I just finished the recently published book, Loving Learning. Written by Tom Little with important help from Katherine Ellison, it is a more than a guide to some of the places where progressive education is thriving today. Taking each of … Continue reading
Dear Friends, When August To June came out in January 2011, few in the general population were aware of the shift in priorities that had taken place in schools. What a difference three years makes! Now every week FairTest publishes … Continue reading
This past month I spent time at two programs working hard to keep parents engaged in their children’s education. Wickliffe and Barrington Informal Programs, part of the Upper Arlington School District near Columbus Ohio, and Ann Arbor Open in Ann … Continue reading
One of my favorite events these last few years since I retired is the annual meeting of the North Dakota Study Group. The name confuses the uninitiated. In its first years the gathering was held at the University of North … Continue reading
A particular train of thought began with listening to physicist Fritjof Capra talk on NPR about Leonardo Da Vinci. For Capra, Leonardo’s genius (and that of others who we so identify) is closely tied to insatiable curiosity, combined with highly … Continue reading
Even after many viewings, Chapter 10 of A Year At Mission Hill gives me goosebumps. Tom’s images from the year combined with the staff chorus singing “On Children” captures the joy of teaching and learning with children so movingly. The … Continue reading
In Life, Math does not live in a separate house from Language or Science or Art. They interact with each other, depend on each other, are richer because of each other. That’s what makes the kind of learning you see … Continue reading
I have pieced together (with his permission) Derry Hannam’s posts from a fascinating two week back and forth that occurred on the AERO list-serve with people asking him questions about the Finnish education system. I have added links occasionally, but … Continue reading
Mission Hill staff divide the year into three theme periods. Theme studies “cross the curriculum” meaning that academic and non-academic pursuits are blended into the activities children engage in as they study a particular theme. There is also always time … Continue reading
There are so many topics that one could focus on after watching this chapter. Watching the Mission Hill staff share the ideas they had been brewing all summer about what and how they would teach, moved me in many ways, … Continue reading