I had the pleasure of chatting with Patricia Zaballos, author of a wonderful newsletter Welcome to the Wonder Farm. Zaballos is a former classroom teacher who chose to leave public education to homeschool her three now-grown kids. Since then, she has become an advocate for child-centered learning and increasing student agency.
Our conversation ranged from curriculum shifts and a lack of independent play, to standardized testing, to the amount of independence students (and teachers) have lost in the decades since No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Thank you Jared Fox, Lauren S. Brown, roeqin, and the many others who tuned into the livestream. I had a great time! Here are some resources mentioned in our chat.
Resources
Peter Gray, cofounder of Let Grow, writes the newsletter Play Makes Us Human. It is an invaluable resources for anyone interested in bringing more play and playfulness into our own lives and those of others.
Gray’s TED Talk about the decline of play is such an important topic for parents, teachers, and anyone who works with young people. With increasing rates of anxiety, depression, feelings of helplessness, and suicide among young people, Gray explains why free play is essential for children's healthy social and emotional development.
If you don’t have time to commit to the entire TED Talk, I recommend watching this short video from ECETP about play-based learning, or this 10-minute video where Dr. Gray discusses his research and how society has systematically dismantled childhood by over-schooling and over-supervising children.
Finally, if you are interested in reading Dr. Gray’s research in depth, his book, Free to Learn is excellent.
I mentioned how my school particpates in the the Global Day of Play, where teachers allow students ample time for free play without the use of screens, structured games, or adult direction. This website has a ton of great resources!
Teaching in the ’90s vs. NOW: How the Times Have Changed
Here is a fun article with some difference teaching in the 90s versus today!
Join me for my next live video in the app.
Have a great weekend!
— Adrian
