead of just assuming the worst about each other? Send un an email to larsogpaal@gmail.com, we'll be thankful to every kind of criticism, feedback and suggestions of further explorations and interviews that we should do on these topics.  See more of Peter's writings on his Substack https://petergray.substack.com/ Here's his 2017 article about the summer slide, mentioned in the episode: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201707/facts-and-fiction-about-the-so-called-summer-slide   Mentions and recommendations from the episode:  Jim Rietmulder, 2019. When Kids Rule the School: The Power and Promise of Democratic Education. New Society Publishers.  Kerry McDonald, 2019. Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom. Chicago Review Press.  David Graeber og David Wengrow. 2021. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. Allen Lane. Harriet Pattison. 2016. Rethinking Learning to Read. Educational Heretics Press.  Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. 2007. The Old Ways: A Story of the First People. Picador.  danah boyd. 2014. It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press.  Peter Gray. 2013. Free to Learn: : Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books Peter Gray, David Lancy, David F. Bjorklund. 2023. «Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children's Mental Wellbeing: Summary of the Evidence» February 2023, The Journal of Pediatrics 260(2)   Peter was previously a guest on the podcast in episode 53:  https://larsogpaal.libsyn.com/episode-53-peter-gray-on-self-directed-education-and-schooling ---------------------------- Our logo is by Sveinung Sudbø, see his works on originalkopi.com The music is by Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen, see the facebook page Nygrenda Vev og Dur for more info.  ---------------------------- Thank you for listening. Please send feedback and questions to larsogpaal@gmail.com There is no better way for the podcast to gain new interested listener than by you sharing it with friends, so if you find what we do interesting and useful, please consider doing just that. The podcast is still most in Norwegian, but we have a lot of episodes coming out in English.  Our blogs: https://paljabekk.com/ https://larssandaker.blogspot.com/ Alt godt, hilsen Lars og Pål

What role does our evolutionary history play in how we learn? Is it even useful to look and try to determine what's «natural» for us humans? In what way does our biology determine what is good for us? Did evolution «design» us to be happy? What is evolutionary mismatch? What sort of skills require explicit instruction? How do we balance this need with the developmental need for autonomy and independence, which kids in our current culture get less of than before? Why is it developmentally useful to be cognitively immature, and why are young kids natural optimists?  These and many other questions are discussed in this episode, where Lars talks to David F. Bjorklund about his work on human development and evolutionary psychology. We also discuss some of the work of other researchers in the field, like David C. Geary and his distinction between biologically primary and secondary abilities, as well as some of Peter Gray's positions on learning, autonomy, age mixing and mental health.  David F. Bjorklund is a professor of psychology at Florida Atlantic University. For more info, see: https://psy.fau.edu/people/dbjorklu.php Recommendations: David F. Bjorklund. (2020). How Children Invented Humanity: The Role of Development in Human Evolution. Oxford University Press David F. Bjorklund (2022). «Children's Evolved Learning Abilities and Their Implications for Education» , June 2022 Educational Psychology Review 34(5) David C. Geary. (2005). Origin of Mind: : Evolution of Brain, Cognition, and General Intelligence. American Psychological Association David C. Geary. (2007). «An Evolutionarily Informed Education Science» October 2008, Educational Psychologist 43(4) David C. Geary og Daniel B. Berch (red). (2016). Evolutionary Perspectives on Child Development and Education. Springer Jerry C. Carlson og  Joel R. Levin (red.) (2007). Educating the Evolved Mind: Conceptual Foundations for an Evolutionary Educational Psychology. Information Age Publishing  Peter Gray. (2013). Free to Learn: : Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books Peter Gray, David Lancy, David F. Bjorklund. (2023). «Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children's Mental Wellbeing: Summary of the Evidence» February 2023, The Journal of Pediatrics 260(2) Glenn Geher og Nicole Wedberg. (2019). Positive Evolutionary Psychology: Darwin's Guide to Living a Richer Life. Oxford University Press   ---------------------------- Our logo is by Sveinung Sudbø, see his works on originalkopi.com The music is by Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen, see the facebook page Nygrenda Vev og Dur for more info.  ---------------------------- Thank you for listening. Please send feedback and questions to larsogpaal@gmail.com There is no better way for the podcast to gain new interested listener than by you sharing it with friends, so if you find what we do interesting and useful, please consider doing just that. The podcast is still most in Norwegian, but we have a lot of episodes coming out in English.  Our blogs: https://paljabekk.com/ https://larssandaker.blogspot.com/ Alt godt, hilsen Lars og Pål

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODETeach Your Kids: LinkedIn | Website | X | Instagram | Substack | Facebook | TikTokManisha: LinkedIn | X | Instagram | FacebookLesley Grossblatt: LinkedIn | Medium | XJoin our premium community with expert support and adviceSparking Independent Learning with Strewing | Modulo - Lesley GrossblattTeach Your Kids Podcast EpisodesRaising Gifted Learners With Megan Cannella: Insights From a Gifted Learning Specialist About Identifying and Supporting Gifted KidsDr. Gordon Neufeld on Redefining Parental Power & ConnectionBut what about socialization?Teach Your Kids Blog PostsBut what about childcare? - Teach Your KidsBooks and ArticlesFree to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life - Peter GrayHold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers - Gordon Neufeld, Gabor Maté MDThe Gifted Kids' Survival Guide: For Ages 10 & Under - Judy Galbraith M.A.The Gifted Teen Survival Guide: Smart, Sharp, and Ready for (Almost) Anything  - Judy Galbraith M.A.Unschooling Podcasts and Websites The Exploring Unschooling PodcastUnschooling Mom2MomStrewing CalendarUnschooling SchoolOnline ClassesCreativeLiveMasterClassKhan Academy Related ResourcesHomeschool Association of CaliforniaSudbury school - WikipediaWhat Are You Learning?Young StorytellersThis site contains product affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.  Time Codes00:00:00 — Introduction: Manisha welcomes Lesley Grossblatt00:01:09 — Lesley shares her personal journey into unschooling00:03:53 — Discussing the concept of crisis homeschooling00:10:40 — The significance of the de-schooling process in unschooling00:17:05 — Lesley's perspective on the learner-driven approach of unschooling00:21:17 — Utilizing video games and technology as educational tools in unschooling00:29:48 — How Lesley tailored Japanese language learning for her child's interests00:34:31 — Addressing fears and misconceptions about unschooling00:38:45 — Lesley's older child's transition from unschooling to traditional high school00:46:40 — Exploring the concept of strewing in unschooling00:52:20 — Balancing unschooling with full-time work and nurturing children's independence00:55:30 — Lesley discusses integrating life skills into unschooling and shares her experience working with education entrepreneurs00:59:02 — The importance of community support in the unschooling journey01:03:25 — How Lesley manages time and resources for unschooling01:07:00 — Final thoughts and conclusion of the interviewThis podcast is made possible through a generous grant from the Vela Education Fund VELA Education Fund is catalyzing a vibrant alternative education ecosystem. VELA provides trust-based funding to entrepreneurs, fosters community-building and knowledge-sharing, and increases visibility through storytelling that promotes cultural awareness and acceptance of the out-of-system space. Today, VELA serves the largest community of out-of-system education entrepreneurs in the country, with over 2,000 community members. About half of VELA's community members operate small learning environments, and the other half are ecosystem and community builders offering direct services and support across the out-of-system space. Learn more at velaedfund.org.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODETeach Your Kids: Website | LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Substack | FacebookManisha: LinkedIn | X | Instagram | FacebookLisa Betts-LaCroix: Website | LinkedIn | Super Power U Podcast | FacebookNir Eyal: Website | LinkedIn | X | Facebook | Nir and Far PodcastKerry McDonald: LiberatED Podcast | Website | X | Instagram | FacebookShiren Rattigan: Colossal Academy | LinkedIN | Instagram | XNaval Ravikant: Airchat | LinkedIn | X | Podcast | YouTubeRachel Thomas: Fast.ai | LinkedIn | X | FacebookAlycia Wright: Cultural Roots Homeschool Co-op| LinkedIn | Instagram | FacebookJoin our premium community with expert support and adviceJoin the Conversation on AirchatHomeschooling Room: https://getairchat.com/manisharose/homeschoolingRelated Teach Your Kids Podcast EpisodesHomeschooling with Naval Ravikant, Nir Eyal, Rachel Thomas, Kerry McDonald, Alycia Wright, Shiren Rattigan, and Lisa Betts-Lacroix: Part 1But what about socialization?Raising Indistractable Kids: Nir Eyal's Unconventional Approach to HomeschoolingMicroschooling with Iman Alleyne & Shiren RattiganThe Future of Educational Choice: Kerry McDonald Unpacks it AllTeach Your Kids: Game-Based Learning: The Prodigy Approach with Rohan Mahimker Blog PostsSo, what's the big deal about "Mastery Learning"?

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODETeach Your Kids: Website | LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Substack | FacebookManisha: LinkedIn | X | Instagram | FacebookLisa Betts-LaCroix: Website | LinkedIn | Super Power U Podcast | FacebookNir Eyal: Website | LinkedIn | X | Facebook | Nir and Far PodcastKerry McDonald: LiberatED Podcast | Website | X | Instagram | FacebookShiren Rattigan: Colossal Academy | LinkedIN | Instagram | XNaval Ravikant: Airchat | LinkedIn | X | Podcast | YouTubeRachel Thomas: Fast.ai | LinkedIn | X | FacebookAlycia Wright: Cultural Roots Homeschool Co-op| LinkedIn | Instagram | FacebookJoin our premium community with expert support and adviceJoin the Conversation on AirchatHomeschooling Room: https://getairchat.com/manisharose/homeschoolingRelated Teach Your Kids Podcast EpisodesBut what about socialization?Raising Indistractable Kids: Nir Eyal's Unconventional Approach to HomeschoolingMicroschooling with Iman Alleyne & Shiren RattiganThe Future of Educational Choice: Kerry McDonald Unpacks it AllTeach Your Kids: Game-Based Learning: The Prodigy Approach with Rohan Mahimker Blog PostsSo, what's the big deal about "Mastery Learning"?

Manisha Snoyer unravels the untapped potential of homeschooling and mastery learning, laying a roadmap for parents eager to take control of their children's education. Drawing from personal experience and a passion for transformative education, Snoyer criticizes the traditional, rigid educational system, advocating for a more flexible, child-centric approach. She discusses the importance of parental involvement, self-directed learning, and the increasing accessibility of homeschooling tools and communities. Snoyer emphasizes that homeschooling isn't only for the affluent but a feasible option for all, showcasing its positive impact on family well-being and a child's development. Her insights into educational communities, practical life skills, and modular learning are eye-opening, presenting a fresh perspective on modern education. From dealing with screen addiction to teaching financial literacy, this episode is a treasure trove of wisdom for parents and educators alike, a call to action for anyone yearning for a more compassionate, innovative education system.Manisha Snoyer is a renowned educator, speaker, and innovator in the field of personalized learning and childhood education. With over a decade of experience, she has worked passionately to bridge the gap between traditional education systems and individualized learning methodologies. Her commitment to fostering a child-centric approach has led her to establish programs and platforms that empower children to learn at their own pace, cultivating creativity and critical thinking. Manisha's expertise extends to the intersection of technology and education, as she leverages digital tools to enhance learning experiences. Most recently, she has taken her insights to the airwaves with a new podcast entitled "Teach Your Kids with Manisha Snoyer." This insightful show delves into the world of modern parenting and education, featuring expert guests and practical advice for parents navigating today's complex educational landscape. Through "Teach Your Kids," Manisha continues her mission to inspire parents, educators, and children alike, forging new paths in education and fostering lifelong learners. Her voice resonates as a beacon of innovation and inspiration in the ever-evolving field of learning.Selected Resources from the EpisodeFree to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life - Peter GrayHooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products - Nir EyalTeach Your Own: The Indispensable Guide to Living and Learning with Children at Home - John Holt, Pat Farenga Dumbing Us Down - 25th Anniversary Edition: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling - John Taylor Gatto Beast AcademyMastery Learning - Benjamin BloomSecular, Eclectic, Academic (SEA) Homeschoolers | FacebookSo, what's the big deal about "Mastery Learning"? Not school or homeschooling, but modular learningWhat is modular learning? 21 statistics and trends that show homeschooling is the future of schoolMastery Hours: Core Subjects for Your Power HoursA Comprehensive Review of Beast Academy by an experienced math teacher: Is it a good choice for your child?On Bloom's two sigma problem: A systematic review of the effectiveness of mastery learning, tutoring, and direct instructionThis site contains product affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.  Time Codes:[00:00:00]: Manisha Snoyer opens the podcast, highlighting the significance of parents in education. [00:01:20]: Snoyer shares her personal journey, allowing listeners to relate to her struggles with the traditional education system. [00:07:32]: Mastery learning in homeschooling is explained, a critical concept that promises personalized growth, emphasizing the child's learning pace.[00:09:20]: Parental involvement is discussed, highlighting its paramount importance and inspiring a call to action for parents.[00:14:35]: Screen addiction is addressed, and an upcoming guest, Nir Eyal, is introduced. [00:17:20]: Manisha talks about remote work and its influence on parental care needs. [00:21:46]: An inspiring story about a single mom in Bolivia demonstrates homeschooling's reach. It's an empowering moment that breaks financial barriers.[00:24:00]: Growing resources and tools like YouTube and adaptive learning apps are discussed. This practical advice aids those interested in homeschooling.[00:26:01]: Manisha emphasizes the need for diverse exposure in education, highlighting a key advantage of homeschooling.[00:30:20]: The importance of teaching practical skills such as financial literacy and data analysis is emphasized. [00:30:40]: Manisha challenges the common excuse of being too busy to homeschool.[00:32:06]: Topics like building healthy bonds, dealing with burnout, and addressing racism are outlined. [00:34:04]: Snoyer discusses the freedom of modular learning, encapsulating the spirit of the movement.[00:36:08]: The future of education and the need to optimize it are stressed. It's a thought-provoking note for future change.[00:38:02]: Manisha Snoyer shares her dream of accessible education, ending on a high note by inviting listeners to join the movement.

Nir Eyal, author of "Hooked" and "Indistractable," joins Manisha Snoyer to discuss his family's homeschooling journey, the philosophy of child-led learning, the role of technology in education, and how to raise indistractable kids. Throughout the conversation, Eyal highlights his daughter's experiences with self-directed education, the importance of personalization in learning, and the benefits of a flexible homeschooling schedule. He also shares insights into managing screen time, distinguishing between good and bad digital experiences, and fostering a love for learning. This episode offers a profound exploration of the current educational landscape, providing valuable perspectives for parents, educators, and anyone interested in a modern approach to teaching and learning.Nir Eyal (@nireyal) is a renowned author, lecturer, and expert in behavioral design. Primarily known for his work on the psychology of habit-forming products, he has also made contributions to the field of education, particularly homeschooling. His book "Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life" serves as a manual for maintaining focus in an increasingly distracted world, a concept that he applies to educational settings as well. Eyal's approach blends technological innovation with cognitive psychology, focusing on creating habits and routines that make learning more interactive and tailored to individual needs. His insights not only enhance learning but also offer fresh perspectives in the constantly evolving landscape of learning. SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Nir Eyal:Website | X | Facebook | LinkedInHooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products -  Nir EyalIndistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life - Nir EyalFree to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life - Peter GrayRegain Hours of Lost Productivity - Indistractable Workbook How to Craft an 'Indistractable' Summer Schedule for Your Kids - Nir And FarWyzant - Professional tutorsNo, Smartphones Have Not Destroyed a Generation - Sarah Rose CavanaghSelf-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being - Richard Ryan, Edwar DedciThe Modulo CommunityThis site contains product affiliate links. We may receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links. Time Codes:[00:01:00]: Manisha introduces her guest, Nir Eyal. He shares his personal homeschooling journey.[00:06:42]: Nir shares his daughter's positive experiences with self-directed education in the form of having the autonomy to hire her own teachers.[00:09:25]: Explanation of the multifaceted advantages of homeschooling, such as schedule flexibility and the ability to include activities traditional schooling can't accommodate, and provides a detailed account of what a typical day looks like.[00:14:45]: Nir shares his philosophy of natural consequences, focusing on guiding rather than dictating. He emphasizes the importance of allowing children to make their own paths, understanding the results of their choices, and building a more authentic learning experience.[00:20:10]: Nir Eyal highlights the importance of being honest and transparent with children, sharing personal anecdotes and struggles.[00:30:50]: Discussion about the social benefits homeschooling provides, including examples of how a customized education can cultivate broader social skills and adaptability.[00:34:43]: Nir Eyal presents his beliefs about screen time, stating that it isn't inherently bad. He emphasizes the importance of moderation and age-appropriate content, along with communication between parent and child.[00:39:20]: Offering a fresh perspective on managing screen time and understanding children's virtual behavior, Nir gives insight into the displacement hypothesis, the idea that children may seek online what they lack offline.[00:49:36]: The significance of scheduling time for online activities and free play.[00:53:53]: Manisha asks the guest, Nir Eyal, about something new he is currently learning.[00:56:00]: Nir Eyal introduces a workbook that can help anyone become less distractible. He outlines four key strategies, opening up a practical path towards focused and effective living.[01:01:24]: Conclusion, book recommendations, resources, and final thoughts.

This is part two of my conversation with Dr Peter Gray. In this episode we discuss what play is, what it is not, as well as modern ways that children play, namely video games. As a psychologist, Dr Gray has done immense amounts of research on the cognitive effects of video games and addiction, and I was surprised at what he has to say about them. Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College who has conducted and published research in behavioral biology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, now in its 8th edition), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. His recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books), which has been translated into 18 languages. He also authors a regular blog called Freedom to Learn, for Psychology Today magazine. He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and of the nonprofit Let Grow, the mission of which is to renew children's freedom to play and explore independently of adult control. You can follow him on Facebook and find many of his published articles on his website . Show Notes: Playborhood: Turn Your Neighborhood Into a Place For Play by Mike Lanza --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jessica9025/support

Charlotte Mason said that “When we say that 'education is an atmosphere,' we do not mean that a child should be isolated in what may be called a 'child-environment' especially adapted and prepared, but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions. It stultifies a child to bring down his world to the child's level.” To help me understand the educational value of the the natural home environment, I've invited Dr Peter Gray on the podcast today to discuss his experience and research in this area. This episode is part 1 of our conversation. We cover topics like why a classroom environment does not foster meaningful learning, why children learn better from from real life experiences, why public schools were started (and how they operate), and why the classroom environment actually nurtures anxiety, stress and bullying. Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College who has conducted and published research in behavioral biology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, now in its 8th edition), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. His recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books), which has been translated into 18 languages. He also authors a regular blog called Freedom to Learn , for Psychology Today magazine. He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and of the nonprofit Let Grow , the mission of which is to renew children's freedom to play and explore independently of adult control. You can follow him on Facebook and find many of his published articles on his website . --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jessica9025/support

Free To Learn and PLAY with Dr. Peter Gray Peter Gray is an American psychologist, author and research professor. He has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. His research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves, through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books). He has been a regular contributor to Psychology Today magazine and is a founding member and president of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE) and a founding board director of the nonprofit Let Grow.  He earned his undergraduate degree at Columbia College and Ph.D. in biological sciences at the Rockefeller University many years ago. His own current play includes kayaking, long-distance bicycling, backwoods skiing, and vegetable gardening.  In This Episode: The Importance Of Free Play​ This episode is a re-release of an earlier episode with Peter Gray. (episode 47)  It is such a wonderful and important discussion that I want to make sure it stays accessible.  In this episode we talk about:  The importance of FREE PLAY Self Directed Learning and the key parts of the self directed learning environment The lack of free play in our world today and what the absence of it has led to Parents Fears around self directed education Resources Research studies: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/experts/peter-gray-phd Observational study Jay Feldman https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED453128 Study of Grown Unschoolers https://www.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/Published%20Grown%20Unschoolers%20I.pdf https://www.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/Published%20Grown%20Unschooles%20II.pdf Brian Sutton Smith Play Scholar Play Theory Democratic Schools Sudbury Valley School Peter Gray's Book Free To Learn: Why Unleashing The Instinct To Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students For Life Alliance For Self Directed Education Let Grow Project Podcast Sponsor This episode was brought to you by Fearless Learners by Success Codes Fearless Learners by SuccessCodes;Where all children can learn and grow fearless with a Learning Success Coach by their side. Their certified Learning Success coaches make learning easy with their proven holistic coaching methodology which is a unique and superior alternative to tutoring and teaching in all subjects.All of their coaches are certified teachers as well as certified Learning Success Coaches, who have left the school system to create the ‘right' environment to provide customized and personalized learning experiences.    *Kohila is offering a FREE 45 minute clarity coaching call to Honey! I'm Homeschooling The Kids listeners. Just go to learningsuccessacademy.com Watch From Fear To Fearless, Kohila's weekly show on Wednesday, 11am Pacific Time at fearlesslearners.live How To Be An Awesome Homeschooler~ March 24th 2023 Grab your FREE or Full Access Pass ticket (only $37) ~ HOW TO BE AN AWESOME HOMESCHOOLER The summit is open to all since we are hosting it as an audio only experience on the Clubhouse app. But if you register for your FREE TICKET through the website you also receive our Digital Swag Bag that gives you a ton of resource freebies for parents and kids (like my son's Science Animal Journal, Kelly Edwards Creating Quiet Time packet, Free Conscious Parenting mini course, Discounts on our favourite books, Kids Entrepreneurship Course, Discounts to online resources and MORE.  If you cannot make the live event, we are also offering a FULL ACCESS package of the recordings, pdfs and post summit community gatherings which include a Movie Screening~ The amazing film MaidenTrip~ and Live Group Q&A and Coaching with Kelly Edwards of 90 Minute School Day and I.  We are able to create this summit and make it accessible because of our wonderful Sponsors. Night ZooKeeper, Learning Success Academy, Erica Kesilman~Conscious Parent Coach, Mel Science, Storitopia, Amanda Schenkenberger~ Homeschool Coach, Honey! I'm Homeschooling The Kids podcast and 90 Minute School Day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The depth of Peter Gray's beliefs about a better way to learn are matched only by his profound content knowledge and contributions to the field of psychology and child development. This is a provocative, boundary pushing conversation - about reimagining learning without the curriculum, the tests.. and even the teachers. You will without a doubt be talking about this with your friends at your next coffee date.More on Peter Gray:Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston Collegewho has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmentalpsychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationallyacclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, now inits 8 th edition), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. Hisrecent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how childreneducate themselves through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. Hehas expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct toPlay Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life(Basic Books). He also authors a regular blog called Freedom to Learn, for PsychologyToday magazine. He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-DirectedEducation and of the nonprofit Let Grow , the mission of which is to renew children'sfreedom to play and explore independently of adult control. Resources:www.nosillyquestionspodcast.comhttps://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/

The Sudbury Valley School is legendary in alternative education and unschooling circles. Founded in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1968, Sudbury Valley has become a beacon for parents and educators interested in non-coercive, self-directed education, and has inspired the creation of dozens of Sudbury-style schools around the world.  Our guest today is Mimsy Sadofsky, one of the original founders of the Sudbury Valley School who continues to work at the school as a full-time staff member.  This episode is also personally very special because I wanted to share with you our family's journey toward enrolling at Sudbury Valley School. Episode-related links: Sudbury Valley School open house Planning kit for starting a Sudbury model school Award-winning filmmaker and Sudbury Valley School alumna, Laura Poitras American Journal of Education research paper on SVS graduate outcomes Free At Last, by SVS cofounder Daniel Greenberg Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, by Peter Gray Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom, by Kerry McDonald

Pete and Sparky have a chat with Peter Gray, research professor of psychology at Boston College and author of the book "Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life," about the importance of unstructured, adult-free activity in children's social and intellectual development.You can learn more about Professor Gray's books, and read his blog posts, at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/peter-gray-phdThis episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigators on our Patreon.

The Essential School Sucks, #5 of 50 Theme One: The Real Problems With Public School Dr. Peter Gray was a research professor of psychology at Boston College, and author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (https://amzn.to/3sJOtcu). Peter serves on the Organizing team for the Alliance of Self-Directed-Education. He also runs a blog on Psychology Today called Freedom to Learn, where he regularly explains and promotes self-directed education from a variety of angles. Today Peter and I discuss creativity and critical thinking - two skills we agree are left underdeveloped (or even damaged) by public school and college. On critical thinking, Peter has referenced studies and surveys that reveal about 50% of employers are dissatisfied with entry-level, college graduate employees (PayScale Inc.) and that college does little to improve higher level thinking (Academically Adrift: Limited Learning On College Campuses - 2011). On creativity, Peter wrote a piece called As Children's Freedom Has Declined, So Has Their Creativity. Peter informs us that there are actually quantitative studies, including the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, that show a marked decline in children's creative capacity since the 1980s. We discuss the causes of this decline in detail. We finish with a friendly disagreement (then agreement) on the educational merits of video games. In part one we discussed the biological foundations of self-education. LISTEN HERE (https://www.patreon.com/posts/podcast-542-gray-16951940) In part three we'll talk about Peter's vision for self-directed education in the future. LISTEN HERE (https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/schoolsucks/episodes/2018-02-16T07_45_51-08_00) Our Partners https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/b/b9f98e30-82d3-4781-8400-880c6dc8086f/2gtm0QVk.png Visit Praxis (https://discoverpraxis.com/schoolsuckspodcast/) Please Support School Sucks School Sucks was one of the longest running liberty-minded podcasts on the web, and the only one completely devoted to the issue of education (versus public school and college). Your support keeps the show alive, which keeps us at the top of the options for education podcasts and leads to new people discovering our work. Please help us continue to spread this important message further! One-Time Donation Options:Paypal/Venmo;Donate DASHDonate ETHEREUMDonate LITECOINDonate BITCOINDonate BITCOIN CASHDonate ZCASH Recurring Options: Support Us On PATREONYou support our mission, and you want to help us continue to reach new people with our message and media. Your contribution helps us maintain presence, and to further build the legacy of School Sucks Project. And please bookmark and use this link for your Amazon shopping: Shop With Us Our Private Community: https://files.fireside.fm/file/fireside-uploads/images/b/b9f98e30-82d3-4781-8400-880c6dc8086f/fNnDUPqb.png Visit The Uni-iversity (https://sspuniversity.com/) Originally Released February 13, 2018 As "[PODCAST #543] Peter Gray (Part Two) – School's Impact On Creativity and Critical Thinking"

"School has become a toxic place for children and we refuse to say that publicly," asserts Peter Gray in this illuminating episode. Dr. Gray is a psychology professor at Boston College and the author of the book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. He speaks and writes frequently on the value of self-directed education, the problems with coercive schooling, and the importance of childhood play, including on his popular Freedom to Learn blog at Psychology Today. Learn more about Peter Gray's research here.  

In this episode Tristanne talks about her challenges and skepticism of homeschooling and she overcame them. She shares valuable information and resources that helped not only her step into the homeschooling arena but is bringing her husband along. Listen in as she goes through her journey of homeschooling. Click on the titles for links to resources. Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace by Sarah Mackenzie The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child's Education, A New Way to Homeschool by Ainsley Armen The Four-Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life by Durenda Wilson Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray Honey for a Child's Heart Paperback by Gladys Hunt --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thechatwithbex/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thechatwithbex/support

Today's topic is the imagination: what is the imagination, how do you activate it, why is imaginary play so important. Kids have the best imaginations because we haven't, as a world, killed their minds yet with all our imposed ways of thinking, being, and living in this world. So how can we learn from kids, theatre, and from the way we use our own imagination every day to live a richer more exciting and beautiful life? How best can we stop living mediocre, boring lives absolutely free today? We'll kick off our show with The Raise a Glass Series, get on to our questions to explore, and end with A Short Story Before We Go. MFA is the sometimes-musical, dramedy, in 3 acts, 1 intermission, the length of a sitcom designed to give mama's (and any caregiver) a break in the day to breathe and reset along with a much-needed audio hug.  Act I: The Raise a Glass Series·       The Raise a Glass Series is a space for reflection and gratitude centered around the topic of the day and inspired by lyrics from Hamilton the Musical.Today's lyrics – “I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory”Act II: Main Questions·       What is the imagination? How is it activated and why do we use it? Why is imaginary play so important? How does an actor engage their imagination? What are imaginative games to play as a family? If I knew it could be 100% achievable what would my ideal family life of my wildest imagination look like?          Intermission: Angelica InterludeWhy don't you like using the potty?Act III: A Short Story Before We GoThe Scene That Never EndsEpisode transcript: available at https://www.mfaparentingedition.com/045Freebie: Imaginative Play and Theatre Games for the Family hereSources that helped inspire this episode: (full list on website)·       Imagination is an Actor's Best Friend (backstage.com)·       Talking Play and Imagination with Peter Gray - Resilience·       Play Games, Watch Videos Online & More! - Bluey Official Website·       Improvisation for the Theater a book by Viola Spolin (bookshop.org)·       Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life a book by Peter Gray (bookshop.org)·       Podcast - Raising Free People™ NetworkConnect with Me: Best way - taisha@mfparentingedition.comIG - @mfaparentingeditionSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mfaparenting)

Host: Sophia Kornienko, writer/ animation artist/ unschooling mom Co-hosts: Martha Skinner, former professor of architecture, artist who works together with her daughter, now a young adultMarta Obiols Llistar, unschooling mom of three, educator, author of the book 18, An Unschooling ExperienceResources:Brian Sutton-Smith. Play Theory. A Personal Journey and New Thoughts. American Journal of Play, Summer 2008: https://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2022/01/1-1-article-sutton-smith-play-theory.pdfPlay as Preparation for Learning and Life. An Interview with Peter Gray. American Journal of Play, Spring 2013: https://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/5-3-interview-play-as-preparation.pdfPeter Gray, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books, 2013Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged. 1957.Fajans, Jane. They Make Themselves: Work and Play Among the Baining of Papua New Guinea. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.

Today on the show I speak with research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College and author of Free to Learn - Peter Gray. What I love about Peter is as well as an academic he has also walked his talk. When his son was rebelling against the traditional schooling system and called it a prison (which he agrees it is) they explored other options and ended up at Sudbury Valley School which changed the course of Peter's research and ultimately his life. Peter tells this amazing story of how when his son was 12 years old, he came to his wife and himself with a plan to travel to Europe alone. In the ultimate display of trust of a child (which he says has been lost in our culture), Peter and his wife agreed to the proposal and his son did go to Europe alone year later at age 13. We also cover many topics including the importance of mixed age play, the importance of play in general and moving away from competitiveness to collaboration. I also question how Sudbury which is ultimately based on an unschooling principal goes with government regulations and it seems that America is much more liberal than Australia. We also touch on Tara Westover's book Educated and the irony of her story and message. Peter is a genuine and well researched scholar who I feel is way ahead of the game of schooling or rather unschooling. Peter's work is just what we need right now in this changing world where many people are feeling the calling to move into homeschooling but are still a little uncertain or scared. I hope this interview helps parents realise that they and more importantly their children already have everything they need to learn, thrive and educate themselves. Enjoy this insightful conversation and view of what I see as the future of education. Peter Gray Research Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College. My book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, is available in 18 languages. My four new collections of essays can be purchased now at Tipping Points Press. See also my Psychology Today blog and follow me on Facebook

One of the best things about doing this podcast for the past seven years has been how our guests have shaped nearly every aspect of my life and the lives of my family. Over the years my wife Julie and I have built an ancestral lifestyle we believe to be most conducive to health, connection, and longevity, largely influenced by the brilliant guests we've interviewed right here. The process has been nothing short of an adventure, and it continues to unfold. On this podcast, I'm joined by my wife, food scientist Julie Kelly to talk about how we've taken everything we've learned about health, wellness, and ancestral living to create a home life that truly supports and sustains our family. We talk about how we eat, prepare meals, and educate our kids and changes we've made over the years. Julie shares the immense value she's derived from a very specific type of psychotherapy, and we discuss how our practice of managing stress has evolved. We also give an update on our adventures in cohousing, and the number one factor that we've learned will make or break cohousing relationships. Here's the outline of this interview with Julie Kelly: ​​[00:00:17] Ayla is 6 months old; the birth experience. [00:02:21] Podcasts with Lily Nichols, RDN: How to Optimise Nutrition for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes with Lily Nichols. [00:03:13] How our eating has evolved over time. [00:04:04] Podcast: How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy, with Herman Pontzer, PhD. [00:04:22] Meal prep and shopping. Our eBook: What We Eat. [00:07:14] Justin Sonnenberg. [00:07:37] Lucy Mailing, PhD; Podcasts: 1. How to Optimise Your Gut Microbiome, 2. Microbiome Myths and Misconceptions, 3. Rewilding the Gut: Restoring Ancestral Diversity to the Microbiome. [00:09:17] Simon Marshall's Stress Audit; Podcast: How to Manage Stress. [00:11:31] Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP); Podcast: Healing and Transformation with Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), with Jason Connell. Learn more about working with Jason. [00:16:27] Book: It's Not Always Depression: Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to Your Authentic Self, by Hilary Jacobs Hendel. [00:18:33] Forest School. [00:21:58] Book: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, by Peter Gray; Podcast: Free to Learn: Unleashing the Instinct to Play, with Peter Gray, PhD. [00:22:36] Books: The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children, and The Scientist In The Crib: Minds, Brains, And How Children Learn, by Alison Gopnik, PhD. [00:24:54] Book: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein. [00:25:00] Cohousing; Podcast: Contemplating Cohousing: A Paradigm for Modern Day Tribal Living. [00:25:07] Book: Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding, by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy. [00:26:13] Article: The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake, by David Brooks. [00:26:25] Podcast: The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History, with Kristin Hawkes, PhD. [00:29:54] Our experience with Workaway.info.  [00:38:38] Our Workaway profile.

In this week's episode, I sit down with Ned Johnson, author, speaker, and founder of PrepMatters, for a Q&A surrounding the principles of raising a self-driven child.   This conversation was recorded in my membership, where community members were able to ask Ned their questions.    Ned also talks about the book he co-authored with Bill Stixrud called What Do You Say? How to Talk to Kids to Promote Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home. The book is now available for order.    Listen in as we talk about: Is there anything really worth fighting about with our kids? Why approaching situations peacefully helps everyone come to a better solution How to encourage your kids to pursue their passions in this time Ways to support your kids without undermining their autonomy Tips to help neuro-diverse children when feeling unaccomplished or frustrated   Resources mentioned in the episode:  Purchase his new book What Do You Say with co-author Bill Stixrud here Purchase The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray   A professional “tutor-geek” since 1993 and battle-tested veteran of test prep, stress regulation and student performance, Ned has spent nearly more than 40,000 one-on-one hours helping students conquer an alphabet of standardized tests, learning and honing his insightful interpersonal skills. Ned coaches clients to manage their anxiety, and find the motivation to reach their full potential.     In 2006, Ned co-authored the book Conquering the SAT: How Parents Can Help Students Overcome the Pressure and Succeed, which tackles the outsized role anxiety plays in standardized testing. With Dr. William Stixrud, Ned co-authored The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives and “What Do You Say?: How to Talk With Kids to Promote Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home”, due out August 17.    Their book explores how fostering children's autonomy can help solve two challenges endemic to kids today: facing anxiety and developing intrinsic motivation. Ned is also the host of the PrepTalks podcast: conversations with parenting and education experts. Aa sought-after speaker and teen coach on study skills, sleep deprivation, parent-teen dynamics, and test anxiety, and his work is featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.   Connect with Ned On Instagram On Twitter On LinkedIn On Facebook Prep Talks Podcast www.prepmatters.com   Connect with Sarah Rosensweet   On Instagram On Facebook https://www.sarahrosensweet.com 

In this 92nd in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we discuss the state of the world through an evolutionary lens.In this episode, we discuss childhood. Beginning with an excerpt from chapter 9 (Childhood) of our forthcoming book, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century, we discuss what childhood is, what other organisms have it, and why it is important. We discuss plasticity in development, and the need to develop flexibility as a growing human. We discuss Lenore Skenazy (America's Worst Mom!), and Let Grow, an organization dedicated to helping kids build real-world confidence, competence and openness. We discuss the need for play—real, unstructured play without interference from adults—and for risk. And we discuss the adaptive underpinnings of play.Get your Goliath shirts right here: store.darkhorsepodcast.orgHeather's newsletter, Natural Selections (subscribe to get free weekly essays in your inbox): https://naturalselections.substack.comSupport the sponsors of this show:Four Sigmatic: Delicious mushroom coffee made with both real coffee and two species of mushrooms. Up to 40% off and free shipping at Foursigmatic.com/DARKHORSE.Vivo Barefoot: Shoes for healthy feet—comfortable and regenerative, enhances stability and tactile feedback. Go to www.vivobarefoot.com/us/darkhorse to get 20% off, and a 100-day free trial.Allform: Get 20% off any order (of a beautiful sofa) from Allform at https://allform.com/darkhorse.Our book, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century, is now available for pre-sale at amazon. Publication date: 9-14-21: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593086880/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_5BDTABYFKRJKZBT5GSQAhttp://huntergatherersguide.com/DarkHorse merchandise now available at: store.darkhorsepodcast.orgFind more from us on Bret's website (https://bretweinstein.net) or Heather's website (http://heatherheying.com).Become a member of the DarkHorse LiveStreams, and get access to an additional Q&A livestream every month. Join at Heather's Patreon.Like this content? Subscribe to the channel, like this video, follow us on twitter (@BretWeinstein, @HeatherEHeying), and consider helping us out by contributing to either of our Patreons or Bret's Paypal.Looking for clips from #DarkHorseLivestreams? Here are some, updated frequently: @DarkHorse Podcast ClipsTheme Music: Thank you to Martin Molin of Wintergatan for providing us the rights to use their excellent music.Q&A Link: https://youtu.be/bsNfjGVrZOAMentioned in this episode:A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: https://huntergatherersguide.comSkenazy, L., 2021 (2nd ed). Free-range kids, giving our children the freedom we had without going nuts with worry. John Wiley & Sons.Skenazy, L. 2008. Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone. The New York Sun, April 1, 2008. https://www.nysun.com/opinion/why-i-let-my-9-year-old-ride-subway-alone/73976/Let Grow: https://letgrow.orgGray, P. 2013. Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books.Martini, M. (1994). Peer interactions in Polynesia: A view from the Marquesas. In J. L. Roopnarine, J. E. Johnson, & F. H. Hooper (Eds.), Children's play in diverse cultures (pp. 73-103). Albany: State University of New York Press.Lancy, D.F., 2014. The anthropology of childhood: Cherubs, chattel, changelings. Cambridge University Press.Spinka, M., Newberry, R.C. and Bekoff, M., 2001. Mammalian play: training for the unexpected. The Quarterly review of biology, 76(2): 141-168. https://www.journals.uchicago.edSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/bretweinstein)

Something a bit different for this podcast extra. A special episode in which Rev Jamie is joined by his better half, Lorna, and Catholic blogger and mother of four Zoe Willis to talk about home education, motherhood and parenting in the age of madness through which we are currently living. Among the topics discussed were: Why Homeschooling?; Homeschooling as cultural memory and resistance to totalitarianism; Tips for those who can't or don't want to; Common myths and objections: Won't my children turn into weirdos? I'm not clever enough to home educate.Notices:Thanks to our Patreons! Support us from £1.50 plus VAT per month: https://patreon.com/irreverendIrreverend Weekly Sermon Audio: https://irreverendsermonaudio.buzzsprout.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/IrreverendPodTelegram: https://t.me/irreverendpodEmail: irreverendpod@gmail.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMAcRZPstCujEN4p8dF_ClQOdysee: https://odysee.com/@irreverend:5Audio Podcast: https://irreverend.buzzsprout.comLinks:Zoe Willis' Blog: https://www.withsighs.com/Education Otherwise: https://www.educationotherwise.org/Bonnie Landry: https://www.bonnielandry.ca/Bonnie Landry Podcast: https://makejoynormal.buzzsprout.com/Bonnie Landry How-To Workshop: https://www.bonnielandry.ca/aboutConquest Books Homeschool Curricula: https://www.conquestbooks.co.uk/Monkey Mum, How much time in school is actually spent learning?: https://monkeymum.blog/2015/09/13/time-is-precious/ Peter Gray, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, 2013Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/irreverend)

Peter Gray, Ph.D., research professor at Boston College, is the author of Free to Learn (Basic Books) and Psychology (Worth Publishers, a college textbook now in its 8th edition). He has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He did his undergraduate study at Columbia University and earned a Ph.D. in biological sciences at Rockefeller University.His current research and writing focus primarily on children's natural ways of learning and the life-long value of play. He a founding member of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and a founding board member of the nonprofit Let Grow. His own play includes not only his research and writing, but also long-distance bicycling, kayaking, back-woods skiing, and vegetable gardening.Here are the links for this episode:Let GrowTipping Points PressPsychology TodayPeter Gray on FacebookFree to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, Dr. Peter Gray (available in 18 languages). The Alliance For Self-directed Learning Support the show (https://paypal.me/TheBookshopPodcast?locale.x=en_US)

The public school system has made chaotic decisions over the course of the pandemic that, frankly, screwed over parents and students. But families can still take their kids' educations into their own hands. On this episode of "Right Now with Stephen Kent," Stephen sits down with Corey DeAngelis, National Director of Research at the American Federation for Children, and Connor Boyack, President of the Libertas Institute, for a conversation about how teachers' unions don't have students' nor teachers' best interests at heart, the pros and cons of remote learning, the concept of "unschooling" and separating schooling from education, and what options parents still have to make sure their child has the most fulfilling education possible. Subscribe to Rightly to watch their conversation and find out more details about the episode below. ---- Content of This Episode ----00:00​​​​​ Episode Start00:06 Stephen’s horrible, no good, very bad school year.03:15 Why are teacher’s unions deciding when to open schools?06:20 The ‘trust crisis’ among parents and students11:00 Are we doing right by students or teachers?14:30 The system’s great for union bosses. But for teachers? Not so much.16:30 School choice: funding students, not schools19:30 How to talk to kids about this past year23:30 Silver linings? More support for homeschooling26:45 Parents learn about the political indoctrination in public schools29:40 The rise of pandemic pods33:45 Why do we segregate students by age?36:20 Stephen tries his hand at teaching during COVID40:25: What do education and agriculture have in common?42:50: Utah walks back truancy laws45:10: Unschooling: Divorcing schooling from education46:35: Three things parents can do to change schools50:45: Good news! Stephen sold his crypto a couple weeks ago. ---- Reading List ---- Do schools kill creativity? (TED Talk from Sir Ken Robinson)https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity?language=en "Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life" by Peter Gray (Basic Books)https://www.amazon.com/Free-Learn-Unleashing-Instinct-Self-Reliant/dp/0465025994 Randi Weingarten on Reopening Schools (C-SPAN)https://www.c-span.org/video/?511782-4/washington-journal-randi-weingarten-discusses-reopening-schools Randi Weingarten's Hilariously Awful Media Rehabilitation Tour (Reason)https://reason.com/2021/05/21/randi-weingartens-hilariously-awful-media-rehabilitation-tour/ "Passion-Driven Education: How to Use Your Child's Interests to Ignite a Lifelong Love of Learning" by Connor Boyack (Libertas Press)https://www.amazon.com/Passion-Driven-Education-Interests-Lifelong-Learning/dp/1943521115/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3JMVGS7LO7P1D&dchild=1&keywords=connor+boyack&qid=1622038189&s=books&sprefix=connor+boya%2Cstripbooks%2C152&sr=1-4 Fund Students, Not Systems (Educational Freedom Institute)http://efinstitute.org/ ---- Plugs for our Guest ---- Follow Corey DeAngelis on Twitter:https://twitter.com/DeAngelisCorey Follow Connor Boyack on Twitter:https://twitter.com/cboyack

Peter Gray is the author of Psychology, an introductory textbook now in its sixth edition, and, most recently, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. It discusses how to bring more play into kids' lives, the catalyst that led him to explore play's benefits, his theories on play as a primal mode of education, and advice to inspire play. His past research had to do with basic mammalian motivational mechanisms, and his present research has to do with children's play and its educative value. Key Takeaways: 00:42 The origin story of Dr. Gray's Career 15:13 Free Play 20:39 Fear on letting kids to play outside 39:14 Founding the Alliance for Self-Directed Education 49:36 Montessori - Work VS Play 53:04 Online Play Quotes: “I've always felt like I wanted to do things that would help make the world better.” “With every 10 years, kids have less time to play than they did the previous 10 years.” “Unfortunately, we set the pattern and it spreads and it starts maybe upper-class and it seeps down to affect everybody. I used to be able to say that working class people, and even people in some poverty, that the kids had more freedom to play in the United States than wealthier kids did, but I don't think that's true anymore.” “The other that played a role in why children aren't outdoors playing is the fact that we developed a set of irrational fears about how dangerous it is outdoors.” “When children are playing on their own, they're making their own decisions about what to do. They're solving their own problems.” Social Links: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life Book Blog: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn https://thegeniusofplay.org/genius/expert-advice/articles/the-evolutionary-importance-of-self-directed-play.aspx#.YJQq7GYzaEs

Dr. Peter Gray Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College who has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, now in its 8th edition), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. His recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves, through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books). He also authors a regular blog called Freedom to Learn, for Psychology Today magazine. He is a founding member and former president of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE), which is aimed at creating a world in which children's natural ways of learning are facilitated rather than suppressed. He is also a founder of the nonprofit Let Grow, the mission of which is to renew children's freedom to play and explore outdoors, independently of adults. He earned his undergraduate degree at Columbia College and Ph.D. in biological sciences at the Rockefeller University many years ago. His own current play includes kayaking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, vegetable gardening, chopping wood for his home's wood-burning stove, and writing occasional sonnets. Facebook   Show Notes Dr. Peter Gray has spent years researching how children naturally learn. He focused on play and what children are doing when they play and the function of play. He's interested in play from an evolutionary perspective, children's nature that comes about by natural selection to serve the function of education.  As Jenna was researching self directed learning, she came upon the six optimizing conditions for self directed education and found it extremely helpful in guiding her toward an environment at home that was ideal for learning.  Dr. Gray developed the six optimizing conditions for self directed learning based on what he studied at The Sudbury Valley School and through surveying ten anthropologists who had studied and lived among 7 different hunter-gatherer communities. He found many similarities between the hunter-gatherer communities and the students at Sudbury Valley School.  The first condition is the social expectation and reality that education is children's responsibility. Dr. Gray observed that children come into the world biologically designed to educate themselves. Right from the beginning, children are curious and figuring things out on their own initiative. If adults believe that children need to be forced to learn, we can talk them out of the idea that they're responsibility. We essentially send them the message that their curiosity doesn't count. The adults in the child's environment are not conveying the view that the adult is responsible for their education.  Jenna asks where does that that idea come from that adults have to educate children? Dr. Gray explains that the original purpose for education was to teach obedience. Autonomy was valued in hunter-gatherer bands, but agriculture changed all of this. An hierarchy arose by way of land ownership. This led to feudalism, whereby everyone was dependent on the land owners. It became imperative that Serf parents teach their children to obey for their own survival in this hierarchical world. The original schools were developed by Protestants in Prussia. There were three purposes for schools at that time; reading (as it was very common at that time for average day families to be literate), indoctrination (save children's souls), teach obedience. Willfulness was sinfulness. Children were meant to memorize content, otherwise they'd be punished. Nobody questioned it. Most teachers don't have this goal in today's modern world, however they are entering into a school system which was never designed for that and is incapable of promoting creativity, critical thinking and a love for learning. The only way you can pass in school  is to do what you're told to do and the only way to fail is to not do what you're told to do. So even today, the goal is still obedience. The second optimized condition for SDE is unlimited freedom to play, explore, and pursue their own interests. Kids need lots of time to do this, essentially all day. Kids from the age of about four on through late teenage years in hunter-gatherer communities had all day to play and explore. This is the same way Sudbury Valley School models their school. It allows children to exercise their nature-given gifts that are for the purpose of education. Dr. Gray recalls in his own education back in the 50's, there were far fewer hours spent in school and on homework and therefore he had time to spend playing and exploring outside the confines of a school setting, unlike how it is today. School was never a great place for learning, but it didn't occupy so much of a child's day.  Adult-directed sports, clubs, and extracurriculars are no replacement for play. It's yet another place where obedience is the primary issue. If it's self selected it's fine, but when that type of activity is occupying so much of a child's time, they are deprived of the opportunity to figure things out on their own.  In highschool, Jenna's day started at 6am, she went to school, came home in time for dinner, did homework and then went to bed. There was no time for play or creative pursuits.  Dr. Gray says we are raising a generation of sleep-deprived kids, and studies conducted during the pandemic have revealed that due to school closures, children are getting more sleep and parents and children are reporting improved moods because of it.  Jenna shares how her son is now getting 3 hours of extra sleep because he's at home learning.  The third optimizing condition for SDE is opportunity to play with tools of the culture. By play, it's meant that children get to use the tool in whichever way they choose. Children want to use tools in meaningful ways, build something, cook something, etc. In any culture, children are naturally drawn to the most important tools of their culture. Playing with those tools is how you develop mastery of the tools. In hunter-gatherer bands, parents and older kids might help facilitate this learning by making small versions of these tools. Computers are the most important tools of our culture, which is why children are drawn to them. Other tools that are important in our culture are kitchen appliances, wood tools, sports equipment, books, etc. One advantage to a self-directed learning center or school is that they might have a more diverse collection of tools in which the children can discover and use.  Jenna shares her experience as a teacher, in which she handed out scientific equipment to students and they were compelled to play with it before the actual lesson began. It was evident to her that her students weren't interested in being directed through the activity using the tools, instead they would have rather discovered its uses on their own.   Dr. Peter Gray points out that kids want to figure out how to use a tool, rather than being shown how to use it. Of course, safety and proper use of tools is important before use of dangerous or delicate tools. Jenna remembers reading in Peter Gray's book, Free To Learn about a study done on babies where researchers observed how two independent groups of babies responded to toys given to them without being shown all the ways in which you can play with it, and toys given to them where the researcher spent a great deal of time showing the baby what you can do with the toy. The babies who weren't given instruction about how the toy worked learned more about the toy and found more ways of playing with the toy. The most interesting toys are ones that have infinite ways of playing with it. Dr. Gray points out how this is akin to math instruction in school because kids are being given the way to do the math problem, which takes away the discovery and curiosity in math problems.  The fourth optimizing condition for SDE is access to a variety of caring adults who are helpers, not judges. Caring adults could be family members, friends, or mentors to the child. They are glad to help but are not evaluating or judging the child in any way. It's important because we can't be fully honest when we are being judged by others. You're not likely to present your problems to someone who is judging you. You're going to be orientated toward, what does this person want me to say and what does this person want me to do? There's an artificiality in your interaction with someone who is judging you. Adults are there to help when children ask for it. It's tough in our society since everything is measured and competitive. In a school setting, it's impossible not to evaluate or judge. Being judged is stressful, which inhibits your performance on anything you're not good at and your creativity. The ideal situation would be where the individual is the only judge of their work or performance. Children need a variety of adults to observe, so they can get a sense of what it's like to be an adult and get a broader sense of what adults are like. Children can also learn from adults with various skills and professions.  Jenna is reminded of the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child.” She jokingly tells her husband they should go live on a commune because the way our culture lives, in our individual houses sometimes isolated from family, is not conducive to how children learn.   Helpful Resources Mentioned in Today's Show Alliance for Self Directed Education Free To Learn  by Peter Gray Psychology Today   Ways to Connect Email me: contact.roguelearner@gmail.com Facebook  Instagram Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rogue-learner/id1543224038 Google Play: https://podcasts.google.com/search/rogue%20learner Spotify: https://roguelearner.libsyn.com/spotify YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdCocbWsxxAMSbUObiCQXPg Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/rogue-learner  

SUPPORT THE PODCAST ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/liveplaylearn Peter Gray joins Heidi Steel this month, to talk about the role of play in our children's natural learning journey. We discuss: · Learning through real play, natural human development, and the adult's role in providing a rich environment. · Peter shares with us his own interest and personal journey into Self Directed Education 2:46 · The outcomes of young people who are self directed in their education, including unschoolers 9:10 · Defining true play 16:27 · What play looks like beyond the age of five and how it changes and develops as our children get older 29:44 · How will our children learn all the things that they need to learn 34:00 · The adult's role in facilitating our children's education, opportunities and conditions that allow the child to play in the way that they need and want to 44:43 · Courage, knowledge, confidence and faith in unschooling 48:20 · The benefits of self directed education 51:08 GUEST MEDIA LINKS: Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Boston College. My book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, is available in 18 languages. My four new collections of essays can be purchased now at Tipping Points Press. See also my Psychology Today blog and follow me on Facebook LIVEPLAYLEARN LINKS: Website Liveplaylearn.org Facebook Live. Play. Learn YouTube Live Play Learn

Mass schooling is a relatively recent phenomenon, an experiment in education that gained steam following the industrial revolution, becoming increasingly widespread in the nineteenth century, in part, due to advocates like Horace Mann. Mann was a social reformer skeptical of parents’ abilities to properly educate their children to become future employees and democratic citizens. He believed that these common schools, as they were called, could remedy the lack of proper discipline found in some homes. Notably, Mann homeschooled his own children outside the dictates of these common schools he advanced for other people’s children. Further, he and his fellow reformers worried about the flood of diverse immigrant families that were challenging contemporary cultural and social hegemony. Mann went so far as to argue that these marginalized groups were “wholly of another kind in morals and intellect.”  Mass schooling champions asserted that compulsory education was necessary for preventing the corruption of young children in the hands of those they deemed ill-suited to properly foster their moral and intellectual development—namely, their families and respective communities. Traditional schools were to be the means of instilling a particular sense of shared American identity that would allow American democracy to function well. This is not to color all mass schooling advocates as cultural chauvinists but to highlight that what we consider traditional schooling today is, in many ways, informed by the notion that parents and children lack the skills required to learn outside the schooling system. Traditional schooling embraces a view that learning best occurs when a uniform curriculum is imposed upon young minds, children being segregated according to age within rigid classroom structures. It is commonly held that becoming a successful and contributing member of a democratic society requires going through the mass schooling system. Conventional schooling’s primary goal is knowledge acquisition—with everything else being secondary. Students tend to be treated as passive subjects, receptacles for the knowledge considered necessary by their teachers, school system administrators, and other centralized educational authorities.  What might a more student-centered learning environment look like? What if instead of imposing a universal curriculum onto children, they were instead provided with the resources needed to help them achieve their own self-selected goals? What if becoming a socially- and emotionally-intelligent human being was the primary goal of an educational approach, rather than being supplemental to knowledge acquisition?  Jeffrey Howard speaks with Tiersa McQueen, an unschooling parent of four children. Following her own experiences as a teacher and her children’s encounters with mass schooling, her family has embraced unschooling and gentle parenting. According to McQueen, these two philosophies go hand-in-hand, holding central the idea that children deserve full respect, greater autonomy, and tailored support as they learn how to thrive as young people—and eventually, as adults.  Despite her advocacy for self-directed learning, she acknowledges that she isn’t completely opposed to schooling. It’s still an option for her kids should they choose it. However, as a Black parent, she is well-aware of the school-to-prison pipeline and the reality that Black children are punished far more frequently and severely than other children in schooling environments. She expresses that she can’t wait for traditional schools to change in order for them to become safe and nurturing places for her children. McQueen considers the criticisms lobbed at unschoolers and self-directed education advocates, suggesting that many of them are stereotypes pertaining to a type of homeschooler that doesn’t really exist anymore. Unschooling and gentle parenting are difficult for some people to imagine, and have their own share of difficulties, but she observes that her relationships with her own children have never been better. She also notes that the depth of her children’s learning has increased dramatically as they’ve been able to direct time and attention toward their own goals and interests.  Some things to further consider. A century ago, the philosopher and social activist John Dewey proposed a notion of education as “learning by doing,” emphasizing the need for practicality in meaningful learning. What might happen if more young minds were afforded this approach, supported by family and community members as they experimented with overcoming the challenges they face in their particular social environments? In what ways might an unschooling approach to learning better prepare people to navigate the demands and problems unique to their local contexts? And how might unschooling better prepare children to participate in democratic living? Show Notes “When You Get Into Unschooling, It’s Almost Like a Religion” by Molly Worthen (2020) Raising Free People: Unschooling as Liberation and Healing Work by Akilah S. Richards (2020)  Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent by Iris Chen (2020) Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray (2013) John Holt “First Impressions of an Unschooling School” by Jeffrey Howard (2018) Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom by Kerry McDonald (2019) Horace Mann’s Troubling Legacy: The Education of Democratic Citizens by Bob Pepperman Taylor (2010) “My Pedagogic Creed” by John Dewey (1897) Democracy and Education by John Dewey (1916)

"Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-reliant, and Better Students for Life" by Peter Gray (2013) (http://bit.ly/3qGXRuI) "We have created a world in which children must suppress their natural instincts to take charge of their own education and, instead, mindlessly follow paths to nowhere laid out for them by adults. We have created a world that is literally driving many young people crazy and leaving many others unable to develop the confidence and skills required for adult responsibility” (p. 19). References: Let Grow (https://letgrow.org/) Lenore Skenazy (https://twitter.com/FreeRangeKids) Jonathan Haidt (https://twitter.com/JonHaidt) Neutral Zone (https://www.neutral-zone.org/) Michael Lipset of PassTell Stories (http://www.michaellipset.com/) Connect: Twitter (https://twitter.com/mjcraw) Website (https://www.mjcraw.com) Music from Digi G'Alessio CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 (https://bit.ly/2IyV71i)

In this episode, Dr. Bob welcomes Peter Gray back to the Hamilton Review. Peter goes into detail about the importance of children having time and freedom to play - playing is their job and it is critical for parents to honor that. With the rise of technology, increased screen time, less opportunity to explore the outdoors and now a worldwide pandemic, children are at an increased risk for depression, ADHD and even suicide. Peter also talks about his non profit organization, Let Grow. Let Grow equips parents, educators, and communities with the tools and confidence to raise independent kids who are ready to succeed in our ever-changing world. Friends, this is an important discussion for anyone with children in their life, don't miss part two of this conversation. Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College who has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, now in its 8th edition), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. His recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books). He also authors a regular blog called Freedom to Learn, for Psychology Today magazine. He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and of the nonprofit Let Grow, the mission of which is to renew children's freedom to play and explore independently of adult control. How to contact Dr. Peter Gray: Let Grow: https://letgrow.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peter.gray.3572 How to contact Dr. Bob: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChztMVtPCLJkiXvv7H5tpDQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drroberthamilton/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.hamilton.1656 Seven Secrets Of The Newborn website: https://7secretsofthenewborn.com/ Website: https://roberthamiltonmd.com/ Pacific Ocean Pediatrics: http://www.pacificoceanpediatrics.com/

In the first of two conversations, Dr. Bob welcomes Peter Gray to the show. Peter is the author of the book, "Free To Learn: Why Unleashing The Instinct To Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self Reliant, and Better Students for Life." Dr. Bob and Peter have an in depth discussion about his book and how it applies to children and their ability to process information and learn. Peter also talks a bit about his personal experience with his son and the educational structure that worked best for him. Don't miss this episode! Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College who has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, now in its 8th edition), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. His recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books). He also authors a regular blog called Freedom to Learn, for Psychology Today magazine. He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and of the nonprofit Let Grow, the mission of which is to renew children's freedom to play and explore independently of adult control. How to contact Peter Gray: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peter.gray.3572 How to contact Dr. Bob: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChztMVtPCLJkiXvv7H5tpDQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drroberthamilton/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.hamilton.1656   Seven Secrets Of The Newborn website: https://7secretsofthenewborn.com/ Website: https://roberthamiltonmd.com/ Pacific Ocean Pediatrics: http://www.pacificoceanpediatrics.com/

"Sustainability, human well-being, and the future of education" by Justin Cook (2019) (https://bit.ly/39ZAsyD) “Teachers are steeped in education systems; from the age of 4 or 5, they have been immersed in an educational context. They are perhaps the only profession whose compulsory, secondary, and tertiary education environments are the same in which they work professionally. This fact fundamentally challenges the profession's ability to step out of a subjective way of seeing. As George Orwell said, ‘To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle' (Orwell et al. 2000, p. 125). This is true for many: because so much of our lives are spent inside schools, education is a relentlessly subjective construct that struggles against the weight of common experience to be seen objectively” (p. 3). References: Michael Polanyi and tacit knowledge (http://bit.ly/34ZZXN3) "Free School Teaching: Free School Teaching: A Journey Into Radical Progressive Education" by Kristan Accles Morrison (2007) (https://bit.ly/39X33EW) "Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life" by Peter Gray (2015) (https://bit.ly/3qGXRuI) "Grow or Die: The Unifying Principle of Transformation" by George Land (1997) (https://amzn.to/2JO8StA) Michael Lipset of PassTell Stories (http://www.michaellipset.com/) Connect: Twitter (twitter.com/mjcraw) Website (mjcraw.com) Music from Digi G'Alessio CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 (https://bit.ly/2IyV71i)

Angela Hanscom is a seasoned occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook, an internationally acclaimed camp model that offers innovative nature-based developmental programs for kids of all ages and abilities. In this podcast we talk about Angela's professional journey, beginning and ending in the great outdoors. We hope listeners learn about how to identify needs in their communities, design programs to meet those needs, and advocate for our profession as a whole. For those who would like to learn more about the TimberNook process or become a TimberNook provider be sure to check out Angela's website! The resources referenced in this podcast are listed below: TimberNook Website: https://www.timbernook.com/ (https://www.timbernook.com/) TimberNook Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimberNook.Camps (https://www.facebook.com/TimberNook.Camps) TimberNook Instagram: timbernook1 TimberNook Twitter: @TimberNook Book Recommendations:  Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children by Angela J. Hanscom "The REAL reason children fidget — and what we can do about it" TedxPortsmouth Talk by Angela J. Hanscom Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv Education Theory Recommendations: Reggio Emilia Educational Theory Gross-Loh, C. (2014). Finnish education chief: 'We created a school system based on equality.' The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/finnish-education-chief-we-created-a-school-system-based-on-equality/284427/ (https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/finnish-education-chief-we-created-a-school-system-based-on-equality/284427/)  Waldorf/Steiner Education American Occupational Therapy Association, (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th Ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001 (https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001)

“The overuse of technology is the symptom, not the sickness.”-Nir EyalNir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.Nir co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003 and was dubbed by The M.I.T. Technology Review as, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.”He is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.Indistractable received critical acclaim, winning the Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award as well as being named one of the Best Business and Leadership Books of the Year by Amazon and one of the Best Personal Development Books of the Year by Audible. The Globe and Mail called Indistractable, “the best business book of 2019.”In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir's writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today.Nir is also an active investor in habit-forming technologies. Some of his past investments include Eventbrite, Anchor.fm (acquired by Spotify), Kahoot!, Refresh.io (acquired by LinkedIn), Product Hunt, Marco Polo, Presence Learning, 7 Cups, Pana, Byte Foods, FocusMate, and Shadow.Nir attended The Stanford Graduate School of Business and Emory University.Connect with NirNirAndFar.com@neyal99 on Instagram@nireyal on TwitterJoin The Mosaic Life Circle to be the first to hear about new episode releases, exclusive Instagram content, and brand new merchandise deals!Timestamps00:02:43 Welcome, Nir!00:03:43 On Writing “Indistractable”00:06:45 Dealing with Changing Technology00:09:11 Why Would We Want Tech to Change?00:12:48 Time Management is Pain Management00:15:32 Sitting with Our Own Thoughts00:17:04 Psychological Safety in the Workplace00:26:07 Leadership Setting Expectations00:31:42 Being Indistractable in 202000:34:40 Mastering Internal Triggers00:36:52 The 10-Minute Rule00:40:45 Hedonic Adaptation00:44:30 Children & Boredom00:51:09 Teaching Kids to Self-Regulate with Technology00:57:18 What Nir is Currently Working On00:59:23 The Resources Nir is Looking For01:00:40 Nir's Life-Changing Book01:03:18 Thank You, Nir!Nir's Life-Changing Book“Hackers & Painters” by Paul GrahamBooks Mentioned“Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker“Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!” by Richard Feynman“Factfulness” by Hans RoslingAdditional ResourcesIndistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your LifeHow to be More Productive and Focus (+ Free Schedule Maker)The Most Important Skill of the Future is Being ‘Indistractable'Learn How To Avoid Distraction In A World That Is Full Of ItStop Confusing Habits for Routines: What You Need To KnowGretchen Rubin BooksEpisode #58: Ashley Mead on The Mosaic Life PodcastSlackBoston Consulting Group (BCG)Acceptance and Commitment TherapyScience Magazine | People would rather be electrically shocked than left alone with their thoughtsSelf-determination Theory“Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life” by Peter GrayThe Social Dilemma on NetflixSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Jack Wolfson is a board-certified cardiologist, author of the # 1 Amazon best-seller, The Paleo Cardiologist, as well as a  five-time winner of the Natural Choice Award as a Holistic M.D. Join us as we explore:How to look for truth in the world. Truth in health. And to find a better wayWhy the answer to health is not in a prescription bottle, injection or in pharmaceuticalsWhy sleep, sunshine, what you put in your mouth and avoiding toxins and EMFs are the key to good healthHow to raise free range kids with a free to learn ethosWhy CT scans cause heart disease, brain disease and cancerHRV as an indicator of healthHow pesticides are destroying our planet and our healthThe no 1 quickest and simplest hack for detoxThe microbiome of the mouth, the dangers of root canals and why your child may not need to go to the dentist if you live the right life!Join our community:Facebook MadeToThriveZA; SteveStavsZAInstagram SteveStavsZAMentionsBooksFree-Range Kids, How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry) by Lennore Skenazy https://www.amazon.com/Free-Range-Raise-Self-Reliant-Children-Without-ebook/dp/B002NOGFGOFree to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Grayhttps://www.amazon.com/Free-Learn-Unleashing-Instinct-Self-Reliant/dp/0465025994Study establishing a clear link between agrochemicals and cardiovascular diseasehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772249/Study showing the link between pesticide exposure and cardiovascular disease in pre-menopausal womenhttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150408131329.htmHow Pesticides, Plastics and Pollutants Lead to Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer and Dementiahttps://shop.thedrswolfson.com/products/how-pesticides-plastics-and-pollutants-lead-to-cardiovascular-disease-cancer-and-dementiaDr Jack Wolfson podcast with Dr. Jack Kruse:Neuro Surgeon by Day | Mito Hacker By Night | Dr. Jack Krusehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I537lQoiu5c&feature=youtu.beHealthyheartshow podcast https://thehealthyheartshow.com/https://thedrswolfson.com/Dr Wolfson's book: www.freeheartbook.com

Peter Gray, Ph.D., a research professor at Boston College, has conducted and published research in comparative, evolutionary, developmental, and educational psychology. His current research and writing focus primarily on children's natural ways of learning and the life-long value of play, concepts discussed in his book, Free to Learn. Dr. Gray is also president of the nonprofit Alliance for Self-Directed Education and a founding board member of the nonprofit Let Grow.  On this podcast, Dr. Gray draws evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history to argue that we must entrust children to steer their own learning and development. He shares the story of his own son’s behavioural difficulties, which led the family to explore alternatives to traditional education. He also describes his own research on the long-term outcomes of children who are unschooled and addresses some of the main concerns parents have about informal education. Here’s the outline of this interview with Peter Gray: [00:00:10] Book: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, by Peter Gray. [00:00:44] The story of Peter’s son, Scott. [00:04:40] Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, MA.  [00:12:42] Podcast: How to Support Childhood Cognitive Development, with Josh Turknett, MD. [00:13:13] Education in hunter gatherer populations. [00:19:42] Biological theory of education. [00:21:45] Book: The Art of Tracking, the Origin of Science, by Louis Liebenberg. [00:25:11] Agriculture as catalyst for change. [00:31:06] Book: Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States, by James C Scott. [00:32:48] The importance of play. [00:33:52] Curiosity and playfulness. [00:37:07] Books: The Play of Animals and The Play of Man, by Karl Groos. [00:41:51] Book: The Moral Judgement of the Child, by Jean Piaget. [00:43:37] Unschooling. [00:44:14] Agile Learning Centers. [00:45:03] The Alliance for Self-Directed Education. [00:46:38] Unschooling rising in popularity among homeschoolers. [00:49:19] Study of 232 unschooling families: Gray, Peter, and Gina Riley. "The challenges and benefits of unschooling, according to 232 families who have chosen that route." Journal of Unschooling & Alternative Learning 7.14 (2013). [00:49:42] Study of 75 adults who were unschooled: Gray, Peter, and Gina Riley. "The challenges and benefits of unschooling, according to 232 families who have chosen that route." Journal of Unschooling & Alternative Learning 7.14 (2013). [00:51:21] Getting into college. [00:55:24] Age mixing and scaffolding. [01:01:00] "Please Trespass" sign. [01:01:30] Book: Playborhood: Turn Your Neighborhood Into a Place for Play, by Mike Lanza. [01:06:36] Peters Blog: Freedom to Learn. [01:07:13] Find Peter on Facebook.  [01:08:40] The hole in the wall project.

Here comes the summer of nothing! For older kids, camps and sports leagues and internships and jobs are canceled. For little kids, even "Camp Grandma" isn't a sure thing this year. We usually look forward to summer as a lazy-living, sleep in and lie around break from our usual hectic lives. But our kids have already *had* three months of lying around doing nothing, and the thought of three more months of cranky pajama time is not reassuring. How are we going to make July different from March this year? Our guests this week are Ashley Hearon-Smith and Keri Setaro from the Momtourage podcast. We talk with Ashley and Keri about the "special hard" of each age group when you're looking at a summer calendar with basically nothing on it. No matter how old your kids are, we think the answer is pretty much the same: give your kids the gift of free play, also known as the Land On The Other Side of Boredom. Here are links to writing on this topic that we discuss in this episode: Melissa Bernstein for Thrive Global: How Screen Time is Edging Out Play Time – and Why It Matters Esther Entin for The Atlantic: All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids Are More Anxious, Depressed Peter Gray: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life  Michael E. Ruane for Washington Post: The coronavirus wrecked spring. Will it claim summer, too? Sydney Trent for Washington Post: Summer jobs for teens are scarce, but a little boredom has its benefits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Colleen speaks with Peter Gray, PhD and author of “Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life.” Peter and Colleen discuss his journey to understanding how self-directed learning is a most successful model of education, empowering kids to take ownership of their learning from young ages.

What is Unschooling? Aren't your kids going to be social awkward and dumb? Kimberly Steele talks to us about the ins and outs of unschooling and answers a lot of great questions. Resources: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier,... How Children Learn, 50th anniversary edition (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) Sandra Dodd on Life and Learning Unschooling Mom2Mom Christian Unschooling Families Unschooling Special Needs https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unschooling-and/id1398684593?i=1000414077773 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unschooling-and/id1398684593?i=1000415513164 Exploring Unschooling Podcast --------------------------- www.frankandchipper.com Facebook Instagram --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/frankandchipper/support

Show notes & links available here. In this episode, I'm talking to Lenore Skenazy about how letting her 9-year-old son ride the subway alone in New York City led to her being labeled the "World's Worst Mom" and sparked the Free-Range Kids movement. Her book, Free-Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children Without Going Nuts with Worry, along with the programs developed and promoted by Let Grow, counter the culture of overprotection. Big Ideas Over the last decade, Lenore has been fighting the societal belief that our children are "in constant danger from creeps, kidnapping, germs, grades, flashers, frustration, failure, baby snatchers, bugs, bullies, men, sleepovers and/or the perils of a non-organic grape." People feel so much fear for their kids' safety, even when there's no reason to be afraid. A free-range childhood means kids can go outside after school and play with their friends without it being a structured, supervised activity. There are 5 reasons why parents today are so much more afraid for their kids: Media -- news, films, and crime shows. Laws and fear of litigation. Experts in books and magazines that produce anxiety. Marketplace and safety products that capitalize on our fears. Technology that allows parents to monitor kids at all times. The Let Grow organization promotes two school initiatives: Let grow Project: Kids get a homework assignment to do something on their own, without their parents' help. This promotes independence, a sense of pride, competence, and confidence." Let Grow Play Club: Kids stay after school or arrive early for extended, unstructured playtime with other kids. The Let Grow movement is promoting Free-Range parenting laws in states around the country. The bills define 'neglect' as a blatant disregard for a child's safety and wellbeing. It's not letting a kid walk to school, come home with a latch key, or play outside. Quotes Lenore: "It's not like parents are crazy, it's that we are being fed so much fear from so many corners of our life and culture that it's almost impossible not to breathe it in. It's like pollution. You're just breathing it in and it gets into your body." Audrey: "I look to you as a hero because you were at the forefront when this crazy overparenting came into play." Lenore: "It feels so much less safe, even though statistically the crime rate is lower now than it has been in 25 years." Lenore: "Your brain works like Google. It takes in all this information and then when you ask, 'Is it safe for my kids to walk to the bus stop today?' up pops the pictures or stories you've heard about, whether it was from 30 years ago or a Law & Order episode yesterday. Those stories are so easy to recall but they're not the most relevant results...so we start making our decisions based not on any kind of statistical reality, not on any kind of reality at all, but on the basis of all these terrible stories that have been shoved into us as we've been growing up." Lenore: "The media is certainly an enormous reason that we are so much more afraid than our parents who weren't as saturated with these fears as we were." Lenore: "We live in a litigious society. When you start thinking like a lawyer, which we all do, nothing seems safe enough...So you take something that is extremely safe and it is rewritten through the lawyer brain as potentially dangerous and you see everything through the lens of risk." Audrey: "People perceive camp or especially letting your child go to camp as being so risky and dangerous. But what's amazing is that statistically, summer camps are far safer than people's backyards." Audrey: "I think parents feel like when someone's not under their exact, very close supervision, there's this fear. You really want to trust other people with your kids, but there is always a risk." Lenore: "(Technology) gives us this level of omniscience that is actually very oppressive to parents because it feels like you have to know literally every breath your child is taking." Lenore: "It's as if our child is in such danger that we better be on high alert all the time or something terrible will happen and it's all our fault. That's why I feel sorry for parents raising kids in this era. The pressure to know everything and be aware of everything and worry about everything is at a breaking point." Audrey: "I think it has actually gotten worse than what you were talking about back 12 or 13 years ago when you first wrote Free-Range Kids." Lenore: "Let Grow, rather than working on changing minds, is focused on changing behavior. And the behavior we're thinking about is extremely similar to what happens when parents send their kids off to camp. We are trying to give kids a smidgen of independence and when they get that they're less anxious afterward and the parents are less anxious, everybody is allowed to grow." Lenore: "Until you see that they can do something on their own, you don't even know if it's going to work, this great experiment with the people you love the most. But when you see that they're blossoming, they can handle it, it's just a remarkable transformation. And you don't go backward...You watch them and your heart fills." Lenore: "The Let Grow project is just a way to make it easy to let go because everyone's doing it. Either everyone in the class or the school or the or the school district.  So you're not the crazy mom. So there are other kids doing it, other parents doing it." Audrey: "Because we're in a time where people look askance at the child or two siblings walking to a park to play. It's too bad. But being able to say, 'Oh this is an assignment from school.' You almost have to give your kids the words they need in order to defend themselves doing something that they are perfectly capable of doing and giving parents the permission to let their children do this." Audrey: "If you and all of your friends at school are all letting your kids do this stuff, you're going to start talking about that. The community will start understanding--it is genius." Lenore: "Kids have been so stunted, in a way. When there is always around somebody who's saying, 'Let me handle that for you.' We say, always helping kids isn't always helping them. And so, going to a store and talking to strangers, well, it's a store full of people. And I guess they're strangers, but they're just people. They're not criminals. And they just felt so much better about themselves and better about the world that they were making more friends. That was a, a bonus that I didn't expect." Audrey: "People think, 'Oh well my child's not ready for such and such.' But the thing is, the way you get ready for things is practicing. And if we don't let them practice, then are they ever going to feel competent and confident and capable." Audrey: "I'm always encouraging parents to just have kids do little things like making dinner or handling the checkout at the store. If you're not comfortable sending them on your own yet, let your child do the talking and handing them the card and running it through the thing or putting in your phone number and just let them try it in front of you until you feel confident." Lenore: "It's not just fun for kids to do things for their parents, it's also telling them that their parents trust, believe in and need them. Those things feel so great. It's great to know that your parents don't think you're so endangered or incompetent that you can't do things on your own." Audrey: "One of the reasons so many adolescents feel so bad is because they feel unneeded. When we are doing everything for them and not letting them start doing for themselves or helping others then they don't feel needed or valued, or necessary to a household, or to a school or a community. That's a terrible feeling." Lenore: "When you rise to the occasion on the playground and there are little kids there and you're the grownup, cause you're a fifth grader or a fourth grader, it is a great feeling. It's not just the leadership, it is the kindness that you get into yourself and realize this is fun. They didn't even realize what they were enjoying was empathy." Lenore: "I think camp is one of the last bastions of childhood freedom. And I think kids who are lucky enough to have it, whether it's day camp or overnight camp, they should take advantage and parents should take advantage too, because, as you said, the parents feel a lot more relaxed when they finally get to take their eyes off their kids for summer. Summer should be a time of freedom." About Lenore Skenazy After her column "Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone" landed her on every talk show from The Today Show to Dr. Phil, Lenore Skenazy got labeled “America’s Worst Mom.” Nice. She turned around and founded “Free-Range Kids,” the movement that says kids are NOT in constant danger. That grew into “Let Grow,” a non-partisan nonprofit working to make it easy, normal and legal to give kids back some independence. To that end, Lenore has lectured all over (Microsoft, DreamWorks, Sydney Opera House...) and been profiled everywhere from The New York Times to The New Yorker to The Daily Show. A journalist herself, she spent 14 years at the New York Daily News and has written for everyone from The Wall Street Journal to Mad Magazine. Yep. Mad! Her reality show “World’s Worst Mom,” airs on Discovery Life (from time to time, late at night, in re-runs). Last year, Utah became the first state to pass a "Free-Range Parenting Law," guaranteeing parents the right to let their kids do things like walk to school or play at the park without a security detail. Links Website: Let Grow: Future-Proofing Our Kids & Our Country Let Grow Project (for schools) FREE-RANGE KIDS has become a national movement, sparked by the incredible response to Lenore Skenazy's piece about allowing her 9-year-old ride the subway alone in NYC. Parent groups argued about it, bloggers blogged, spouses became uncivil with each other, and the media jumped all over it. A lot of parents today, Skenazy says, see no difference between letting their kids walk to school and letting them walk through a firing range. Any risk is seen as too much risk. But if you try to prevent every possible danger or difficulty in your child's everyday life, that child never gets a chance to grow up. We parents have to realize that the greatest risk of all just might be trying to raise a child who never encounters choice or independence.     Interviews with Lenore Skenazy https://vimeo.com/56107897 Jonathan Haidt, The Coddling of the American Mind Jonathan Haidt and Lenore Skenazy co-authored "The Fragile Generation," Peter Gray, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom we had without Going Nuts with Worry, Lenore Skenazy Related Ep. 60: The Importance of Outdoor, Child-Directed Free Play with Andy Pritikin Ep. 65: Raising Engaged, Happy Kids with Mary Hofstedt Ep. 78: The Danish Way of Parenting (Part 2) Ep. 87: The Impact of Camp Experiences with Laurie Browne, Ph.D. American Camp Association The Camp Impact Study 

Welcome to the new version of BPE! We kick things off with local leader Kelly Clark, Owner of Kelly’s Working Well Farm and the Founder of Chagrin Valley School. Listen now to expand your knowledge of permaculture practices in farming and in society, find out what actually happens on the piece of land off South Franklin Street in Chagrin Falls, and hear Kelly’s journey from science teacher to the growth of a program that would nurture kids curiosity and drive to learn.  Learn more about Kelly’s Working Well Farm and Chagrin Valley School by visiting chagrinvalleyschool.org, where you can catch up on the issues they are having with Bainbridge Township zoning and fire departments on the Support page of the website. You can also follow Kelly’s Working Well Farm and Chagrin Valley School on Facebook to stay informed. Do you have ideas for new show names, or thoughts to share on the new direction of the show? Send us an email at bestpodcastever1[at]gmail.com. SHOW NOTES Welcome to the new BPE; Introducing Kelly Clark; Comments on food, alcohol, and new habits What is Kelly’s Working Well Farm and what is Permaculture  Social Permaculture, Chagrin Valley School, and a theory of development Welcome to the new BPE; Introducing Kelly Clark; Comments on food, alcohol, and new habits What is Kelly’s Working Well Farm and what is Permaculture  Social Permaculture, Chagrin Valley School, and a theory of development What’s on the Farm; Kelly’s Working Well in the community  An innate wish for chickens; A science teacher finds a farm  A cultural shift toward nature; Our relationship with food  Growth and evolution of the organization Timebank and building community; The value of time A positive impact on students; Nature versus screens The vision for the future  Kelly tests out our brand-new lightning round questions ALSO MENTIONED IN THE SHOW Watch episodes of Molly’s show Countertop Time at apieceofmollysmind.com/countertop-time. Rust Belt Riders is working to divert food waste from landfills. Visit rustbeltriders.com to learn more.  Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray (book) Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (book) Gamechangers on Netflix Fantastic Fungi documentary The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (book series) John D looked up whether anyone ever walked into a boxing ring to Tom Waits. His findings: “A quick search says no. Although Goin' Out West was used in Fight Club.”

https://soundcloud.com/adsummitph/come-out-and-playWords: Abi Aquino of MullenLowe PhilppinesMusic: Jasper PerezArtist: QuestRecorded, Mixed and Mastered at Soundesign Manila, with special thanks to Raul Blay.Today on playing for a change we are going to discuss the aversion to talking about P-L-A-YThat four letter word that scares many people..BUT:Is it possible that play is actually the answer to some of our greatest most complex social challenges and that our fear of it comes out of what it has become in our mindpurposeless, silly, boundless, undirected, volatile, unpredictable, risky,…Supported by research:According to the WHO Every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide.https://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/ According to research teacher burnout is actually an international epidemic.https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/much-more-common-core/201611/the-teacher-burnout-epidemic-part-1-2 The Creativity Crisis: It’s Getting Worsehttps://www.ideatovalue.com/crea/khkim/2017/04/creativity-crisis-getting-worse/ Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life - Peter Grey Lack of Social Connectedness and Its Consequenceshttps://academic.oup.com/ppar/article/27/4/121/4807305 

'It’s ‘digital heroin’: How screens turn kids into psychotic junkies' That was the NY Post headline that sent the internet into meltdown in 2016. The article went on to state that 'your kid’s brain on Minecraft looks like a brain on drugs' and every parent who has ever experienced a pang of guilt watching their child immersed in a screen-based game felt that guilt engulf them.But is it true? Are video and screen-based games as terrifying as the headlines suggest?In this episode of the Potential Psychology Podcast I'm talking to Peter Gray, Research Professor of Psychology at Boston College. Peter is the author of both a widely used introductory psychology textbook, Psychology which is now in its seventh edition and Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for LifePeter writes a popular blog for Psychology Today entitled "Freedom to Learn". He is frequently invited to speak to groups of educators, parents, and researchers about children's need for free play and the ways in which children are designed, by natural selection, to control their own education.Peter says that he was intrigued by the increasing anxiety about video games amongst parents attending his seminars and presentations. He too read the news headlines and wondered if we were getting the full story. So, being the good scientist that he is, he set about exploring the available evidence on the effects of video games on the brain.In this episode Peter and I discuss:Whether your kid's brain on Minecraft really looks like a brain on drugsWhat we know from scientific research about the effects of video games on the brainThe role of parents and society in the rise of gamingInternet Gaming Disorder. Is it really a thing?When should parents worry about their child's video game use?What are the pros, cons and alternatives to restricting use?It's an intriguing discussion that may generate more questions than answers but it certainly opened my eyes to the complexity of the topic and gave me food for thought as a parent.For a full transcript, guest profile, expert tips and the resources mentioned in this episode, visit potential.com.au/podcast or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter

Psychologist and research professor Peter Gray had spent years studying the biological foundations of emotions in rats and other mammals. But when his 9-year-old son had an angry outburst in the principal’s office, Peter was moved to tears and soon found himself shifting his research focus to studying education from a biological perspective.   Peter's conclusions about what is missing from children’s lives in terms of pretend play and exploration without adult direction are addressed in a powerful way in his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant and Better Students for Life. Whatever the age of your children, Peter’s conversation with Marti & Erin will lead you to careful reflection on how to support your children’s success and happiness.   Think about the past week. How much time has your child spent playing without adult direction? How about doing pretend play (dramatic play) with other children? What did you learn in this Mom Enough interview about the benefits of this kind of play? How can you create more opportunities for your child to exercise creativity through free play?   For Peter’s Psychology Today blog, click here.

Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College who has conducted and published research in neuroendocrinology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is author of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, now in its 8th edition), which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. His recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves, through play and exploration, when they are free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books). He also authors a regular blog called Freedom to Learn, for Psychology Today magazine. He earned his undergraduate degree at Columbia College and Ph.D. in biological sciences, many years ago, at the Rockefeller University. His own current play includes kayaking, long distance bicycling, cross-country skiing, and vegetable gardening. https://letgrow.org/

Part Three of Three My marathon conversation with Peter Gray concludes with an exploration of Peter's vision for the future. It's a bold vision, but he describes the observations that led him to believe it will become a reality for more and more children and families in the coming years. The future is self-directed education. The Three Phases: 1. Discovery, learning about the world, the self and how the two fit together 2. Career Exploration, community/professional immersion, apprenticeship opportunities 3. Credentialing For Specialized Work, the Praxis idea of a better credential than the college degree Other Questions: -Does Peter have hope for government adoption of self-directed education? Publicly supported options? -How does education change? Considering the massive school bureaucracy. -Are unschoolers finding professional satisfaction? -How do schools like Sudbury help with career exploration? -Is Peter familiar with the mission of Praxis? Dr. Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College, and author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Peter serves on the Organizing team for the Alliance of Self-Directed-Education. He also runs a blog on Psychology Today called Freedom to Learn, where he regularly explains and promotes self-directed education from a variety of angles. Related Shows: [PODCAST] #504: Unenclosed Children and Self-Directed Learning – With Kerry McDonald [PODCAST] #378: An Introduction To Self-Directed Learning and Living For Teens (with Nick Hazelton) [PODCAST] #511: James Davis – Forced Learning Is Too Dangerous [PODCAST] #513: Building Self Directed Learning Communities (With Diane Murphy) Related Series: The Creative Pursuit (2016) Please Support School Sucks We do cool things! Thanks to your support. School Sucks is one of the longest running liberty-minded podcasts on the web, and the only one completely devoted to the issue of education (versus public school and college). Your support keeps the show going and growing, which keeps us at the top of the options for education podcasts and leads to new people discovering our work. Please help us continue to spread this important message further! Thanks for visiting this page. Before you do anything, please bookmark and use this link for your Amazon shopping: Shop With Us One-Time Donation Options: Paypal/Venmo; Donate DASH Donate ETHEREUM Donate LITECOIN Donate BITCOIN Donate BITCOIN CASH Donate ZCASH Recurring Options: Support Us On PATREON Help incentivize our production! Pledge $1 per content item and access dozens of Patron only audios and videos. Join the A/V Club If you're looking for more School Sucks content, the A/V Club option grants you access to a bonus content section with 400+ hours of exclusive audio and video. If you are a regular consumer of our media, please consider making a monthly commitment by selecting the best option for you... A/V Club - Basic Access - $8.00/Month A/V Club - "Advanced" Access - $12.00/Month Sigma Sigma Pi - "Privileged" Access - $16.00/Month   Crypto Addresses: DASH; XcZfPP6GZGVo9VKViNBVJZja5JVxZDB229 ETHEREUM; 0x3c5504CE3401C028832173506fa30BD4db4b7D35 LITECOIN; LKNp24f5wwvZ2QzeDbvxXgBxyVwi1yXnu2 BITCOIN; 1KhwY836cfSGCK5aaGFv8Q7PHMgghFJn1U BITCOIN CASH 1AmqLVxjw3Lp9KT5ckfvsqfN2Hn3B1hCWS ZCASH; t1by1ZGJ63LoLSjXy27ooJtipf4wMr7qbu4

Part Two of Three Dr. Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College, and author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Peter serves on the Organizing team for the Alliance of Self-Directed-Education. He also runs a blog on Psychology Today called Freedom to Learn, where he regularly explains and promotes self-directed education from a variety of angles. Today Peter and I discuss creativity and critical thinking - two skills we agree are left underdeveloped (or even damaged) by public school and college. On critical thinking, Peter has referenced studies and surveys that reveal about 50% of employers are dissatisfied with entry-level, college graduate employees (PayScale Inc.) and that college does little to improve higher level thinking (Academically Adrift: Limited Learning On College Campuses - 2011). On creativity, Peter wrote a piece called As Children’s Freedom Has Declined, So Has Their Creativity. Peter informs us that there are actually quantitative studies, including the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, that show a marked decline in children's creative capacity since the 1980s. We discuss the causes of this decline in detail. We finish with a friendly disagreement (then agreement) on the educational merits of video games. In part one we discussed the biological foundations of self-education. In part three we'll talk about Peter's vision for self-directed education in the future. Related Shows: [PODCAST] #504: Unenclosed Children and Self-Directed Learning – With Kerry McDonald [PODCAST] #378: An Introduction To Self-Directed Learning and Living For Teens (with Nick Hazelton) [PODCAST] #511: James Davis – Forced Learning Is Too Dangerous [PODCAST] #513: Building Self Directed Learning Communities (With Diane Murphy) Related Series: The Creative Pursuit (2016) Please Support School Sucks We do cool things! Thanks to your support. School Sucks is one of the longest running liberty-minded podcasts on the web, and the only one completely devoted to the issue of education (versus public school and college). Your support keeps the show going and growing, which keeps us at the top of the options for education podcasts and leads to new people discovering our work. Please help us continue to spread this important message further! Thanks for visiting this page. Before you do anything, please bookmark and use this link for your Amazon shopping: Shop With Us One-Time Donation Options: Paypal/Venmo; Donate DASH Donate ETHEREUM Donate LITECOIN Donate BITCOIN Donate BITCOIN CASH Donate ZCASH Recurring Options: Support Us On PATREON Help incentivize our production! Pledge $1 per content item and access dozens of Patron only audios and videos. Join the A/V Club If you're looking for more School Sucks content, the A/V Club option grants you access to a bonus content section with 400+ hours of exclusive audio and video. If you are a regular consumer of our media, please consider making a monthly commitment by selecting the best option for you... A/V Club - Basic Access - $8.00/Month A/V Club - "Advanced" Access - $12.00/Month Sigma Sigma Pi - "Privileged" Access - $16.00/Month   Crypto Addresses: DASH; XcZfPP6GZGVo9VKViNBVJZja5JVxZDB229 ETHEREUM; 0x3c5504CE3401C028832173506fa30BD4db4b7D35 LITECOIN; LKNp24f5wwvZ2QzeDbvxXgBxyVwi1yXnu2 BITCOIN; 1KhwY836cfSGCK5aaGFv8Q7PHMgghFJn1U BITCOIN CASH 1AmqLVxjw3Lp9KT5ckfvsqfN2Hn3B1hCWS ZCASH; t1by1ZGJ63LoLSjXy27ooJtipf4wMr7qbu4

Part One of Three Dr. Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College, and author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Peter serves on the Organizing team for the Alliance For Self-Directed-Education. He also runs a blog on Psychology Today called Freedom to Learn, where he regularly explains and promotes self-directed education from a variety of angles. Today Peter and I discuss how he distinguishes school from education, how school is disruptive to our "educative instincts," and the biological foundations of self-directed education. In other words, children come into the world biologically designed to learn. These foundations include: - Curiosity: the need to make meaning out of our surroundings - Playfulness: physical, but also related to risk-taking, language games, rules, imagination, logic, building, and using the tools of culture - Sociability: a desire to share what is being learned - Planfulness: thinking ahead, "self-directed executive functioning" In part two we'll discuss creativity and critical thinking. In part three we'll Peter's vision for education in the future. Related Shows: [PODCAST] #504: Unenclosed Children and Self-Directed Learning – With Kerry McDonald [PODCAST] #378: An Introduction To Self-Directed Learning and Living For Teens (with Nick Hazelton) [PODCAST] #511: James Davis – Forced Learning Is Too Dangerous [PODCAST] #513: Building Self Directed Learning Communities (With Diane Murphy) Please Support School Sucks We do cool things! Thanks to your support. School Sucks is one of the longest running liberty-minded podcasts on the web, and the only one completely devoted to the issue of education (versus public school and college). Your support keeps the show going and growing, which keeps us at the top of the options for education podcasts and leads to new people discovering our work. Please help us continue to spread this important message further! Thanks for visiting this page. Before you do anything, please bookmark and use this link for your Amazon shopping: Shop With Us One-Time Donation Options: Paypal/Venmo; Donate DASH Donate ETHEREUM Donate LITECOIN Donate BITCOIN Donate BITCOIN CASH Donate ZCASH Recurring Options: Support Us On PATREON Help incentivize our production! Pledge $1 per content item and access dozens of Patron only audios and videos. Join the A/V Club If you're looking for more School Sucks content, the A/V Club option grants you access to a bonus content section with 400+ hours of exclusive audio and video. If you are a regular consumer of our media, please consider making a monthly commitment by selecting the best option for you... A/V Club - Basic Access - $8.00/Month A/V Club - "Advanced" Access - $12.00/Month Sigma Sigma Pi - "Privileged" Access - $16.00/Month   Crypto Addresses: DASH; XcZfPP6GZGVo9VKViNBVJZja5JVxZDB229 ETHEREUM; 0x3c5504CE3401C028832173506fa30BD4db4b7D35 LITECOIN; LKNp24f5wwvZ2QzeDbvxXgBxyVwi1yXnu2 BITCOIN; 1KhwY836cfSGCK5aaGFv8Q7PHMgghFJn1U BITCOIN CASH 1AmqLVxjw3Lp9KT5ckfvsqfN2Hn3B1hCWS ZCASH; t1by1ZGJ63LoLSjXy27ooJtipf4wMr7qbu4

Welcome to Amy Alkon's HumanLab: The Science Between Us, interviewing the luminaries of behavioral science.Developmental psychologist Dr. Peter Gray explainswhy our current educational system is actually counterproductive to educating kids. Our way of schooling kids ignores our evolved psychology and how children actually learn, and removes children’s natural joy of learning from them in the process. It turns out that schooling based on the principles of a democracy -- applied to children -- is highly effective schooling for keeping kids engaged, helping them develop self-control, and helping them develop to their fullest and become highly productive adults living meaningful lives.Peter’s fascinating book: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Join me and all my fascinating guests every Sunday, 7-8 p.m. Pacific Time, 10-11 p.m. Eastern Time, at blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon or subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.Please support this show by buying my new science-based and funny book, Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence.

The MOST downloaded Episode of 2017 was with Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology at Boston College. In this episode, Peter Gray gives a short yet powerful summary of his book, "Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life." We talk about how important "free play" is to children in learning, healthy social growth, and gaining self-reliance. Thanks for putting The Luminous Mind in your ears, we appreciate your support through 2017! Show notes for Episode 173 Consider supporting our podcast on Patreon

My guest today is Peter Gray, an American psychologist who currently occupies the position of research professor of psychology at Boston College. He is also a well known critic of standard learning systems, and calls himself an evolutionary developmental psychologist. He studies why children are the way they are by asking questions like: Why are children so playful? Why are they so willful? Why do children do what they do? The topic is his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. In this episode of Trend Following Radio we discuss: Hunter gatherer cultures Self-reliance Evolution of development in youth Pros and cons of video games Ways of implicating free play back into society Jump in! --- I'm MICHAEL COVEL, the host of TREND FOLLOWING RADIO, and I'm proud to have delivered 10+ million podcast listens since 2012. Investments, economics, psychology, politics, decision-making, human behavior, entrepreneurship and trend following are all passionately explored and debated on my show. To start? I'd like to give you a great piece of advice you can use in your life and trading journey… cut your losses! You will find much more about that philosophy here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/trend/ You can watch a free video here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/video/ Can't get enough of this episode? You can choose from my thousand plus episodes here: https://www.trendfollowing.com/podcast My social media platforms: Twitter: @covel Facebook: @trendfollowing LinkedIn: @covel Instagram: @mikecovel Hope you enjoy my never-ending podcast conversation!

Amy Alkon's Advice Goddess Radio: "Nerd Your Way To A Better Life!" with the best brains in science. *Best of replay - for just another week or so until we relaunch under a cool new name.TONIGHT! Developmental psychologist Dr. Peter Gray will explain why our current educational system is actually counterproductive to educating kids. Our way of schooling kids ignores our evolved psychology and how children actually learn, and removes children’s natural joy of learning from them in the process. It turns out that schooling based on the principles of a democracy -- applied to children -- is highly effective schooling for keeping kids engaged, helping them develop self-control, and helping them develop to their fullest and become highly productive adults living meaningful lives.Peter’s fascinating book: Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Join me and all my fascinating guests every Sunday from 7-8 pm Pacific and 10-11 pm Eastern, here at blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon or subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.Buy my book, "Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck" at Amazon, and look for my award-winning, nationally syndicated, science-based advice column in a paper near you, or ask the editor to carry it!

Peter Gray is an American psychologist who currently occupies the position of research professor of psychology at Boston College. He is the author of a widely used introductory psychology textbook, Psychology, now in its sixth edition. The book broke new ground when the first edition was published (in 1991) as the first general introductory psychology textbook that brought a Darwinian perspective to the entire field. He is also author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), and he writes a popular blog for Psychology Today magazine entitled "Freedom to Learn." Gray is a well-known critic of our standard educational system who is frequently invited to speak to groups of parents, educators, and researchers about children’s needs for free play, the psychological damage inflicted on children through our present methods of schooling, and the ways in which children are designed, by natural selection, to control their own education. Along with a group of other concerned citizens, he has created a website, AlternativesToSchool.com, aimed at helping families find alternative, more natural, routes to education. (From the Wikipedia profile of Peter)

In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), Peter Gray proposes the following big idea: we shouldn’t force children to learn, rather we should allow them to play and learn by themselves. This, of course, is a radical proposal. But Peter points out that the play-and-learn-along-the-way style of education was practiced by humans for over 99% our history: hunter-gatherers did not have schools, but children in them somehow managed to learn everything they needed to be good members of their bands. Peter says we should take a page out of their book and points to a school that has done just that: The Sudbury Valley School. (BTW: Peter has some very thoughtful things to say about the way standard schools actually promote bullying and are powerless to prevent it or remedy it once it’s happened. Listen in.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), Peter Gray proposes the following big idea: we shouldn't force children to learn, rather we should allow them to play and learn by themselves. This, of course, is a radical proposal. But Peter points out that the play-and-learn-along-the-way style of education was practiced by humans for over 99% our history: hunter-gatherers did not have schools, but children in them somehow managed to learn everything they needed to be good members of their bands. Peter says we should take a page out of their book and points to a school that has done just that: The Sudbury Valley School. (BTW: Peter has some very thoughtful things to say about the way standard schools actually promote bullying and are powerless to prevent it or remedy it once it's happened. Listen in.)

In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), Peter Gray proposes the following big idea: we shouldn’t force children to learn, rather we should allow them to play and learn by themselves. This, of course, is a radical proposal. But Peter points out that the play-and-learn-along-the-way style of education was practiced by humans for over 99% our history: hunter-gatherers did not have schools, but children in them somehow managed to learn everything they needed to be good members of their bands. Peter says we should take a page out of their book and points to a school that has done just that: The Sudbury Valley School. (BTW: Peter has some very thoughtful things to say about the way standard schools actually promote bullying and are powerless to prevent it or remedy it once it’s happened. Listen in.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), Peter Gray proposes the following big idea: we shouldn’t force children to learn, rather we should allow them to play and learn by themselves. This, of course, is a radical proposal. But Peter points out that the play-and-learn-along-the-way style of education was practiced by humans for over 99% our history: hunter-gatherers did not have schools, but children in them somehow managed to learn everything they needed to be good members of their bands. Peter says we should take a page out of their book and points to a school that has done just that: The Sudbury Valley School. (BTW: Peter has some very thoughtful things to say about the way standard schools actually promote bullying and are powerless to prevent it or remedy it once it’s happened. Listen in.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), Peter Gray proposes the following big idea: we shouldn’t force children to learn, rather we should allow them to play and learn by themselves. This, of course, is a radical proposal. But Peter points out that the play-and-learn-along-the-way style of education was practiced by humans for over 99% our history: hunter-gatherers did not have schools, but children in them somehow managed to learn everything they needed to be good members of their bands. Peter says we should take a page out of their book and points to a school that has done just that: The Sudbury Valley School. (BTW: Peter has some very thoughtful things to say about the way standard schools actually promote bullying and are powerless to prevent it or remedy it once it’s happened. Listen in.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), Peter Gray proposes the following big idea: we shouldn’t force children to learn, rather we should allow them to play and learn by themselves. This, of course, is a radical proposal. But Peter points out that the play-and-learn-along-the-way style of education was practiced by humans for over 99% our history: hunter-gatherers did not have schools, but children in them somehow managed to learn everything they needed to be good members of their bands. Peter says we should take a page out of their book and points to a school that has done just that: The Sudbury Valley School. (BTW: Peter has some very thoughtful things to say about the way standard schools actually promote bullying and are powerless to prevent it or remedy it once it’s happened. Listen in.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), Peter Gray proposes the following big idea: we shouldn't force children to learn, rather we should allow them to play and learn by themselves. This, of course, is a radical proposal. But Peter points out that the play-and-learn-along-the-way style of education was practiced by humans for over 99% our history: hunter-gatherers did not have schools, but children in them somehow managed to learn everything they needed to be good members of their bands. Peter says we should take a page out of their book and points to a school that has done just that: The Sudbury Valley School. (BTW: Peter has some very thoughtful things to say about the way standard schools actually promote bullying and are powerless to prevent it or remedy it once it's happened. Listen in.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/psychology

In his book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), Peter Gray proposes the following big idea: we shouldn’t force children to learn, rather we should allow them to play and learn by themselves. This, of course, is a radical proposal. But Peter points out that the play-and-learn-along-the-way style of education was practiced by humans for over 99% our history: hunter-gatherers did not have schools, but children in them somehow managed to learn everything they needed to be good members of their bands. Peter says we should take a page out of their book and points to a school that has done just that: The Sudbury Valley School. (BTW: Peter has some very thoughtful things to say about the way standard schools actually promote bullying and are powerless to prevent it or remedy it once it’s happened. Listen in.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices