Project Learn in the Digital Age

I'm thrilled about how quickly my six year old son Tani is learning. A couple of days after he started kindergarden this year he was already reading. This is due in part to the fact that we've been reading to him every day since he was 1.5 years old, that he loves stories and his been listening to books on CD since he was 2.5, and due to practicing reading with an internet program called Starfall. I thought it was interesting that Tani picked up reading so quickly via an internet program. But after reading the article Beyond Gamification: Cutting-Edge Technology Meets Alternative, Progressive Education in Forbes Magazine by Jordan Shapiro, the father of one of Tani's classmates, it all makes sense to me. Computers (i.e. PCs, Macs, tablets, smart phones) allow for an integrated multi-dimensional learning platform that books alone could never provide. Apparently neuroscience research is also consistent with this observation. But it's not just computers - community plays a huge role as well.

Last year, when we were choosing a school for Tani we decided to send him to Project Learn (PL). PL is a community-based cooperative school. Parents co-op for 40 hours per year and thus are integrated into the school. PL is a place where children can be creative - education is not about passing tests but cultivating a love of learning. I have no doubt that my child would pass a standardized test because he is learning a lot - I can see by how his writing has improved and his ability to think and reason. He loves art and cooking and working on projects with his classmates. The fact that he is learning in a community that supports and embraces him also makes all the difference. Shapiro suggests we replace the word "co-op" with the more internet-aligned term "crowd-sourcing". I think whatever one calls it the more we model values of community and love of learning, the more our children will be lifelong learners. So now Tani is practicing math on the internet. I'm not sure he understands the concepts yet, but he's having fun and I have confidence he'll learn these skills as well - and hopefully develop the same love for mathematics as he has for reading.