Learning Rules Vs. Intellectual Development and Understanding
I've had the opportunity, through this blog and in person, to talk to hundreds of thousands of educators and parents about how our version of progressive, play-based preschool education works. I've shared about creating interesting, safe-enough environments in which children are free to follow their own curiosity, to ask and answer their own questions, while engaging with the people they find there. Among the most frequent follow-up question from friend and skeptic alike is something along the lines of: "That all sounds well and good, but how do the children do once they find themselves in public school?"
My answer has changed over the years because public schools have changed. Two decades ago, my honest answer was, "They do just fine," because kindergarten was still at least somewhat play-based and the kids naturally adapted even as their freedom over what and how they would learn would be gradually throttled during the course of the next 13 years. I wouldn't necessarily tell parents the second part CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: Learning Rules Vs. Intellectual Development and Understanding
