These ideas are not new. We had an education revolution in the 1970’s. I was a student then and remember going to artist colonies in Berkeley, and spending days on end at out in a nature park, disassembling motors, and redesigned classrooms with pods in the center. Even before that children learned without school at their parents or an apprentice’s side, in the community learning a trade or skill. So why do they seem so “radical”? Especially to teachers.
Agree 1000%! I think of reading Ivan Illich's work from that time period as well and wondering why it hasn't happened more widely. I think the ideas are ancient and emergent all over...the question is why they've been so hard to root into our current society. Our current mode of schooling is much more 'radical', not in a good sense, than these ideas!
Very interesting post. I imagine some portions of a child’s education by necessity need to be done in a focused group-in-classroom experience (complex math, language/grammar, the hard sciences), but certainly even some of those as well as all you described could be done outside the classroom. Whatever the blend that was achieved, it would seem overall far better than the 8-hour school day with a few minutes here and there doing some form of PE.
These ideas are not new. We had an education revolution in the 1970’s. I was a student then and remember going to artist colonies in Berkeley, and spending days on end at out in a nature park, disassembling motors, and redesigned classrooms with pods in the center. Even before that children learned without school at their parents or an apprentice’s side, in the community learning a trade or skill. So why do they seem so “radical”? Especially to teachers.
Agree 1000%! I think of reading Ivan Illich's work from that time period as well and wondering why it hasn't happened more widely. I think the ideas are ancient and emergent all over...the question is why they've been so hard to root into our current society. Our current mode of schooling is much more 'radical', not in a good sense, than these ideas!
One of the most important reasons I chose to homeschool was so my child would live in the real world.
I wish I could put you in charge of education in this country, Chris.
Very interesting post. I imagine some portions of a child’s education by necessity need to be done in a focused group-in-classroom experience (complex math, language/grammar, the hard sciences), but certainly even some of those as well as all you described could be done outside the classroom. Whatever the blend that was achieved, it would seem overall far better than the 8-hour school day with a few minutes here and there doing some form of PE.