Cover image of Off-Trail Learning

Off-Trail Learning

Interviews with innovative educators, self-directed young people, and others who think differently about learning, teaching, and schooling. Hosted by Blake Boles (blakeboles.com), author of "Why Are Y... Read more

Ranked #1

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Ned Johnson on The Self-Driven Child

Ned Johnson on The Self-Driven Child

What’s the sense and science behind giving kids more control over their lives? Why do they deserve autonomy? Ned Johnson... Read more

2 Feb 2019

1hr 7mins

Ranked #2

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Who Should Unschool and Who Shouldn't? A Conversation with Liam Nilsen

Who Should Unschool and Who Shouldn't? A Conversation with Liam Nilsen

Lifelong unschooler Liam Nilsen talks with Blake about the habits and mindset required for successful unschooling in the... Read more

24 Sep 2016

49mins

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Ranked #3

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Gina Riley on Self-Determination Theory

Gina Riley on Self-Determination Theory

Gina Riley, Ph.D., is an educational psychologist and Clinical Professor of Adolescent Special Education at Hunter Colle... Read more

10 Dec 2019

56mins

Ranked #4

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Xander Macswan on Video Games

Xander Macswan on Video Games

Xander Macswan, a 19-year-old grown unschooler, talks about growing up with unrestricted video game access. When do game... Read more

22 Oct 2016

1hr 4mins

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Ranked #5

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From Unschool to School to Unschool: A Conversation with Nikiah Childs

From Unschool to School to Unschool: A Conversation with Nikiah Childs

Nikiah Childs grew up in elementary school, unschooled for 6 years, went back to a performance arts charter school, and ... Read more

16 Oct 2016

40mins

Ranked #6

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Bill Deresiewicz on The Power and Peril of Self-Education

Bill Deresiewicz on The Power and Peril of Self-Education

What does it mean to “self-educate?” Are autodidacts made or born? Can one develop an intellect without formal higher ed... Read more

4 Sep 2019

1hr 18mins

Ranked #7

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Sean Ritchey on Learning Through Work Instead of College

Sean Ritchey on Learning Through Work Instead of College

29-year-old grown unschooler Sean Ritchey talks about his discussion to skip college in favor of starting his own design... Read more

15 Nov 2016

50mins

Ranked #8

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Kate Friedman on Promoting Self-Direction in Public Education

Kate Friedman on Promoting Self-Direction in Public Education

If you’re in love with the principles of self-directed learning but don’t want to abandon the public school system, how ... Read more

2 Jan 2019

46mins

Ranked #9

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Grace Llewellyn on Not Back to School Camp

Grace Llewellyn on Not Back to School Camp

Grace Llewellyn, author of The Teenage Liberation Handbook and executive director of Not Back to School Camp (nbtsc.org)... Read more

25 Aug 2016

36mins

Ranked #10

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Ken Danford on Liberated Learners

Ken Danford on Liberated Learners

Ken Danford is the Executive Director of North Star (northstarteens.org), author of the new book "Learning is Natural, S... Read more

13 Nov 2019

55mins

Ranked #11

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Ted Dintersmith on Innovative Schools

Ted Dintersmith on Innovative Schools

After a successful career as a venture capitalist, Ted Dintersmith (teddintersmith.com)dedicated himself to discovering ... Read more

29 May 2019

1hr 9mins

Ranked #12

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T.K. Coleman on the Best Arguments Against College

T.K. Coleman on the Best Arguments Against College

What are the best and worst arguments for going to 4-year college today? On today’s episode I debate this question with ... Read more

11 Nov 2018

1hr 48mins

Ranked #13

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Help, I Don’t Know What I’m Doing With My Life! - A Conversation With Seraphina Mallon-Breiman

Help, I Don’t Know What I’m Doing With My Life! - A Conversation With Seraphina Mallon-Breiman

Grown unschooler and recent college graduate Seraphina talks with Blake about deciding what to focus on after college, b... Read more

28 Jul 2016

1hr 29mins

Ranked #14

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Antonio Buehler on Competitive College Admissions for Non-Traditional Students

Antonio Buehler on Competitive College Admissions for Non-Traditional Students

Antonio Buehler was the first person in his family to finish high school or attend college. After completing an MBA at S... Read more

9 Aug 2019

1hr 18mins

Ranked #15

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Dev Carey on the Perils of Goal-Setting

Dev Carey on the Perils of Goal-Setting

To be an effective self-directed learner, you have to be really good at setting goals...right? Maybe. Maybe not. In epis... Read more

3 Aug 2016

1hr 16mins

Ranked #16

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Lori Walker on Village Home

Lori Walker on Village Home

What if there was a community college built just for homeschoolers? This may not exist yet, but Lori Walker has created ... Read more

3 Oct 2019

51mins

Ranked #17

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Steve Krouse on Dropping Out of College to Live the Silicon Valley Dream

Steve Krouse on Dropping Out of College to Live the Silicon Valley Dream

22-year-old Steve Krouse, co-founder of The Coding Space in New York City (thecodingspace.com), talks about his decision... Read more

9 Oct 2016

1hr 10mins

Ranked #18

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Blake Boles on the Future of Alternative Education

Blake Boles on the Future of Alternative Education

Where is the alternative education movement headed, and how will we arrive there? In this special episode, Blake gives t... Read more

14 Jul 2019

41mins

Ranked #19

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Kerry McDonald on Entrepreneurial Education

Kerry McDonald on Entrepreneurial Education

Kerry McDonald (fee.org/kerry) is the author of the 2019 book, Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outsi... Read more

8 Jan 2020

40mins

Ranked #20

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Blake Boles and Zen Zenith on Unschool Adventures

Blake Boles and Zen Zenith on Unschool Adventures

In this special episode, Zen Zenith interviews Blake Boles about the past, present, and future of Unschool Adventures (u... Read more

11 Aug 2018

54mins

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