The Structured/Unstructured Dichotomy
Educators often criticize unschoolers for having no structure since they are learner-directed, and unschoolers often criticize conventional schools for having too much structure and being authoritarian. But is this classification really useful?
I’m still learning the ins and outs of making videos for TikTok and YouTube, and I’m getting help organizing, captioning, and adding auto-translations to my YouTube channel, in particular. Right now, for my TikTok videos on YouTube, you will see two sets of captions: one embedded by the TikTok app, the second is autogenerated by YouTube. You can turn off the YouTube generated subtitles by clicking on the CC button.
If you want to see the list of language translations YouTube autogenerates for a video, click on the Settings button (the gear). This is only available on my four most recent videos; there are 19 languages listed for each. If you try the translation feature please let me know how well you think it interprets my words into another language.
GWS Back Issues
I’m sorry to say that Issuu, the platform where all the back issues of Growing Without Schooling are available in flip book format, has increased it’s monthly fee so much that I will no longer be able to offer all the individual issues of GWS for download as of Nov. 7.
While I explore other options for keeping the individual issues available online, I continue to create pdf and paperback versions of the back issues collected into volumes. I’m currently working on Vol. 6, issues 63–72, which should be published in late November.
Meanwhile, you can see and sample all the issues here until Nov. 7, 2024: https://issuu.com/patfarenga
Billy L Greer, who sold GWS through FUN Books, notes:
“If people are interested in purchasing original printed copies, I can put together an inventory list of what we still have available. In addition to the original newsletters, we still have many copies of the GWS Vol. 1 book.” Contact Billy directly on Facebook.
GWS 71 has more reader stories and interviews in addition to the structured/unstructured learning debate and the entire issue can be purchased as a pdf flipbook until Nov. 7.
Front page of GWS 71
12 sessions over six days. The following speakers will be theming their presentations around the question:
“If you could design a new paradigm of education, how would it look?”
- Yumna Hussen, student and TEDxYouth speaker on reimagining education;
- Iris Chen, parenting coach, blogger and author of Untigering
- Becky Carlzon, co-author of 'Powering Up Children' and co-creator of Learning Pioneers and PressPlay;
- Charlotte Church, singer/song-writer, activist and founder of her own democratic/self-directed learning community, The Awen Project.
- Je'anna L Clements, learning community founder and author of several books including ‘Help, My Kid Hates School!’, will be speaking alongside Sifaan Zavahir, a democratic school founder and children’s rights activist.
- Dr James Mannion, TEDx speaker, host of the Rethinking Education podcast and co-author of ‘Fear is the Mind Killer’;
- Dr Naomi Fisher, clinical psychologist and author of several books including, 'Changing Our Minds: How Children Can Take Control of their Own Learning';
- Kate Robinson, co-author of book "Imagine if... Creating a Future for Us All," (which serves as the manifesto for her father Sir Ken Robinson);
- Ellie Costello, director of Square Peg and co-author of ‘Square Pegs’ (which has been recommended to the DfE by the National Children’s Bureau as core reading);
- Dr Gina Riley, educational psychologist, clinical professor and author of several books, including 'Unschooling: Exploring Learning Beyond the Classroom';
- Zoe Readhead, director of A.S.Neill's Summerhill School, daughter of education pioneer, AS Neill.
