Learn Nothing Day
Have you ever tried to learn NOTHING? It is surprisingly difficult, especially if you attempt to do so for a whole day. In fact, consciously trying not to learn is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate the reality of John Holt's claim that learning is what people do, naturally, all the time, just like fish swim
Some years ago, Sandra Dodd came up with the idea of an annual Learn Nothing Day. She said: "Unschoolers need a holiday. When people ask if they unschool in the summer, they say yes. When people ask when they have a break from learning, they say never. This has gone on for a long time now. So July 24 is Learn Nothing Day — a vacation for unschoolers."
However, unschoolers report that, though they try their best to take advantage of their vacation day from learning, they fail. Consistently. Why? Because if you are alive and breathing, you are learning. You might not be learning something you wanted to learn, or even something you needed to learn. Some lessons are rather undesirable, eg how to repair a blocked drain or change a tyre. But learn you will. Which is of course the lesson inherent in Learn Nothing Day - simply, that it is not possible.
And yet... and yet... it is quite astonishing how many people still believe things like this: "If I let my children do what they want they would just play all day and not learn a thing."
Sandra said: "Well... it's a holiday when people demonstrate what they've learned about learning by attempting not to learn, which is kind of a science experiment and kind of a festival and sort of a game.It's like a set of Thinking Sticks. It's a game, it's a tool, it's a toy. :-) More than one thing is happening.... It is an exercise, a goof, "a happening" (in 60's terms), a game, a tool, a shared experience. There was no such thing as real failure and no one really expected any "success" (lack of learning)... It was an international demonstration of the idea that when people enjoy and focus on learning, it cannot help but happen. If any of your friends or relatives express doubt that people will learn naturally, or if they ask you if you ever take a break from unschooling, that might be a good place to send them."
Incidentally, Learn Nothing Day is Sandra Dodd's birthday.
More about Learn Nothing Day
* Sandra Dodd: Learn Nothing Day
* Learn Nothing Day 2008
* Learn Nothing Day 2009
* Learn Nothing Day 2010 (1) and Learn Nothing Day 2010 (2)
* Learn Nothing Day 2012
* Learn Nothing Day 2013
* Critics of the Idea
* Learn Nothing Day Failure
Some years ago, Sandra Dodd came up with the idea of an annual Learn Nothing Day. She said: "Unschoolers need a holiday. When people ask if they unschool in the summer, they say yes. When people ask when they have a break from learning, they say never. This has gone on for a long time now. So July 24 is Learn Nothing Day — a vacation for unschoolers."
However, unschoolers report that, though they try their best to take advantage of their vacation day from learning, they fail. Consistently. Why? Because if you are alive and breathing, you are learning. You might not be learning something you wanted to learn, or even something you needed to learn. Some lessons are rather undesirable, eg how to repair a blocked drain or change a tyre. But learn you will. Which is of course the lesson inherent in Learn Nothing Day - simply, that it is not possible.
And yet... and yet... it is quite astonishing how many people still believe things like this: "If I let my children do what they want they would just play all day and not learn a thing."
Sandra said: "Well... it's a holiday when people demonstrate what they've learned about learning by attempting not to learn, which is kind of a science experiment and kind of a festival and sort of a game.It's like a set of Thinking Sticks. It's a game, it's a tool, it's a toy. :-) More than one thing is happening.... It is an exercise, a goof, "a happening" (in 60's terms), a game, a tool, a shared experience. There was no such thing as real failure and no one really expected any "success" (lack of learning)... It was an international demonstration of the idea that when people enjoy and focus on learning, it cannot help but happen. If any of your friends or relatives express doubt that people will learn naturally, or if they ask you if you ever take a break from unschooling, that might be a good place to send them."
Incidentally, Learn Nothing Day is Sandra Dodd's birthday.
More about Learn Nothing Day
* Sandra Dodd: Learn Nothing Day
* Learn Nothing Day 2008
* Learn Nothing Day 2009
* Learn Nothing Day 2010 (1) and Learn Nothing Day 2010 (2)
* Learn Nothing Day 2012
* Learn Nothing Day 2013
* Critics of the Idea
* Learn Nothing Day Failure
