Free to Learn
Peter Gray argues that children are biologically designed to learn through self-directed play and exploration, and that modern schooling suppresses these instincts.
Peter Gray·2013
View All Authors
Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology at Boston College and the author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. He is also the author of a widely used introductory psychology textbook. He writes the 'Freedom to Learn' blog for Psychology Today and is a co-founder of the Alliance for Self-Directed Education. Gray's research focuses on the role of play in child development and education. He is one of the most cited advocates for self-directed, play-based learning and democratic schools.
Key Ideas
- →Children are biologically designed for self-directed play and learning
- →Modern schooling suppresses children's natural learning instincts
- →Democratic schools like Sudbury Valley demonstrate that children thrive with freedom
- →Hunter-gatherer children learned through play — this is our evolved educational mode
- →The rise of youth mental illness correlates directly with the decline of free play