About Sudbury
Educational Philosophy
A Sudbury or interest-led education is a new concept for many of us. Please consider these resources in addition to the videos pinned to the top of the page to learn more. These recommendations came from our Facebook group.
Books:
Free to Learn by Peter Gray
Unschooled by Kerry McDonald
Summerhill by A S Neill
Brave Learner by Julie Bogart
Podcasts:
The Unschooling Life by Amy Childs
The Life Without School by Stark Raving Dad
Videos:
Transforming Schools into Democratic Communities
A "Typical Day" at Tallgrass Sudbury School
Kids Can't Be Taught,But They Love to Learn (local TEDx speaker)
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WHAT IS THE SUDBURY PHILOSOPHY?
Sudbury school students have total control over what they learn, how they learn, their educational environment and how they are evaluated. They choose their curriculum. They choose their method of instruction. They choose, through a democratic process, how their environment operates. They choose with whom to interact. They choose if, how and when to be evaluated - often they choose to evaluate themselves. This is radically different from any other form of education and this is what differentiates a Sudbury school.
Why does a Sudbury school give this level of responsibility to the student? It is because Sudbury educators believe that children are capable of assuming this level of responsibility. It is not a type of pedagogical tool used to motivate the students. The responsibility is real; the students absolutely have the ultimate say in their education. Giving real responsibility to the students allows them to gain experience making decisions and handling the consequences of their choices. In this way, the students gain experience and maturity.
Much of the current effort in education is spent attempting to motivate students to learn. A Sudbury school doesn’t spend any time attempting to motivate students; we believe that they are inherently motivated. We believe this because all the evidence of childhood development supports it. Anyone who has observed a baby attempting to take his or her first steps or learn to talk can clearly see this. They struggle and fail and continue to struggle and fail until they finally - on their own get it right and start walking and talking. If not suppressed, this inherent motivation to grow and develop does not die when the child reaches school age.
Check out these two videos: https://youtu.be/QiRZabeMTBc
https://vimeo.com/bellyfireproductions/hvss-intro
You can read more about this and what to expect for a typical day in an article written by the Hudson Valley Sudbury School, located in New York, here:
https://hvsudburyschool.com/the-sudbury-model-of-education/​
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