Dads and Unschooling

Frank Maier wrote, on Father's Day in 2009:

Just as unschooling is, for us, more of a weltanschauung than merely an educational philosophy, being a father is more than just having children. To me, it means being a husband and partner to my exquisite wife, Ronnie. We're a team. It certainly means being a father to my girls. We're a team. The four of us together comprise another variant on the team theme.

Being a father also means participating in, and belonging to, the world around me and not just sitting quietly, being an observer. I have learned from my family and blossomed within my own inner geography as much as the kids have blossomed and grown into the wide world around them. As with most kinds of growth, it's difficult to see the changes on a daily or short-term basis. It's when you look back over a longer period that you really see, and are amazed by, the amount of growth that has happened.

Singularity, Frank Maier

The Parenting Pit , Arun

up up and away in afghanistan, Mike

Clint Stonebraker, his blog

Kevin Fuller's Photo Blog, mostly photos sent from his Blackberry. Some commentary, some family trips.

John, in Oregon the husband of Jenny Cyphers

A book recommendation from Ben Lovejoy:

Kelly ordered a new book for me (and the house) which I think will interest you if you're so inclined. Before I give you the title, let me share some of the points I've read in the past 20 minutes reading this book. "Today's kids are not ADD, they're EOE: Engage Me or Enrage Me. "Like all of us, including the adults who spend countless hours perfecting golfing, fishing, and other hobby skills, kids love to learn when it isn't forced on them. In fact, because their brains are still growing, kids probably love this *non-forced learning* even more than the rest of us. This is why game designer Raph Koster says that the *fun* kids are always seeking is really a synonym for *unforced learning*." As stated by James Paul Gee, Tashia Morgridge Professor of Reading at the University of Wisconsin-Madison writes in his Foreword: "(the author) knows that game designers have learned to harness deep and powerful learning—learning in the sense of problem solving, decision making, hypothesizing, and strategizing—as a form of fun, pleasure, engagemeent, even *flow*".

Mr. Gee goes on to point out that the author *knows* what makes a person good or bad on video games is not violence or lack of it, but how the game is played. "Does the player see through the *eye candy* and the superficial content to the underlying rules, strategy spaces, and emergent possibilities for problem solving? If so, powerful learning and thinking are going on." Gee goes on to argue if these two things weren't taking place, the player would *die* and have to start over again. {I don't know about your guys, but Duncan hasn't missed getting to at least the fifth level of any *new* game in less than two days in quite some time}.

Finally, the author saw a t-shirt a kid was wearing in NYC which stated: "I'm not attention deficit - I'm just not listening".

The book is called Don't Bother Me Mom—I'm Learning by Marc Prensky. (amazon link) I thought that I'd pass this along to the group since *gaming* (or computers/TV) always gets some time at our SSUDs gathering and beyond. So far in the book, the author is focused on the good our kids get from gaming rather than focus on all the negative that seems to get into the media. The book gives the thinking parent an opportunity to make a more informed decision.

Hope you pick it up if you don't have it, or comment on it if (when) you've read it. I'm just getting started but think I'll get a lot out of it myself.

Ben