Design A School 1-2 Reasons Why Podcast
This is the first of a series of Podcasts. We talk about our motivations: why are we interested in setting up democratic schools? Our motivations are different and yours will be too! Share your ideas with us
Design A School 1-1: Reasons Why Intro
our reasons and motivations for doing this project I guess my reasons for getting into democratic education are mostly negative. That means I don’t want to pass on my own experience of school. It certainly turned me into a rebel. I don’t think it is either good or necessary to work within the system to…
1. Design A School Thoughts: Activation Not Inspiration
Activation not Inspiration I’ve seen waves of inspiration, waves of media attention ( especially in the early 70’s), waves of joyful, inexperienced educational pilgrims come and inevitably leave during my 47 years in Democratic Free School education. And, yes it is true Democratic Free Schools are mildly more plentiful now: a light dusting twinkling here…
Evidence for Openness: 7 ideas
The open classroom is back. I have my doubts about the phenomenon and want to see some evidence for the effectiveness of the trend.
Open Classrooms: past and future
This post looks at open classrooms. Don’t we need to think about the past before heading into an uncertain future? We’ve been here before.
Evidence based democratic education
Democratic schools should be at the forefront of evidence-based teaching. If teaching is better democratic school students have the most to win: they gain their freedom from the classroom!
Against Obedience
Obedience is the bedrock of authoritarian systems: you do what you are told. In this post I put the case for bucking obedience and building a different world based on freedom. I Won’t Do What You Tell Me Conservatives tell us that in the past everyone just did what they were told and everything was…
Curriculum Matters
Talking about the Curriculum in democratic free schools.
Apes and Ants Again- Sociobiology for Democrats
Are you an Ape or an Ant? In my last post I said that I feel like an Ape, but social policy treats me like an Ant. In this post I want to extend that idea. But I warn you first that this might lead to some deep thoughts. Deep Thoughts I mentioned my concerns…
Keep it in the Family
Family and kinship are a part of our mammal nature. How do they relate to our choices in education? Is it right for the state to work against our primal instincts.
