This week we're reading Chapter Six from Free to Learn by Peter Gray, "The Human Educative Instincts." In this chapter, Gray explains that humans are born with powerful instincts that drive learning, including curiosity, play, and sociability. He shows how these natural tendencies have been essential for survival throughout history, helping children acquire the knowledge and skills of their communities. We discuss how traditional schooling often suppresses these instincts, replacing intrinsic motivation with external rewards and punishments. Gray emphasizes that when children are free to follow their interests, these instincts guide them toward deep, meaningful learning. In our conversation, we reflect on how speech therapists can tap into curiosity, play, and social connection to support communication growth in more natural and motivating ways.We're discussing this book on WhatsApp! Click here to join the group!Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.You can check out Adrianne's app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.Find great shirts, sweatshirts, and wall art for SLPs in Laura's Etsy shop, Sunshine Speech Studio.If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!Connect with us on instagram @slp_bookclub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Free to Learn Episode 5
This week we're reading Chapter Five from Free to Learn by Peter Gray, "Lessons from Sudbury Valley: Mother Nature Can Prevail in Modern Times." In this chapter, Gray shares insights from the Sudbury Valley School, a self-directed learning environment where students choose how to spend their time. He describes how, even without traditional classes or grades, children naturally develop critical skills like reading, problem-solving, and collaboration when given freedom and responsibility. We explore how the school’s democratic structure, where students have an equal voice in decision-making, fosters independence and respect. Gray argues that this model shows Mother Nature’s methods of curiosity, play, and social interaction can thrive even in today’s world. In our discussion, we connect these lessons to speech therapy, considering how creating space for choice and self-direction can empower children’s communication and growth.We're discussing this book on WhatsApp! Click here to join the group!Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.You can check out Adrianne's app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.Find great shirts, sweatshirts, and wall art for SLPs in Laura's Etsy shop, Sunshine Speech Studio.If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!Connect with us on instagram @slp_bookclub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Free to Learn Episode 4
This week we're reading Chapter Four from Free to Learn by Peter Gray. In this chapter, Gray lays out what he calls the “seven sins” of our current education system, each one showing how forced schooling undermines children’s natural drives to learn. He critiques practices such as coercing children to work, segregating them by age, judging them through constant testing, and replacing curiosity with fear of failure. We talk about how these systemic issues can stifle creativity, motivation, and self-confidence in ways that affect children far beyond the classroom. Gray emphasizes that these “sins” are not flaws in individual teachers but are baked into the structure of the system itself. In our discussion, we reflect on how these themes connect to speech therapy, highlighting the importance of honoring children’s voices, autonomy, and unique learning paths.We're discussing this book on WhatsApp! Click here to join the group!Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.Find great shirts, sweatshirts, and wall art for SLPs in Laura's Etsy shop, Sunshine Speech Studio.If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!Connect with us on instagram @slp_bookclub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Free to Learn Episode 3
This week we're reading Chapter Three from Free to Learn by Peter Gray, "Why Schools Are What They Are: A Brief History of Education." In this chapter, Gray traces the history of formal education and explains how schools developed to meet the needs of agricultural and industrial societies rather than children’s natural ways of learning. He shows how early schools emphasized obedience, memorization, and conformity, shaping students into disciplined workers rather than independent thinkers. We discuss how this model has carried into modern education, often clashing with what we know about play, curiosity, and intrinsic motivation. Gray highlights that many of today’s struggles in education stem from this outdated framework. In our conversation, we reflect on how understanding this history can help us reimagine learning environments that better support children’s growth and communication.We're discussing this book on WhatsApp! Click here to join the group!Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.Find great shirts, sweatshirts, and wall art for SLPs in Laura's Etsy shop, Sunshine Speech Studio.If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!Connect with us on instagram @slp_bookclub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Free to Learn Episode 2
This week we're reading Chapter Two from Free to Learn by Peter Gray, "The Play-Filled Lives of Hunter-Gatherer Children." In this chapter, Peter Gray describes the play-filled lives of hunter gatherer children, using the story of Kwi, an eleven-year-old Ju/’hoansi boy from the Kalahari, to illustrate his points. In these societies, children grow up without formal schooling and instead learn through self-directed play, exploration, and imitation of adult activities. They spend their days engaged in games and creative projects that mirror hunting, tool-making, building, music, and dance, naturally developing the skills they will need in adulthood. Mixed-age play groups help them learn cooperation, empathy, negotiation, and self-control, while the culture as a whole values autonomy, sharing, and equality. Gray suggests that modern education could take inspiration from this model by creating more opportunities for children to learn through play and personal choice rather than through rigid, adult-led instruction.We'll be discussing this book on WhatsApp! Click here to join the group.Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month.You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app.View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here.Find great shirts, sweatshirts, and wall art for SLPs in Laura's Etsy shop, Sunshine Speech Studio.If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us!Connect with us on instagram @slp_bookclub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The SLP Book Club is a community of speech therapists, parents, and educators dedicated to learning and growing together each month as we digest engaging, science-backed books in the areas of child development, behavior, communication, mindset, and productivity. With over 16 years of combined experience as pediatric speech-language pathologists, hosts Laura Geissert and Adrianne Frost will provide you with thoughtful discussion, learning materials, and strategies that you can use immediately with the children you interact with each day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
New Zealand