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 Gray highlights that many of today’s struggles in education stem from this outdated framework.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.
