Our Blog

By Bev Munday, Director of Education Alfie Kohn, education theorist and author of The Homework Myth, has described homework as “a case of all pain and no gain” and said, “The disadvantages of homework are clear to everyone: exhaustion, frustration, loss of time to pursue…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Shari Maser, Off-Campus Program Advisor I’m 49 years old. I don’t remember everything I learned in school, but what I remember most isn’t information I studied in textbooks or was exposed to via what my daughter describes as “consume-information-and-regurgitate-it” activities. Instead, everything I remember…

By Chandra Montgomery Nicol, Executive Director What does it take to create a space for learning like Clonlara School’s campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan? That’s a question often asked by our colleagues in Clonlara’s 11 international offices and affiliates for which I have no set…

By Pat Montgomery, Founder Editor’s Note: From time to time, we’ll “look back” through our archives to share articles that are as relevant today as when they were printed. In this piece that was originally published in the December 1990 issue of The Learning Edge,…

By Stefanie Weyand,  Campus Teacher (Olders, Grades 9–12) and Clonlara Graduate  A paradigm shift is happening in the United States. Americans are beginning to doubt the Prussian style of education that has been the common way of teaching our children. Brought to us by Horace…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Carol Caraccia, Off-Campus Program Advisor Genealogy is becoming a popular and ever-growing hobby for many around the globe. Just look at the number of genealogy-related shows and commercials on television today. People are inquisitive as to their ancestral background, and now it is easier…

By Pat Montgomery, Founder Editor’s Note: From time to time, we’ll “look back” through our archives to share articles that are as relevant today as when they were printed. In this piece that was originally published in the April 1989 issue of The Learning Edge,…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Cassie Espich, Off-Campus Program Advisor Here in Michigan, the leaves are falling from the trees, the days are getting shorter, and the air is brisk. Autumn has arrived, which only means that winter is not too far away! December will be here in a…

By Pat Montgomery, Founder Editor’s Note: From time to time, we’ll “look back” through our archives to share articles that are as relevant today as when they were printed. In this piece that was originally published in the Fall 2012 issue of The Learning Edge, Clonlara’s…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Shari Maser, Off-Campus Program Advisor For students who are taking charge of their own education through homeschooling, distance learning, or alternative campus programs like ours, reading stories by and about others in the alternative education community can be both affirming and inspiring. The titles…

By Fruma Taub, Off-Campus Program Advisor, and Michael Weiss, University of Michigan Dept. of Mathematics and School of Education One of the unintended lessons we accidentally teach our children is that some people are good at math and others aren’t and never will be. This…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Kevin Fitzgerald, Editor What exactly is the Electoral College? Why are there only two major political parties in the United States? And, can a kid make a difference in the political system? With the 2016 U.S. presidential election in the home stretch, we’ve put together…