Harry Potter fans may remember the 5th Harry Potter Book (The Order of the Pheonix) when a government appointed teacher (Professor Umbridge) at Hogwarts School changes the learning process in her classroom so that kids only learn theory and not practice. Disappointed students preferred to practice what they’ve learned and found the in-class reading and [...]
Archive for the ‘Eclectic Homeschooling’ Category
Unschoolers Already Know This: Youth Don’t Like Learning STEM in Classrooms
Posted by ginac on November 16th, 2011
Posted in Eclectic Homeschooling, Learning Methods, News, STEAM, Teaching methods 
Tags: alternative education, Education Reform, Homeschooling, Learning, NPR, Science Friday, STEM, Unschooling 
Comments OffUnschooling and the Maker Culture
Posted by ginac on November 10th, 2011
Unschoolers are radical mavericks who approach learning 180 degrees in the opposite direction from traditional education. Unschoolers learn in an unstructured environment almost completely devoid of teachers, separate subjects, grades, tests, or quizzes. Instead, unschoolers hack together their learning palette from many sources to create a truly personal learning experience. Unschoolers are active learners who [...]
Posted in Crowdsource, Eclectic Homeschooling, Economics, Electronics, Interdisciplinary, Learning Methods, Make, News, social change Tags: DIY, Hack, make, maker, Maker culture, Open source, Tim O'Reilly, UnCollege, Unschooling Comments OffScoop.it! Disruptive Learning
Posted by ginac on November 5th, 2011
Scoop.it is a fun way to share online articles, videos, photos, etc. around a topic. It is free, easy to use, and fun to curate. We’ve curated an eclectic collection of disruptive learning articles on our Scoop.it specially for SpottyBanana viewers. In our case, disruptive learning means nonmainstream, non- traditional learning ideas outside of the [...]
Posted in Activities, Art, Eclectic Homeschooling, Learning Methods, Literacy, Online Tools, STEAM Tags: content curation, disruptive learning, Eclectic Homeschooling, Learning, online tools, Scoop.it, spottybanana Comments OffQuantum Camp Teaches Advanced Calculus and Physics to Homeschoolers
Posted by ginac on November 4th, 2011
An ambitious summer camp and tech school for homeschoolers in Mountain View, California, is fast becoming a full-fledged mainstream school. At Quantum Camp, youngsters dive into advanced physics, math, and technology. The founders, of course, are physics and math experts. Ryan Nurmela taught entry-level physics as a lecturer at California State University, San Francisco and [...]
SpottyBanana’s Top 3 Online Learning Platforms
Posted by ginac on November 2nd, 2011
A quick Google search confirms that there is a dizzying array of online learning platforms that provide everything from standardized educational courses to niche subjects and personalized feedback. Some are free, others cost money. Some are better at online education and others focus on learning. So, which online products (free or otherwise) are worth investment of [...]
Immigrant Science Award Finalists Credit Attitudes
Posted by ginac on November 1st, 2011
Children of immigrants took 70 percent of the finalist slots in the 2011 Intel Science Talent Search Competition, an original-research competition for high school seniors. According to LiveScience.com, only 12% of Americans are foreign born, so statistically, “one would expect only one child of an Indian (or Chinese) immigrant parent every two and a half years [...]
Posted in Biology, Chemistry, Culture, Diversity, Eclectic Homeschooling, Physics, Science, social change, technology Tags: culture, family values, immigrants, intel science award, Science, science award, success, tolerance Comments OffLearning by the Path of Least Resistance
Posted by ginac on October 31st, 2011
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao-Tzu Humanity has disrupted nature’s path of least resistance by creating cities, structures, roads, and even political systems that defy natural conditions. We [...]
Posted in Eclectic Homeschooling, Interdisciplinary, Reading, STEAM, Unit Study Tags: constrtuctivism, creativity, Homeschooling, Learning, play, Project-based learning, technology, Unschooling, whole learning Comments OffWhy Seymour Papert Still Matters
Posted by ginac on October 4th, 2011
Back in the 1990′s, Constructivist Seymour Papert (father of Lego Mindstorms), wrote and spoke about learning as opposed to being taught. He showed how technology provides pathways for learning where instructors learn right along with children. As brilliant as Seymour Papert is, his ideas haven’t penetrated the teacher->student relationship in public schools. His visionary model [...]
Posted in Back to School, Eclectic Homeschooling, Interdisciplinary, Learning Methods, News, Teaching methods Tags: child-led learning, Constructivist, Education, Learning, LEGO Mindstorms, pedagogy, Project-based learning, Seymour Papert, Teaching, technology Comments Off10 Reasons to Visit Your Local Museums on Free Museum Day
Posted by ginac on September 21st, 2011
Saturday, September 24 is Free Museum Day. Most Smithsonian and Smithsonian-affiliated museums are free on this day. There are many reasons to take advantage of Free Museum Day, but here are our top ten: Expand your family’s interests. Visit a museum that you wouldn’t normally visit. Seek to find possible new interests. Engage with learning. [...]
Posted in Activities, Eclectic Homeschooling, History, Interdisciplinary, Just for Fun, Learning Methods, Science Tags: aquarium, Art, Free museum day, history, MOSI, Museum, natural science, Smithsonian 2 Comments »Project-Based Home Learning
Posted by ginac on September 9th, 2011
Remember the masses of young Harry Potter fans who stayed-up all night reading J.K. Rowling’s newly released books, then learned everything about all the characters, Hogwarts, the magical creatures, and the spells? Imagine capturing that passion, interest, and engagement through learning of all sorts. Project-based home learning is a more than viable alternative to traditional [...]
Posted in Eclectic Homeschooling, Interdisciplinary, Learning Methods, Unit Study Tags: child-led learning, homeschool, Learning, Project-based learning, Unschooling Comments Off
