Questions Are More Important Than Answers

Anna    General, Learning     comparison, curious, curiousity, enjoying, examples, fun, Learning, learning from life, questions, relevant, school, unschooling

Today I played a game: I asked questions inspired by the things around me.

The result? A list longer than even I had expected. I stopped playing after a few dozen questions, but the game does prove a good point: we can learn everything we need to know just by paying attention to what is around us.

Why is learning from your environment better, though?

That’s easy to explain.

Let’s say two children are learning about chlorophyll at the same time. The difference is that one child is coming across it through school, and the other child is curious about her environment.

Now, the child in school (let’s call him Jimmy) is being told this information by his teacher and his textbook. The facts are presented to him in a very concise, step-by-step way. Jimmy hasn’t thought about plant color before.

The unschooler (let’s name her Jill) is out having fun in the park with her family. Jill looks at the trees before she asks why leaves are green. Her parents explain and they have a conversation about it.

Both children are told the same information, but I’ll tell you why Jill is at an advantage: read more

10 Skills You Practice By Playing Video Games

Anna    General     benefits, fun, games, gaming, list, lists, reasons, unschooling, video

“Schrater said while people can learn in boring ways, it could take them thousands of times to show a significant improvement in whatever they are learning. When people do things they find fun, like video games, the process is sped up.” – MNDaily.com

Video games have gotten a bad reputation. It can be easy to see why: some gamers play 40+ hours a week. Some addictions are so strong that people lose their jobs, their spouses, and even their homes. It’s not a pretty story.

However, that’s just one side of it. Games aren’t all bad.

I play a lot of video games, and I know a lot of gamers. Personal experience has proven to me that gaming isn’t what debaters like Bill O’Reilly make it out to be.

To put it simply, I see video games as more than just fun. The benefits can be put into three sections:

Your Brain Works Better

Today’s games are full of fast-paced, visual action that challenges our minds. Studies find that gamers succeed in detail-oriented careers in fast paced environments. They make better surgeons, drivers, and soldiers – and anything else you could think to add to the list. Games improve your brain in all sorts of ways:

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