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REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS
Hey! Let's "unschool" 'em!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 6:22 AM
NIKI2
Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...
Quote:Six-year-old Karina Ricci doesn't ever have a typical day. She has no schedule to follow, no lessons to complete. She spends her time watching TV, doing arts and crafts or practicing the piano. She learned to spell by e-mailing with friends; she uses math concepts while cooking dinner. Everything she knows has been absorbed "organically," according to her dad, Dr. Carlo Ricci. She's not just on summer break -- this is her life year round as an at-home unschooler. "It's incredible how capable she is," Ricci said in a phone interview from his home in Toronto, Ontario. "And I think that all young people are that capable ... if you don't tell them they can't or they're not allowed, they surprise us in a lot of ways." Ricci is professor of alternative learning at Nipissing University and an advocate of unschooling, a concept that's gaining popularity in both Canada and the United States thanks to frustration with the current public education system. In unschooling the child is in control of his/her learning. They are free to decide what they want to study, when they want to study it. Experts say there are about 2 million home-educated students in the U.S., and Ricci estimates 10% adhere to unschooling ideals. In addition, there are more than 20 Sudbury schools -- private institutions that follow the same philosophy -- in North America. A new one is set to open in Toronto next fall. More at http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/03/unschooling.sudbury.education/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 8:37 AM
DREAMTROVE
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 12:59 PM
KWICKO
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 1:36 PM
NEWOLDBROWNCOAT
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 1:47 PM
BYTEMITE
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 2:41 PM
Quote:Originally posted by Kwicko: Even when it comes to fracking? Do they really do better without any direction of supervision in ALL areas, DT?
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 3:03 PM
STORYMARK
Quote:Originally posted by Niki2: I'm sure glad I won't be around when these "unschooled" generations are in charge! Just for a minute, can you imagine what "subjects" today's youth would choose to "study"?
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 3:09 PM
Quote:A truly free society would allow everyone to make their own decisions at every point in their life, without mandates or contractual obligations.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 4:17 PM
THEHAPPYTRADER
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 4:37 PM
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 8:45 PM
MAGONSDAUGHTER
Quote:Originally posted by TheHappyTrader: What if the child's household environment is not stable and does not include a computer, internet, or responsible parents? It happens more often than we might be comfortable with. For every one self taught prodigy there would likely be several more who's reading comprehension is abysmal (assuming they even want to learn how to read.) If I were less busy I'd write more with supporting sources, but for now I'll just make it clear I think this is a very bad idea. It could work with dedicated parents and the right environment, but I think that is more often the exception than the norm.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 8:46 PM
RIONAEIRE
Beir bua agus beannacht
Thursday, August 4, 2011 12:08 AM
FREMDFIRMA
Thursday, August 4, 2011 1:23 AM
Thursday, August 4, 2011 8:19 AM
Quote:What if the child's household environment is not stable and does not include a computer, internet, or responsible parents? It happens more often than we might be comfortable with. For every one self taught prodigy there would likely be several more who's reading comprehension is abysmal (assuming they even want to learn how to read.) ...It could work with dedicated parents and the right environment, but I think that is more often the exception than the norm.
Quote:While parents do often have a big impact on the education of their kids, it isn't all just parents either. Clearly, teachers can have a big impact, as can peers, and a kid who wants to learn will learn no matter what his environment.
Quote:I'd support changing the school system rather than taking kids out of it in most cases. I think kids need to develop some sense that they are not the centre of the universe and have to fit in with others, and encouraged to try a wide variety of activities. Many kids would just choose to use the internet all day long, and need structures to make sure that this doesn't happen.
Quote:I think that a small portion of children, the Benjamin Franklins and Abraham Lincolns among us, would do well learning this way, but the majority of people just wouldn't. If I'd been allowed to learn this way I wouldn't have learnt much since I hated maths and my parents didn't have all the tools I needed in order to learn to the best of my abilities.
Quote:perhaps cause you've unconsciously bought into that children are lazy, children need a leash propaganda...
Thursday, August 4, 2011 8:36 AM
Thursday, August 4, 2011 3:25 PM
Thursday, August 4, 2011 4:08 PM
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