How Children Learn, by John Holt.
I've just finished reading this book and it is excellent. I read the revised edition, and one thing that makes it particularly good is that Holt has commented on the first edition. Not just where he agrees, and provides further examples, but also where he disagrees with what he wrote first time (whereas you can imagine some writers deleting any 'wrong' bits, so you remain unaware that they are fallible).
How Children Learn is the sequel to How Children Fail (which I haven't read yet, but plan to sometime), and looks primarily at toddlers and preschoolers – interesting for me because DD1 is 3.5yo. And, like Maths for Mums and Dads (which I've reviewed before), this book also looks at the thought processes that children go through, so whilst they may not have the conventionally correct answer or terminology, actually the 'wrong' answer that they have arrived at is through a process of good thinking and logic.
The thrust of this book is that children do not have to be forced or coerced into learning, but do so naturally, thoroughly and properly (ie they are unlikely to forget it) if they are leading the way and are interested in the subject matter. Even if the child looks as if they are being scatty and all over the place, in fact they are making connections and learning about a variety of topics that are all interrelated rather than taking a subject out of context and not fully understanding what is happening. Whilst John Holt is an advocate for home education, I think this book is equally useful for parents of preschoolers and nursery/primary teachers.
I've just finished reading this book and it is excellent. I read the revised edition, and one thing that makes it particularly good is that Holt has commented on the first edition. Not just where he agrees, and provides further examples, but also where he disagrees with what he wrote first time (whereas you can imagine some writers deleting any 'wrong' bits, so you remain unaware that they are fallible).
How Children Learn is the sequel to How Children Fail (which I haven't read yet, but plan to sometime), and looks primarily at toddlers and preschoolers – interesting for me because DD1 is 3.5yo. And, like Maths for Mums and Dads (which I've reviewed before), this book also looks at the thought processes that children go through, so whilst they may not have the conventionally correct answer or terminology, actually the 'wrong' answer that they have arrived at is through a process of good thinking and logic.
The thrust of this book is that children do not have to be forced or coerced into learning, but do so naturally, thoroughly and properly (ie they are unlikely to forget it) if they are leading the way and are interested in the subject matter. Even if the child looks as if they are being scatty and all over the place, in fact they are making connections and learning about a variety of topics that are all interrelated rather than taking a subject out of context and not fully understanding what is happening. Whilst John Holt is an advocate for home education, I think this book is equally useful for parents of preschoolers and nursery/primary teachers.
No comments:
Post a Comment