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Natural learning: Simple?

Is it simple? Is it easy?

Joyce Fetteroll wrote, February 2014:
Natural learning is easy to understand. It's not so easy to feel confident that natural learning is as good as (let alone better) than institutional learning. Natural learning *shouldn't* test as well as school learning. It isn't geared to passing tests. It's geared to understanding. And understanding is hard to test for!

If natural learning were easy to trust Sandra could have put up on her website:

Create a rich environment. Support and feed their interests. Connect with them.
And none of us would still be sitting here nearly 20 years later, still explaining that it does work. 😉

—Joyce Fetteroll (on Always Learning)
More by Joyce that will follow on this:
Why You Can't Let Go

"Products" of Education

How do I stop wanting to see structured learning?"
By Joyce, Sandra and others (every image is a link): Real Learning

How to learn about unschooling naturally: Read a little, try a little, wait a while, watch.


The easy way

 photo Sword in the straw.jpg
When someone wrote "I may be taking the easy way out by just waiting until my son is older...,"
I responded (in part):

TAKE THE EASY WAY!!!

Make people’s live easy. Don’t think there’s virtue in allowing difficulties to continue.

Make his life easier, if you can do it in some simple way.

The world will provide obstacles and difficulties enough. Let it be your duty and joy to provide a haven.

SandraDodd.com/peace
photo by Abby Davis

Safe and simple

Someone fearful of "media violence" wrote: "I know this is a complex topic."

Joyce Fetteroll responded:

Only when it's mixed in with traditional parenting, school, disconnection.

In unschooling families it's simple: we help our kids explore what interests them in ways that are safe. And the side effects are that they find being loved and trusted and accepted for who they are is a whole lot more attractive than hatefulness and meanness. When their lives are full to overflowing with love, they don't need violence to get something they're lacking. All they need is to ask and they have a parent who will help them get it.

It's really that simple! Not complex at all.

SandraDodd.com/joyce/logic
photo by Sandra Dodd

Simple joys


If you practice noticing and experiencing joy, if you take a second out of each hour to find joy, your life improves with each remembrance of your new primary goal. You don't need someone else to give you permission, or to decide whether or not what you thought gave you joy was an acceptable source of enjoyment.

SandraDodd.com/joy
photo by Kirby Dodd



Talking to Babies



Crystalized Learning by Ren Allen



Deb Lewis in defense of Cartoons (and natural learning)



Breathing