Book #6

I am part of a Gathering Project with some friends--a book club where we read and discuss books about leadership skills and that deal specifically with the philosophies found in Thomas Jefferson Education.  Our book for this month was How Children Learn by John Holt.  John Holt is educator who is a proponent of homeschooling and unschooling. 


I found this book very interesting.  It contradicted a lot of what I was taught in my education classes.  But after 7 years of homescooling, I use a lot of things that go against what I learned at school.  John Holt's biggest idea is that children (people) can't be taught, they learn things on their own.  I've noticed this in my home--when one of my kids doesn't want to learn something there is nothing I can do to make them.  I can build an inspiring environment, I can provide fun activities, I can mentor, I can set the example, but I can't make them learn.  Learning is up to them. 

John Holt says that if we leave a kid to his own vices, he will discover and learn on his own.  The critic in us might ask, "How can you be sure that this method works?"  He says that we can't be sure.  But after many years of observing kids in different environments he says we have to have faith.  "This faith is that man is by nature a learning animal. . .Therefore, we do not need to 'motivate' children into learning, by wheedling, bribing, or bullying.  We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning.  What we need to do, and all we need to do, is bring as much of the world as we can into the school and the classroom; give children as much  help and guidance as they need and ask for; listen respectfully when they feel like talking; and then get out of the way.  We can trust them to do the rest."

John Holt shares a lot of stories and experiences about how children learn to talk, write, read, do sports, draw, and discover new things.  He shares his mistakes, his epiphanies and his insights into the mind of a child.  If you have ever been curious about child learning, this book is a great place to start.