Global Village Voice

IHE often publishes interesting stuff on their blog. This piece uses food examples but the concepts about how we act out tradition, habit, and culture are applicable across many areas of life.  Examining the assumptions that underlie these habits is an essential part of progressive homeschooling.

http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-humane-world-looks-like-rethinking.html

Posted under Culture, Current Events, Education, Homeschooling

3StoryFilms is working on a documentary about homeschooling, focusing on the wide cross-section of families utilizing the homeschool model, answering frequently asked questions, and challenging the prevailing myths that surround discussions about homeschooling.  Keep tabs on them here:

http://www.3storyfilms.com/

Posted under Current Events, Education, Homeschooling

This is an interesting look at a particular type of alternative education that can be adapted to fit an unschooling, homeschooling or distance learning family.

Free to Learn is a 70 minute documentary that offers a “fly on the wall” perspective of the daily happenings at The Free School in Albany, New York. Like many of today’s radical and democratic schools, The Free School expects children to decide for themselves how to spend their days.

You can watch the whole documentary online here: http://www.educationrevolution.org/freetolearn.html

Posted under Activism, Current Events, Education, Homeschooling

Global Village School student Alena produced the following excellent historically based poetry as part of her World History course:

Gift of the Nile

Herodotus knew Egypt

As the gift of the Nile

For when the river flowed strong

All of its children smiled

The river gave its people

Good, rich earth to farm

Gave them water to drink

And protected them from harm

The Nile taught the people

About joy and strife

But it was primarily

A great source of life

Read More…

Posted under Education, Homeschooling, Students and Alumni

We read an interesting letter to the editor of the Indianapolis Star today, arguing that we must model democracy in our schools in addition to teaching it as an academic exercise in order for students to truly learn the value of the principles.  Here is an excerpt:

In contrast, England enacted the Citizenship Order. Research showed when schools “take into account students’ ideas and opinions in ways that are transparent, regular, and accessible,” school climate and grades improve. Schools are mandated to have a viable student council where students share real-world responsibilities. It appears the British believe learning about democratic citizenship must be more than an academic exercise.

The Institute for Democracy in Education believes an authentic civic education will remove the contradictions in our culture — which embrace democratic ends for schools but resist the actual practice in schools of the democratic means from which the ends cannot be separated.

Read the full text here: http://www.indystar.com/article/201009260245/OPINION01/9260335

Posted under Culture, Current Events, Education, Politics