Alternative Education Books
Waldorf Education: A Family Guide by Pamela J. Fenner (Editor)“Waldorf Education: A Family Guide” has its origins as a parent handbook for the Marin Waldorf School. It is a compendium of articles on the history and practice of Waldorf education, content of the curriculum, meaning of the festivals, ways to complement the Waldorf school experience at home, understanding of the temperaments, and other topics that should interest current or prospective parents.Buy from Amazon.co.uk
How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development) by John Caldwell Holt“Children do not need to be made to learn,” Holt maintains, because each is born with what Einstein called “the holy curiosity of inquiry.” For them, learning is as natural as breathing. First published in 1967, How Children Learn has become a classic for parents and teachers, providing an “effective, gentle voice of reason” (Life).Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto, David Albert (Introduction), Thomas MooreThis radical treatise on public education has been a New Society Publishers’ bestseller for 10 years! Thirty years of award-winning teaching in New York City’s public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory governmental schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders as cogs in the industrial machine.Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Homeschooling by Marsha Ransom, John Taylor Gatto“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Homeschooling” is a step-by-step manual written for the new and inexperienced homeschooler. The explanations, resources, and recommendations apply to families homeschooling for a wide variety of reasons and to families who “afterschool” their children. If you find yourself teaching subjects you know little about, undecided about what curriculum to choose, or concerned that your children may miss out on band, drama, or sports, this guide provides practical advice from an author who has homeschooled four children.Buy from Amazon.co.uk
The Homeschooling Book of Answers : The 88 Most Important Questions Answered by Homeschooling’s Most Respected Voices by Linda Dobson (Editor)Homeschooling is revolutionizing the way many children in this country are educated. Increasing numbers of parents are finding that homeschools provide their children with a learning environment superior to that of public schools. Whether you are currently homeschooling or are just considering it, you’ve probably had questions, such as: Can I afford it? How do I set up a plan of study? And, most important, is homeschooling right for my child? Here at last are honest, practical answers.Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Free at Last: The Sudbury Valley School by Daniel GreenbergJust under 200 pages this book is for the few brave souls who have kids and who like their kids and who believe that children are free spirits who if allowed to be around other kids who see the world as a classroom and life from birth to death as a learning experince, can and will benefit from.Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Summerhill School: A New View of Childhood by Alexander Sutherland Neill, Albert Lamb (Editor), al LambA guide to the “free school” method of education, originally published in 1960 and expanded for the 1990s. Based on the School in Suffolk, UK.Buy from Amazon.co.uk
The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education by Grace LlewellynYou won’t find this book on a school library shelf–it’s pure teenage anarchy. While many homeschooling authors hem and haw that learning at home isn’t for everyone, this manifesto practically tells kids they’re losers if they do otherwise. With the exception of a forwarding note to parents, this book is written entirely for teenagers, and the first 75 pages explain why school is a waste of time. Grace Llewellyn insists that people learn better when they are self-motivated and not confined by school walls. Instead of homeschooling, which connotes setting up a school at home, Llewellyn prefers “unschooling,” a learning method with no structure or formal curriculum.Buy from Amazon.co.uk
The Unschooling Handbook Mary GriffithUnschooling, a homeschooling method based on the belief that kids learn best when allowed to pursue their natural curiosities and interests, is practiced by 10 to 15 percent of the estimated 1.5 million homeschoolers in the United States.Buy from Amazon.co.uk