the realness of reading and writing
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In a message dated 10/30/02 4:08:23 PM, mom23princess@... writes:
<< I really believe if we have gone to an actual school in our lives,then we
are brainwashed & programmed to think only one way. >>
Yep. I went for fifteen years. (no kindergarten, left high school early).
That's a lot of programming.
<<I just always believed the proof of learning was to see it written but
that's not true.>>
I think that's one of the last blocks to fall with many people. Even people
whose kids are great unschoolers and fascinating and what all, the parents
might want them to "write a report" someday. It's as thought having a
solid, substantial THING that looks schoolish will make it all legitimate.
Kirby wrote an inventory and needs report once for work. I helped him format
it, and found a couple of things I could mention about grammar. He was fine
with that help.
It wasn't a practice report, though, as all the school reports are. He was
actually providing information his bosses needed about the games he was
managing.
Marty has written up games rules. That's technical writing.
Both of them do a kind of writing we never had to do in school, and that is
the online role playing games which are run with text. It's a little like
D&D--there are scenarios and each character decides what to say and do.
There are some online dice, but they all stay in character, and it's pretty
dramatic and artsy.
The closest we came to that in school was a short-answer test. Even then,
though, you have time to proof-read and erase and change things before you
hand it in.
With these games they are writing JUST because they want to. Nobody makes
them. (Although one night Marty was on Kirby to "get in there and rez some
people! We can't play until you do this!" (Ressurect some, and record some
scores, for the people in his "kingdom.")
They write and hit send. It's gone. Maybe one person sees it, or ten, or a
hundred. Then someone responds, based on what they wrote. Then they write
again. There is a response.
That kind of "real-time" writing wasn't part of any schoolwork I ever did. I
got speed from taking notes in class. So what they're doing doesn't fit on
a curriculum. But it's better than most of the writing I remember doing in
school, and it's real, and live.
<<She even talks using big words i haven't taught her,so i do believe there
is learning going on all the time.>>
Words come several a day to kids her age. She'll pick them up from anywhere,
and once you've heard a word used three or four times, you probably don't
need anyone to "teach you" what it means or how to use it.
Good, Renee! Sounds like things are about to be even better at your house
than they already are. Welcome!
Sandra
<< I really believe if we have gone to an actual school in our lives,then we
are brainwashed & programmed to think only one way. >>
Yep. I went for fifteen years. (no kindergarten, left high school early).
That's a lot of programming.
<<I just always believed the proof of learning was to see it written but
that's not true.>>
I think that's one of the last blocks to fall with many people. Even people
whose kids are great unschoolers and fascinating and what all, the parents
might want them to "write a report" someday. It's as thought having a
solid, substantial THING that looks schoolish will make it all legitimate.
Kirby wrote an inventory and needs report once for work. I helped him format
it, and found a couple of things I could mention about grammar. He was fine
with that help.
It wasn't a practice report, though, as all the school reports are. He was
actually providing information his bosses needed about the games he was
managing.
Marty has written up games rules. That's technical writing.
Both of them do a kind of writing we never had to do in school, and that is
the online role playing games which are run with text. It's a little like
D&D--there are scenarios and each character decides what to say and do.
There are some online dice, but they all stay in character, and it's pretty
dramatic and artsy.
The closest we came to that in school was a short-answer test. Even then,
though, you have time to proof-read and erase and change things before you
hand it in.
With these games they are writing JUST because they want to. Nobody makes
them. (Although one night Marty was on Kirby to "get in there and rez some
people! We can't play until you do this!" (Ressurect some, and record some
scores, for the people in his "kingdom.")
They write and hit send. It's gone. Maybe one person sees it, or ten, or a
hundred. Then someone responds, based on what they wrote. Then they write
again. There is a response.
That kind of "real-time" writing wasn't part of any schoolwork I ever did. I
got speed from taking notes in class. So what they're doing doesn't fit on
a curriculum. But it's better than most of the writing I remember doing in
school, and it's real, and live.
<<She even talks using big words i haven't taught her,so i do believe there
is learning going on all the time.>>
Words come several a day to kids her age. She'll pick them up from anywhere,
and once you've heard a word used three or four times, you probably don't
need anyone to "teach you" what it means or how to use it.
Good, Renee! Sounds like things are about to be even better at your house
than they already are. Welcome!
Sandra