Has your child lost their spark for learning?
I believe that humans are born learners. They enter the world and immediately start to explore and learn through their senses. They become more experimental as they grow and after they master a small vocabulary, ‘WHY’ is likely to become one of their favorite words. They continue to learn through play.
Is it possible your child hasn’t lost their spark for learning, but instead lost interest in school. Or worse yet, is it possible that school is affecting their mood, behavior and overall well-being?
My own experience watching the devastating effects of school on my children, coupled with my research, has led me to the conclusion that school is not healthy for a lot of children. It can work for many students, possibly even the majority of students, but the list of alternatives is growing. I will share information about these alternatives and the organizations and writers that are also growing awareness of these alternatives.
This is a work in progress. Please recommend any other resources worth sharing. Here are a few links that might be helpful.
Create Your Own School – I’m co-creating a community of young adults who support each other through the creative process from self-discovery through self-actualization.
Psychology Today Freedom to Learn Blog by Dr. Peter Gray – The roles of play and curiosity as foundations for learning
Agile Learning Centers (ALC) Network – the ALC Network is a growing team of individuals and schools using the open source ALC model to create self-organized learning communities for self-directed education
The Alliance for Self-Directed Education – a nonprofit organization dedicated to normalizing and legitimizing Self-Directed Education, to make it available to everyone who seeks it
Alternative Education Resource Organization – AERO’s goal is to advance student-driven, learner-centered approaches to education
Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center, Inc. (CPAC) – a statewide nonprofit organization that offers information and support to families of children with any disability or chronic illness, age birth to 26
My Education Blog Posts – see what I’ve been writing about education