Tag: Self-Directed Education

A lot of us use inaccurate words when discussing Self-Directed Education. What are more precise words that we can use and why does this matter? And when do we need to make up our own words? I grew up being an “ah, you know what I mean,” kind of a person, using words in the […]

Life fills us with questions. Each new stage of growing and development changes our thinking from one level to another. Like a character in a video game, we pass one stage, fighting off goblins and bosses and eating energy balls to power up until we feel like a champion, and then we find ourselves diving […]

What young people need It seems to me that the crucial commodity that young people need in order to find and deepen their interests and identity, and to learn how to live with others is TIME. Time to think, time to wonder, time to question, time to create, time to hang out with their friends, time […]

In this blog (which was first published by JKP), Naomi Fisher, a clinical psychologist with a PhD in autism, writes about the benefits of self-directed education, from children continuing to explore intense interests to a lack of comparison and judgment, allowing children to develop at their own pace. Her new book, A Different Way to Learn: […]

Announcing a New Collaboration… Limitless podcast host, Alex O’Neill and Progressive Education founder, Jo Symes have launched a webinar series for learning community start-ups. This is your chance to learn from the experts who have been there and done it, and ask any questions you might have. You will get to meet: Sophie Christophy Sophie […]

We are delighted to be collaborating with Omnis Education to bring you a series of five live webinars in our Progressive Education Group on Facebook. Omnis Education provides an online learning platform for self-directed learners to help every member of the family – children and parents – create learning adventures tailored to their interests, passions and […]

Authors: Max Hope & Sophie Christophy Max Hope, Director of Rewilding Education and advocate of freedom is passionate about rewilding and is excited about how concepts of rewilding can be used to ignite radical educational change. Sophie Christophy, Founder of The Cabin and unschooling parent, is a feminist and children’s rights activist and originator of the concept of consent-based education. […]

In UNESCO’s Progress Update on the Futures of Education, published in March 2021, UNESCO denied the value of Self-Directed Education and autonomous learning, despite much significant scientific evidence to support its efficacy. Considering such a stance could seriously jeopardise the UN agenda 2030 to lead to a regenerative education by 2050 for more just and sustainable futures. Gabriel Groiss, […]

By Rose Arnold, Suitable-Education.uk, first published October 2021 “Self-directed education is a pedagogy grounded in biology, anthropology, cognitive science, psychology and child development. It is not claimed that self-directed education is the only way that children can learn. However, being as it is an approach based on and supported by well-established and rigorous research from across multiple […]

Transcript from Derry Hannam’s talk at the online Summerhill Festival of Childhood, October 3rd 2021: My 1999 IDEC [International Democratic Education Conference] talk was given at Summerhill when the school was under threat from Ofsted inspectors. There had been a hostile hatchet job inspection earlier in the year and the school had been told to […]

Learning that’s lost in school can be found in many ways, if it needs to be found at all. As a homeschooler and author, I field many questions about the lost educational and social opportunities children face by being out of school, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made the issue of lost learning a deep […]

When I first went up to Cambridge University, I didn’t find Europe’s largest library for over six weeks. I never went to a single History lecture, despite being told that some of the country’s finest minds would be sharing their theories with me. When I did find the library, it was like a cathedral of […]

Lisa Carne shares with us a flavour of her book, Natural Curiosity, which is a warm and contemplative insight into her family’s experience of moving from mainstream schooling to home education, and learning through the lens of nature and natural history: “People say to me, ‘How did you first become interested in animals?‘ and I […]

…None appear for ages, then they all come at once! Does this mean that we are looking at a Post-Pandemic Overton Window for our ideas? And how do we feel about ‘for-profit’ democratic schools? I grew up in South London and my dad was a bus driver. There was supposed to be a number 47 […]

“Why are those teachers screaming at those kids?” my son James asked me, with a look of true shock and concern on his face. He was observing some teachers across the cafeteria as they were berating a group of students sitting at lunchroom tables. It was James’ first time attending a public school class. The […]

When I start talking about self-directed education, one of the first questions which comes up is, but what about exposure? Surely children don’t know all the things which are out there, and it’s our responsibility to make sure that they do? Isn’t that what an education is all about? How can we leave Maths ‘up […]

Our world needs creative problem solvers. People who know how they learn, how to communicate, and are adept at creative collaboration. But how do we nurture these natural qualities within the current education system which is based on the Standardization Philosophy?  We politely, kindly, and insistently agitate for change. We join together and advocate for […]

Naomi Fisher is a clinical psychologist and author.  Her book ‘Changing Our Minds; How Children Can Take Control of Their Own Learning’ is out now, published by Little, Brown. This time a year ago, we’d never have guessed how many people would have spent this year homeschooling.  School seemed as much part of life as […]

By Nicola Sankey, March 2008 (with Introduction by Dr. Graham Dawes) [At the time what is now Self Managed Learning College was Called ‘South Downs Learning Centre’. The name was changed after this report was produced.] Originally designed for adults, Self Managed Learning (SML) has more recently been adopted with young people through the work […]

By Andrea Hazeldin, Deputy Principal and Head of College, Uckfield Community Technology College, 2013 Introduction The title is taken from a comment made by a Year 8 student at the College. This article outlines the approach that prompted that comment – and others such as ‘I’ve learned more from these five sessions than in my […]

The material in this document is just a small snapshot of the extensive evaluations carried out on Self Managed Learning with young people. It includes parents/carers views of the Self Managed Learning College (SMLC) in Brighton and extracts from a follow-up study of former students of SMLC. Download the Full Report https://www.progressiveeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/A-summary-of-research-on-Self-Managed-Learning-3.pdf