About this episode
Part 1: In this episode, Jeff speaks with Peter Gray, a renowned professor and researcher in psychology and neuroscience from Boston College. Peter shares his insights and research about how heavily structured schooling has affected children’s mental health and development. Their conversation touches on the impact of Common Core, homeschooling trends, and the vital role of teacher autonomy. Don’t miss the first part of this engaging discussion on how we can better support our children’s natural learning processes.
Part 2: In this episode, Jeff continues with the second part of his enlightening discussion with Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College. Jeff and Peter delve into the growing pressures in elite and high-achieving schools and their impact on student anxiety and well-being. Featuring insights from Gray’s book Free to Learn, this episode explores the effects of parental expectations, academic pressures, and societal beliefs on children’s mental health. Discover how alternative education models might offer solutions and promote true learning joy.
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Peter Gray is a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College who has conducted and published research in behavioral biology, developmental psychology, anthropology, and education. He is the author of multiple editions of an internationally acclaimed introductory psychology textbook (Psychology, Worth Publishers, which views all of psychology from an evolutionary perspective. Most of his research over the past 30 years focuses on the role of play in human evolution and development, especially on how children educate themselves through self-directed play and exploration when free to do so. He has expanded on these ideas in his book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books), which has been translated into 18 languages. He also authors a blog called Freedom to Learn, for Psychology Today magazine and a Substack series entitled Play Makes Us Human. He is one of the founders of the nonprofit Let Grow, the mission of which is to renew children’s freedom to play and explore independently of adult control. You can follow him on Facebook and find many of his published articles on his website.