Changing Our Minds, Naomi Fisher
Changing Our Minds, Naomi Fisher
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Changing Our Minds
How children can take control of their own learning

Author: Naomi Fisher

Narrator: Deryn Edwards

Unabridged: 10 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/16/2022


Synopsis

Children are born full of curiosity, eager to participate in the world. They learn as they live, with enthusiasm and joy. Then we send them to school. We stop them from playing and actively exploring their interests, telling them it's more important to sit still and listen. The result is that for many children, their motivation to learn drops dramatically. The joy of the early years is replaced with apathy and anxiety.

This is not inevitable. We are socialised to believe that schooling is synonymous with education, but it's only one approach. Self-directed education puts the child back in control of their learning. This enables children, including those diagnosed with special educational needs, to flourish in their own time and on their own terms. It enables us to put wellbeing at the centre of education.

Changing Our Minds brings together research, theory and practice on learning. It includes interviews with influential thinkers in the field of self-directed education and examples from families alongside practical advice. This essential guide will give you an understanding of why self-directed education makes sense, how it works, and what to do to put it into action yourself.

About Naomi Fisher

Dr Naomi Fisher is a clinical psychologist who specialises in trauma, autism and alternative education. She is the mother of two and the author of several books on psychology, education and mental health. Her work has featured in The Psychologist, iNews, SEN Magazine and The Green Parent, and she has appeared on many podcasts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Marianne on August 12, 2022

Mind actually blown. I’m a teacher and the parent of an autistic child and this has challenged and changed pretty much most of what I thought about education. Absolutely brilliant.......more

Goodreads review by Tobias on April 13, 2022

For anyone involved with self-directed education, or any parent homeschooling or unschooling their child, this is an incredibly helpful resource. It will calm you down, make you laugh and fill your heart with the confidence that you've chosen the right path to help them find their own.......more

Goodreads review by Emily on August 22, 2024

I would probably give 3.5 if I could. There are some fantastic arguments, backed by research in this book. Some gems of wisdom too. However, her view on neurodivergent children irked me in a big way. As did her ignorance around research on depression, and also her constant push of unlimited screen t......more

Goodreads review by Christy on April 28, 2025

Listened in little chunks over a good few months. This book is a game changer. Wish I’d had it 8 years ago when the wheels first started to come off. Will never stop recommending it.......more

Goodreads review by Nerius on July 31, 2023

It's a very interesting and valuable book, that took many assumptions that I consider correct and somehow managed to make an extreme conclusion. It's difficult to argue that the way schools work today exerts a toll on children and teenagers, that the system is outdated, that the pressure on systemiza......more