Study finds no advantage to early reading

Unschoolers (and others) have known for decades that late reading has no effect on learning, nor does it show when they're older, but now those who prefer statistical analysis to anecdotal evidence can share this as needed:

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/research-finds-no-advantage-learning-read-age-five/5/33888

"At the end of the study, the data was analysed using Hierarchical Linear Modelling, which is commonly used in longitudinal studies, and a particularly robust way to analyse data, and estimated the point at which the early starters and later starters of learning to read met - and it came up with 10.89 years - between 10 and 11 years of age," he says.

"It was very exciting and unexpected - one of those science moments. The results concurred with the results of the other two studies and there were no differences in the abilities of the early and later readers by 11."

Unfortunate title, but decent article

'Unschooling' Lets Children Dictate Their Learning


'Unschooling' Lets Children Dictate Their Learning
CBS4 Miami Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:53 PM PDT
Who needs textbooks and lesson plans? Some parents say children should decide what they learn, not teachers. That's the basis of a controversial educational philosophy known as "unschooling", a movement that's gaining traction across the country.

Changing Paradigms

Wonderful animated illustrations to Sir Ken Robinson's talk:

"Creating your own curriculum"

Creating your own curriculum, article by Kelly Loeper, Queen's University The Journal, September 21, 2010.

Unschooling, self-teaching or life learning—an educational philosophy where children don’t attend school but “learn through life”—is growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional blackboards and books

(The link was going around facebook, from Wendy Priesnitz, and I snagged it. —Sandra)

"No wonder there is resentment of life learners!"

For years people have said "It's jealousy," or "it's resentment" when someone is complaining vaguely about unschooling being "not fair." Wendy Priesnitz of Life Learning Magazine has explained it very clearly and taken it one level further, into economic realities and the changing world.

Learning Happens
Wendy Priesnitz
28 September 2010

I’ve been having a discussion with an intelligent and open-minded critic of unschooling life learning. She keeps insisting that these kids “aren’t doing anything”…or at least not anything they couldn’t be doing on the weekends and going to school too. For awhile, I was stuck on trying to convince her that the school part is harmful, that there’s not much real learning goes on there, etc., etc. But the more she insisted, the more it seemed like she was whining! And that’s when I realized that her criticism isn’t based on facts, but on emotion – in this case, on resentment. Sadly, she agreed with me.

Read the rest:

http://lifelearningmagazine.com/blog/2010/09/28/learning-happens/

Effect of homeschooling on ADHD-labeled kids

Experiences of ADHD-Labeled Kids Who Switch from Conventional Schooling to Homeschooling or Unschooling
These kids and parents manage ADHD better without conventional schooling.
Peter Gray, Psychology Today
Published on September 9, 2010

Several weeks ago (see post of July 20, 2010) I posted a call for stories about children who have been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and have been homeschooled, unschooled, or "free schooled." I received 28 such stories and subjected them to a qualitative analysis.

My analysis of these stories suggests that (1) most ADHD-diagnosed kids do fine without drugs if they are not in a conventional school; (2) the ADHD characteristics don't vanish when the kids leave conventional school, but the characteristics are no longer as big a problem as they were before; and (3) ADHD-diagnosed kids seem to do especially well when they are allowed to take charge of their own education. In what follows I will elaborate upon and support each of these conclusions primarily with quotations from the stories. But, first, here are some numbers concerning whom the stories were about and who wrote them....

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201009/experiences-adhd-labeled-kids-who-switch-conventional-schooling-homeschool

"Two Thoreaus of Sakwa County"

The iJourney.org link below was sent to the Always Learning list by Aravinda. An Indian couple with PhDs moved from a city to the small village of Sakwa, where they have farmed and homeschooled two sons.

Looking at both them, it's hard to believe that they were both professors at an Engineering College in Ahmedabad. Or that he has a degree in Engineering and she studied Physics and Space Science in college. The story of why two PhD's dumped a city life for tribal one, traded in their teaching careers for a shovel and a hoe, and opted to live on 12,000 rupees ($300) a year is an inspiring tale...

. . . .

Raising Children

The two Soneji sons were both born after they moved to Sakwa. Vishwain is 17 and Bhargav is 14 today. Arguably, the biggest challenge for the Sonejis came when Vishwain became of elementary school age: do we home school or send him to an institutionalized school?

http://www.ijourney.org/story.php?sid=20