Unschooling And...Teachers Who Quitn this episode I talk about teachers who quit the conventional classroom to launch schooling alternatives. Highlighting themes from my most recent Forbes.com article, “Teachers Who Quit To Create Schooling

Unschooling and…Public Schools

Mar 22nd, 2019 11m 30s

Creating self-directed learning schools in the public sector is nearly impossible, as the recent example of Powderhouse Studios in Somerville, MA reveals. Education innovation must come from the private sector, with parents, students, educators

Unschooling and... Education Choice

Mar 10th, 2019 20m 10s

This episode explores the topic of expanding education choice to more families and why that matters for unschoolers and others who care about parental empowerment, education innovation, and diverse learning opportunities for young people.

Unschooling And...Compulsory Ed. History

Feb 28th, 2019 16m 59s

Massachusetts led the way in compulsion, passing the first compulsory education law in 1642 and the first compulsory school attendance law in 1852. The story we are told is that 19th century compulsory schooling was to be the "great equalizer"

Unschooling And...The Numbers

Oct 5th, 2018 17m 28s

Unschooling and... the numbers. Homeschooling numbers have risen dramatically in the last two decades— and unschooling numbers have spiked in just 4 years. Self-directed education is catching on, and unschooling learning centers (like those spo

Unschooling And...Keynoting about it

Sep 26th, 2018 17m 30s

In this episode, I share details from my recent keynote presentation at the New Hampshire School Administrators Association conference. The title of my keynote was “The Future of Education is Unschooling,” and I presented it to the more than 20

Unschooling And...Academics

Aug 6th, 2018 17m 4s

Is unschooling anti-intellectual? Some of its roots might be, but modern unschoolers know that Self-Directed Education can lead to much more intellectual rigor and academic mastery than conventional schooling and school-at-home educational appr

Unschooling And...Its Future Prospects

Jul 21st, 2018 16m 59s

Every 40 to 50 years, it seems, there is a surge of interest in alternative education ideas. Beginning with John Dewey in the 1880s, followed by another spike in interest in the 1920s, and then the radical education reformers of the 1960s, we m

Unschooling And...The Future of Work

Jul 10th, 2018 17m 18s

This episode describes how unschooling is the preferred education approach, not only to nurture our children's current interests, passions, and autonomy, but also to prepare them for the future of work.In a world where the majority of children

Unschooling And...Coercion

Jul 6th, 2018 30m 41s

In this episode, we explore the opposing ideas of freedom and coercion, from their philosophical roots to their modern societal manifestations to their influence on unschooling theory and practice.Episode Notes:Thomas Jefferson (1816): “If a

Unschooling And...Its Origins

Jun 18th, 2018 16m 41s

Unschooling And…Its Origins Kerry McDonaldMany people believe that unschooling began with John Holt. While it is most certainly true that John Holt coined the term “unschooling” in the late-1970s as part of his work in the emerging modern h

Unschooling And...Freedom

Jun 14th, 2018 15m 34s

Unschooling and…FreedomJune 13, 2018By Kerry McDonaldThis inaugural episode focuses on unschooling and…freedom.I am excited to launch this new podcast series that amplifies the ideas and practices of unschooling and Self-Directed Educ

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