Free to Learn

December 17, 2012
Developmental psychologist Gray declares that “school is prison, but almost nobody beyond school age says it.” In this energetic though repetitive manifesto, Gray powerfully argues that schools inhibit learning by “ with the development of personal responsibility and self-direction” by “turning learning into work” and reducing “diversity in skills and knowledge.” Gray suggests that children possess a natural instinct to educate themselves, and through unstructured play and exploration with individuals of all ages, they will blossom and develop into confident individuals. Drawing on various psychological case studies as well as an in-depth examination of the Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Mass., Gray shows that children learning in “unschooled” environments demonstrate a deep desire to learn, as well as a capacity for self-control, and display feelings of anxiety and depression far less than students in a structured environment. Many educators and parents may find Gray’s ideas naïve and impractical, but his vivid illustrations of the “power of play” to shape an individual are bound to provoke a renewed conversation about turning the tide in an educational system that fosters conformity and inhibits creative thinking. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

January 1, 2013
Psychology Today blogger Gray (Psychology/Boston Coll.) argues the need for radical reforms in our educational system. Describing himself as "an evolutionary developmental psychologist," he rests his theory on the claim that hunter-gatherer societies offer an educational model for today. Many will agree with his contention that the lives of today's children are far too scripted, with excessive homework and play dates substituting for the free-wheeling play of decades past. "Free play is nature's means of teaching children that they are not helpless," writes Gray. His conclusion that formal schooling is an infringement on children's freedom and should be abolished is more controversial--even more so since he grounds it in a mythical golden age preceding the invention of agriculture. The author makes the dubious suggestion that his assertions represent "compelling evidence that children's natural, hunter-gatherer ways of learning are sufficient for education in our culture, if we provide conditions that are equivalent." Switching to modern times, Gray indicts formal education and compares schools to prisons. Charging that public education denies children their liberty "without just cause and due process," he contends that this interferes with their development of personal responsibility and robs them of the motivation to learn. The hierarchical nature of schools fosters "shame, hubris, cynicism, and cheating," as well as bullying. Gray's observation that mixing age groups can foster the educational process is intriguing, but his advocacy of radically transforming the role of teacher to that of a consultant is more controversial. The author's suggestion of the $600 billion savings to be had by eliminating public education suggests a libertarian political agenda, but it should make his proposals attractive, if not entirely convincing.

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