Fab Fridays 23: Self-Directed Learning
Why unschooled kids are learning to read earlier and with less conscious effort.
Hi Friends!
Greetings from Panama.
Education is often confused with schooling.
But they are not the same. Schooling is the formal, curriculum-led system that we go through for a number of years, while Education is the never-ending process of learning: the sum of everything we learn that leads us to live a satisfying and meaningful life.
Or as Albert Einstein would say:“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.
How much of what you learned in school has led you to live a satisfying and meaningful life?
Most of our education comes from everyday life as we pursue our own interests and learn what we need along the way—things we learn through self-study, self-chosen activities, and life-experiences.
Conventional schools play against our natural inclination to learn in ways self-directed learning does not.
Research shows that kids have the ability to learn on their own under conditions that optimize their natural abilities to educate themselves. These conditions can be provided at a fraction of the cost and time of schooling.
In this week’s episode of Show & Tell, David and I talk about Self-Directed Learning, with a focus on Reading and Math.
We dismantle the myth that kids must be taught to read (crazy, I know!) and why there is no “best age” for learning to read.
I share what I noticed when I taught my students how to read using a conventional teaching approach, and David shares how he found a passion for reading as an adult. We talk about how kids should learn Math and other subjects based on things that are directly relevant in their lives.
We also cover:
The parent’s role in self-directed learning
Why unschooled kids are learning to read earlier and with less conscious effort
Tips for learning to read and do math without schooling
You may find this one especially practical, as we give specific examples of how to guide kids toward self-directed learning in everyday life. Listen up and let me know what you think!
Have a great weekend,
Ana Lorena Fabrega
P.S. To ensure you get Fab Fridays every week, add ana@afabrega.com to your contacts.