Books
(FYI, most of these can be found in your local library!)
Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids To School?, Blake Boles
Thrivers, Michele Borba, Ed.D.
The Self-Organizing Revolution, Ron Miller, Ph.D
The Self-Driven Child, William Stixrud, Ph.D and Ned Johnson
Learning is Natural, School is Optional, Ken Danford
The Whole-Brain Child, Daniel J Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.
Podcasts
(These are awesome to throw on while you’re in the car!)
Unschooling And…
In this podcast, Kerry McDonald discusses the ideas and practices of unschooling and self-directed education. This is an awesome resource if you’re new to the term “unschooling.”
Education Revolution
Jerry Mintz, founder of Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO), hosts this podcast and uses it as a way to provide in-depth information on various aspects of learner-centered education.
Off-Trail Learning
This podcast is hosted by Blake Boles and is full of interviews with learners, educators, authors, and psychologists that dive deep into the topics of self-directed education, unschooling, and learning as a natural process.
Websites
(Make sure you have a few hours to spare… )
AERO
The Alternative Education Resources Organization (AERO) was founded in 1989 by former teacher and principal, Jerry Mintz. Jerry has played a huge role in the alternative education movement and has created AERO with a mission, as stated on their website, to “…help create an education revolution to make learner-centered education available to everyone.” AERO is not only the organization that hosted the conference in Portland I attended in June which helped kickstart the planning process for Bloom, but is also the organization that offers the School Starter’s course I am currently taking. We highly recommend dedicating a bit of your time to exploring this website so that you may really understand what alternative education is.
Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE)
ASDE is an non-profit organization that is dedicated to educating the public on anything and everything “self-directed.” They leaders and members of the Alliance believe strongly that kids should not only have the right to choose what, when, and how they learn but also believe that they are more than capable of such. They also serve as a great support for anyone who is implementing or interested in self-directed education.
Alfie Kohn
This guy is one of the biggest promoters of self-directed education and the biggest criticizers of set curriculum, standardized tests, and extrinsic motivation. He has written several articles and books that help people understand how our current education system is failing and how we, as a society, can change the direction our schools are going. His website has an absolutely insane amount of articles that we have spent hours reading, all of which have helped solidify why Bloom Academy is so necessary for our community.
Videos
Articles
On Bloom
Microschooling Blooming, Julie Wootton-Greener
In a World Full of Robots, Humans Wanted, Kerry McDonald
Leaders of the Revolution: Q&A with Sarah and Yamila, founders of Bloom Academy, Grant Hewitt of Stand Together
On Unschooling and Homeschooling
I Live Therefore I Learn: Living an Unschooling Life, Pam Sorooshian
A Typical Unschooling Day, Ginny
Children Teach Themselves to Read, Peter Gray
How Learning Happens, Sylvia Woodman
How Unschooling Can Benefit Your Child and the World, Sarah Surette
What’s Behind a Typical Unschooling Day?, Pam Laricchia
Trusting Children, Joyce Fetteroll
How I Learned to Read: Four Unschooled Kids, Four Stories, Jennifer McGrail
Reading Doesn’t Need to Be Taught – How Unschoolers Learn to Read, Sara at Happiness is Here
A Conversation with John Holt, Marlene Bumgarner and John Holt
On Child Development and Well-Being
Kids need community — and not the kind you’re thinking of, Aaron Browder
The Many Benefits for Children of Playing Video Games, Peter Gray
Light the Creative Flame: How to Get Children With Learning Disabilities Interested in the Arts, Jenna Sherman
On Deschooling
What Does Deschooling Mean?, Sue Patterson
Everything You Need to Know About Deschooling, Issa Waters
How Do I Stop Wanting to See Structured Learning?, Joyce Fetteroll
Deschooling a Parent: Learning to Trust, Jan Hunt
On Conventional School
Why Students Lose When Tougher Standards Win, John O’Neil and Carol Tell
One-Size-Fits-All Education Doesn’t Work, Alfie Kohn
Standardized Testing and Its Victims, Alfie Kohn
Emphasis on Testing Leads to Sacrifices in Other Areas, Alfie Kohn
School is Bad for Children, John Holt
On Play-Based Learning
What Exactly Is Play, and Why Is It Such a Powerful Vehicle for Learning?, Peter Gray
Learning Through Play, Jan Hunt
Basic Abilities and Play Preferences: Birth to Age 12
On Technology
It’s Not All Fun — Video Games Can Engage and Educate, Jenna Sherman