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Free to Learn
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
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Free to Learn
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Summary
Our children spend their days being passively instructed and made to sit still and take tests, often against their will. We call this imprisonment schooling yet wonder why kids become bored and misbehave. Even outside of school children today seldom play and explore without adult supervision and are afforded few opportunities to control their own lives. The result: anxious, unfocused children who see schooling and life as a series of hoops to struggle through.
In Free to Learn, developmental psychologist Peter Gray argues that our children, if free to pursue their own interests through play, will not only learn all they need to know but will do so with energy and passion. Children come into this world burning to learn, equipped with the curiosity, playfulness, and sociability to direct their own education. Yet we have squelched such instincts in a school model originally developed to indoctrinate, not to promote intellectual growth.
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, Gray 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. This capacity to learn through play evolved long ago, in hunter-gatherer bands where children acquired the skills of the culture through their own initiatives. And these instincts still operate remarkably well today, as studies at alternative, democratically administered schools show. When children are in charge of their own education, they learn better and at lower cost than the traditional model of coercive schooling.
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 promote their happiness and learning.
Critic reviews
" All kids love learning. Most don't love school. That's a disconnect we've avoided discussing until this lightning bolt of a book. If you've ever wondered why your curious kid is turning into a sullen slug at school, Peter Gray's Free to Learn has the answer. He also has the antidote." (Lenore Skenazy, author of Free-Range Kids)
" [A] well written, well organized and beautifully stated piece of work . I emphatically recommend this book for any parent as well as any educator or anyone interested in improving education for our society." (Laurette Lynn, UnpluggedMom.com)
" [E]nergetic Gray powerfully argues that schools inhibit learning . [Gray's] 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." (Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about Free to Learn
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- cakemaker
- 08-01-23
A new world
May we all play more. In childhood all the way to adulthood. May we make a difference.
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- Liss
- 03-10-22
Life affirming
In a world where the conventional narrative meets any objective observations with hostility, this book affirms there is another way, it is ancient, and it is better for us as a species. This has given me the strength and facts to stand up and feel good trusting my son. And in my right to say no to a very damaging system.
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- Jen
- 20-01-20
Brilliant book!
This is a must for every parent to read! It reminds me of my childhood when I can do almost anything with freedom!
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- Watchoutworld
- 03-01-23
Must read- loved it
We are 3 years into home education and found this so valuable and validating.
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- Love.peace
- 13-10-19
Amazing
A must read for all. We must start respecting our children. They are the future.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Emily D.
- 09-06-21
Essential for all parents!
I wish I had read this book before I even thought of having children. It could have saved me from making so making mistakes! Everyone who lives or spends any time with children should read it!
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- Cheila
- 24-07-19
Mind blowing
I already knew there's plenty of problems with the regular school system, but this book really convinced me that homeschooling is the best. If I can find a community of like-minded people with children in the new few years I would love to join this wonderful movement!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Moema Pimentel
- 30-11-21
Free to Learn
Enlightening and inspirational… I wish my mum had read the book when I was growing up!
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- Xanld
- 31-10-20
Inspirational. Must read.
I highly recommend for anyone considering or practicing alternative education. So much of it seems obvious, but Peter does such an amazing job of confirming and organising ideas, and ultimately reassuring me that this approach is not one to be nervous about.
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- Anita Pickavance
- 24-10-19
Trust
Has changed my view on education & allowing my son to learn. How to be a trusting parent.
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2 people found this helpful