Learn Like A Pirate

Anna    Community, Resources     bach, book, books, buccaneer, buccaneer-scholar, buccaneering, james, Learning, marcus, passion, passionate learning, pirate, review, scholar, self-education

This is a discussion of Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar: How Self-Education and the Pursuit of Passion Can Lead to a Lifetime of Success, a book by James Marcus Bach.

“A buccaneer-scholar is anyone whose love of learning is not muzzled or shackled by any institution or authority; whose mind is driven to wander and find its own place in the world.” -p.9, hardcover edition

James Bach dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen to pursue his own education. His book is a first person account of his learning methods and experiences.  His excitement over learning is contagious, and he presents his ideas in a way that’s easy to understand and appreciate. The buccaneer analogy of learning is followed throughout the book, illustrating concepts in a very vivid way.

Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar is a great exploration of purposeful self-education that will set you on the right path to appreciate a self-directed approach to learning. It’s a book I recommend to anyone interested in learning.

The Misconception of Self-Motivation

Many reviews of Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar argue one point: James is an unusually self-motivated learner, which is why he’s been successful. They argue that others (especially the average high school dropout)  might not be self-motivated enough to learn.

My argument is that those reviewers are missing the point. read more

Come Contribute to the Resource List!

Anna    Resources     new page, resource, resource list, Resources

Like I discussed here, I think the internet is the best single resource for self-education. It’s a quick, easy source of information on any subject you care to learn about.

I have a long list of trusted sites and resources I’d like to share with all of you. I’ll be gathering all of them on the resources page. There’s a never ending amount of great sites out there, and I’ll be adding new links whenever I come across something new.

There’s a couple things I’m keeping in mind when adding these resources. I want:
- Honest facts and opinions. Mistakes are fine, but misleading people isn’t.
- Free information. Donations, ads, and subscription choices are fine. Some information has to be available for free.

Resources will be added continuously, so check back often. What are your favorite resources online?

The Best Unschooling Tool: The Internet

Anna    Resources     book, books, deschooling, deschooling society, internet, ivan illich, quotes, Resources, technology, tools

“A good educational system should have three purposes: it should provide all who want to learn with access to available resources at any time in their lives; empower all who want to share what they know to find those who want to learn it from them; and, finally, furnish all who want to present an issue to the public with the opportunity to make their challenge known. … It should use modern technology to make free speech, free assembly, and a free press truly universal and, therefore, fully educational.” – Ivan Illich

In Deschooling Society, Ivan Illich spoke of a system he felt would help society disconnect from its dependence on schools. He rejected the idea of relying on an elite few allowed to teach and control the people. Instead, Illich proposed ideas for making society a more supportive learning environment. His system focuses on networks (learning webs) that promote learning in ways that make it more relevant and more accessible. Illich spoke of how technology could be put to use in his system:

• “The operation of a peer-matching network would be simple. The user would identify himself by name and address and describe the activity for which he sought a peer. A computer would send him back the names and addresses of all those who had inserted the same description. It is amazing that such a simple utility has never been used on a broad scale for publicly valued activity.”

In a decade when it was little more than a concept, Ivan Illich had effectively described the internet. read more