Free to Learn
Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
"A lightning bolt of a book" makes the case for why self-directed learning — "unschooling" — is the best way to get kids to learn (Lenore Skenazy)
In Free to Learn, developmental psychologist Peter Gray argues that in order to foster children who will thrive in today’s constantly changing world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development. Drawing on evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history, he demonstrates that free play is the primary means by which children learn to control their lives, solve problems, get along with peers, and become emotionally resilient. A brave, counterintuitive proposal for freeing our children from the shackles of the curiosity-killing institution we call school, Free to Learn suggests that it’s time to stop asking what’s wrong with our children, and start asking what’s wrong with the system. It shows how we can act—both as parents and as members of society—to improve children’s lives and to promote their happiness and learning.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Developmental psychologist Gray declares that "school is prison, but almost nobody beyond school age says it." In this energetic though repetitive manifesto, Gray powerfully argues that schools inhibit learning by " with the development of personal responsibility and self-direction" by "turning learning into work" and reducing "diversity in skills and knowledge." Gray suggests that children possess a natural instinct to educate themselves, and through unstructured play and exploration with individuals of all ages, they will blossom and develop into confident individuals. Drawing on various psychological case studies as well as an in-depth examination of the Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Mass., Gray shows that children learning in "unschooled" environments demonstrate a deep desire to learn, as well as a capacity for self-control, and display feelings of anxiety and depression far less than students in a structured environment. Many educators and parents may find Gray's ideas na ve and impractical, but his vivid illustrations of the "power of play" to shape an individual are bound to provoke a renewed conversation about turning the tide in an educational system that fosters conformity and inhibits creative thinking.
Customer Reviews
More Play, No Standardised Tests
This is a must read for every parent, caregiver, and educator in the western world.
If you do not believe the planet is older than 4K years, you don’t believe in evolution, or you genuinely believe your children were born bad and have to be taught to be good, this book is NOT for you.
Everyone else, this is a wonderfully insightful book about how as a society we are absolutely failing to prepare our children for any of the things adults demand of them and how we can do a better job. It shows a clear path to less bullying and more learning.
The chapter on age mixed groups was probably my favourite. Like he said, a lot of it is really obvious, but I would add that a lot of it is also ignored or written off as unimportant these days.
I really liked the chapter of history, too. It’s very eye opening about the true origins of our modern education system and that alone, I believe, should motivate a lot of change (especially in societies that value a separation of church and state).