Freedom to Learn

The roles of play and curiosity as foundations for learning

Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology at Boston College, is a specialist in developmental and evolutionary psychology and author of an introductory textbook, Psychology. See full bio

October 22, 2008

Reasons to Consider a Less Selective, Less Expensive College: Saving Money is Just One of them

Families who, for years, have been dutifully squirreling money into college tuition funds have discovered, over the last few weeks, that a skunk has gotten into their stash. . . . The local state university, or one of the state colleges, which costs a fraction of what an elite private school costs, is beginning to look a lot more attractive than it did before. In this essay I present some other reasons, beyond cost, why the less prestigeous choice may often be the best choice. Read More

October 8, 2008

“No Child Left Inside”: An Example of The Wrong Way to Solve a National Problem

On Sept. 18, the US House of Representatives passed its version of the "No Child Left Inside" act. . . . I share all of the expressed concerns of the Coalition that is pushing for this legislation. I am an ardent environmentalist, concerned about the great ignorance on the part of so many of our citizens about the outdoors, concerned that we see very few children playing outdoors, concerned about the epidemic rates of childhood obesity and depression. But I do not support this legislation. . . . Schools suck the fun out of everything they teach. Do we really think that schools should be entrusted with the task of teaching our children to love the outdoors? I have an alternative set of suggestions. Read More

October 1, 2008

The Varieties of Play Match the Requirements of Human Existence

From an evolutionary perspective, play is nature's way of ensuring that young mammals will practice the skills they need for survival. Young carnivores, such as lions and tigers, play at stalking, chasing, and pouncing. Young zebras and other animals that are preyed on by lions and such play at running, dodging, and escaping. Young monkeys play endlessly at chasing one another and swinging from trees. Young humans--who have far more to learn than do the young of any other species--play in far more ways than do the young of any other species. The varieties of human play match well with the skills that humans everywhere must develop to survive and thrive. Read More

September 24, 2008

Why We Should Stop Segregating Children by Age: Part III—Older Children Are Excellent Models, Helpers, and Teachers

We adults flatter ourselves when we think that we are the best models, guides, and teachers for children. Children are much more interested in other children than in us. Children are especially interested in, and ready to learn from, those others who are a little older than themselves, a little farther along in their development, but not too far along. . . . That is why age mixing is crucial to children's self-education. Read More

September 17, 2008

Why We Should Stop Segregating Children by Age: Part II--The Unique Educative Qualities of Age-Mixed Play

Age-mixed play is more playful than is same-age play. When children who are all nearly the same age play a game, competitiveness can interfere with playfulness. This is especially true in our current culture, which puts so much emphasis on winning . . . In contrast, when children who differ widely in age play together, the focus shifts from that of beating the other to that of having fun. They play the game more joyfully, in a more relaxed manner, modifying the rules in ways to make it both fun and challenging for all involved. A playful mood facilitates creativity, experimentation, and the learning of new skills . . . Read More

September 9, 2008

Why We Should Stop Segregating Children by Age: Part I--The Value of Play in the Zone of Proximal Development

One of the oddest, and in my view most harmful, aspects our treatment of children today is our penchant for segregating them into separate groups by age. We do that not only in schools, but increasingly in out-of-school settings as well. In doing so, we deprive children of a valuable component of their natural means of self-education--the opportunity to play with and learn from those who are considerably older or younger than themselves. Read More

September 3, 2008

The Natural Environment for Children’s Self-Education: How The Sudbury Valley School is Like a Hunter-Gatherer Band

Young people's instincts to play and explore, and thereby to learn, evolved in the context of the hunter-gatherer band. Here I describe the ingredients of the typical hunter-gatherer band that seem most crucial to self-education and show how those ingredients also exist at a modern school designed to enable self-education. Read More

August 27, 2008

Why Schools Are What They Are II: Forces Against Fundamental Change

Many people today recognize the educative value of free play and exploration, regret that children are provided relatively little opportunity for such activities, and believe that children's willfulness is a positive force for their development, education, and enjoyment of life. Yet schools continue on, as before. In fact, conventional schooling and other adult-led activities modeled after such schooling occupy an ever-growing percentage of our children's time. Why is it so difficult to reverse this trend? . . . I don't pretend to know the full answer to this question, but here is an outline of my thoughts . . . . Read More

August 20, 2008

A Brief History of Education

If we want to understand why standard schools are what they are, we have to abandon the idea that they are products of logical necessity or scientific insight. They are, instead, products of history. Schooling, as it exists today, only makes sense if we view it from a historical perspective. Read More

August 13, 2008

Children Educate Themselves IV: Lessons from Sudbury Valley

The Sudbury Valley School has, for the past forty years, been the best-kept secret in American education. ... Professors of education ignore it, not out of malice but because they cannot absorb it into their framework of educational thought. . . . To understand the school one has to begin with a completely different mindset from that which dominates current educational thinking. Read More

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