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27th out of 125 books
—
139 voters
Learning All The Time
by
John Holt
The essence of John Holt’s insight into learning and small children is captured in Learning All The Time. This delightful book by the influential author of How Children Fail and How Children Learn shows how children learn to read, write, and count in their everyday life at home and how adults can respect and encourage this wonderful process. For human beings, he reminds us...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
January 22nd 1990
by Da Capo Press
(first published 1989)
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"Thats not to say that children must discover everything unaided.We can help them in several ways.We can so arrange the materials put before them that discovery is made more likely.Real learning is a process of discovery,and if we want it to happen we must create the kinds of conditions in which discoveries are made.We know what these are .They include time,leisure,freedom and a lack of pressure."
and
Many young children do indeed need to be introduced to tasks and ativities that take time.But thi...more
and
Many young children do indeed need to be introduced to tasks and ativities that take time.But thi...more
I had higher hopes for this book, I thought it would have a broader view of the possibilities available and it was a bit repetitive because there was not quite enough material (Holt had not finished writing it before he died). There is so much fantastic research on education and learning that is ignored by most teachers and schools, it was unfortunate that this book did not take advantage of that and was anecdote rather than data driven. Many areas could have used a bit more research or might ha...more
Pretty good. I haven't read any John Holt books in years, so this was a good refresher on some of his more salient points. He touches on several big ideas that are only recently gaining popularity and traction among the general public and educators, e.g. growth mindset, project-based learning, and the harmful effects of praise. This book was published in 1989 but is comprised of pieces he wrote as early as the 70s.
I enjoy books structured in this manner - short reflections on a single theme (in...more
I enjoy books structured in this manner - short reflections on a single theme (in...more
I've just finished "Learning All the Time" a few weeks before I'm about to begin "homeschool" with Benjamin in K and Josh in 2nd grade. I've always been a very relaxed, eclectic homeschooler. I've used lots of Montessori materials and I've recently been interested and reading about the Charlotte Mason method, which sounds wonderful to me--except now I see its big flaw--that is, teaching. Reading through this book slowly convinced me that children really do learn constantly on their own. They lea...more
He's a social constructionist. Always enjoy Holt. Spoke to him in the early 80's about whether preschool was good for children. He doubted it, but allowed that if the child enjoyed it, it might be alright.
I picked up this book because someone connected with the "Taking Children Seriously" educational philosophy recommended John Holt to me, and this was both his last and shortest book. Apparently, Holt passed away before completing it, and this was pulled together from his notes. The book has a logical structure but each chapter is filled with anecdotal stories and examples from his own experiences, and has very little objective arguments in its favor. This is probably a window into his organizati...more
Anyone with an interest in teaching their child(ren) should read this. Holt makes great observations and gives insightful suggestions about learning, using minimal words. This is not a dry, lengthy, clinical textbook on the history and development of child education, complete with theories, etc. This is an explanation of how children essentially teach themselves. It praises the curiosity, creativity, and ingenuity of children for learning about the world around them by using what comes naturally...more
clarified what i need to be doing, in terms of helping my child gaining literacy skills-which is NOTHING. it's a dose of sanity in this crazy world of preschool readiness and leapfrog toys and "your baby can read" DVDs. i love the idea of trying not to interfere with children learning from observing their surroundings and experimenting with everything they come across. of parents doing their best to provide the opportunities, and then stepping back.
This book provided an interesting approach and theory to learning, unlike anything I encountered while training to be a teacher. There wasn't much evidence cited to prove his theories, but that didn't bother me (since I wasn't expecting to learn facts). Rather I was looking for insight into the whole "unschooling" movement, that (at least in my understanding) spawned from the introduction of Holt's books and ideas.
Worth considering for both parents and educators.
Worth considering for both parents and educators.
I am giving this book a 4 star. I have read John Holt's books before and this one is no different. The only difference here is that he actually gave some suggestions on how to help your children learn while in other books like "How children fail" and "How children learn", he only emphasizes on trusting and encouraging the child. A very beautiful book. I would recommend it to all the parents and teachers who truly want to understand children.
Though parts of this dragged for me (I was more curious about the big picture, which comes toward the end, rather than the small examples of what's wrong with teaching phonics, etc., of the beginning), I admit to being won over by these ideas. In the beginning it seemed a little like he was just advocating one method over another (e.g. Here's what's wrong with Sesame Street; now see how I would do it), but the philosophy becomes clearer later.
"We can best help children learn, not by deciding wha...more
"We can best help children learn, not by deciding wha...more
I should probaly give this one three stars, but... it did seem a bit repetative for me after having just read Teach Your Own. I guess Holt did not actually finish this book, but most of it, the rest was put together by his editors. A good sampling of intelligent stories of young children learning the three R's without a typically structured environment.
This book is amaaaaazing. This is a must read for parents who are strongly considering homeschooling. It sits so well with all the reasons conventional schooling may not be able to help our children learn all the things they want to because of sheer logistics. Additionally, it personally confirms why my philosopher child might end up in trouble in a typical classroom :)
I don't think I actually finished it, but it's a compelling read. And what he had to say about (not) teaching your child to read stays with me. He said all you need to do is read to your child for 30 minutes a day. At some point your child will want to 'read' you a book they have memorized, and gradually it will become actually reading, and then they'll try different books. He said you don't even need to correct their errors because they'll figure them out over time from the context of the story...more
I don't agree with everything Holt has to say, but I loved this book. It made me think in new ways, and encouraged me to respect my kids' natural eagerness to learn more...while worrying a little bit less about (strip-?)mining every experience for its "teachable moments."
Love the chapter on the "Three Misleading Metaphors." "Praise Junkies" and "Unwanted Help" are also good. Some information dates this book, but the core concepts haven't changed -- small children don't need to be "taught" -- they are truly learning all the time. If you have children under the age of 7 or 8 you should read this book and throw way those ridiculous "teaching DVDs"! :)
I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read, and it has lots of good thoughts on how children learn, and how we can help and also get out of the way. Very helpful,, I'll read it again, likely.
One of the best books I have read on children and how they learn and how to encourage and stay out of their way ;) I would love to read more by John Holt.
Great book for anyone who is around kids very much. I this changed a lot about how I interacted with the children at my pre-school.
really good book. Had a fantastic section on math that surprised me. It had some sections that didn't seem to fit in though, and at least the copy I read was full of typos which was too bad. Definitely made me want to read more by John Holt though.
Holts' learning theories have withstood the test of time, too bad he died so young, he had so much left to teach us.
Started us on the course towards home schooling
Jul 28, 2012
Trista
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
parents
Shelves:
parenting,
school-stuffs
Love John Holt and this one is a very quick read. All parents should read it--he really highlights in simple ways how to "see" that it's absolutely impossible for children to learn.
Loved the chapters at the end of this book especially. Great reminders of how we all are learning all of the time. I can relate to this book as I have seen learning all the time in action with my children. I put this book at the top of the list for new homeschoolers & especially for those of us who need a reminder that what we are doing is working. That what we are doing for and with our children does make a difference. It's also a nice short, easy to pick up and read & get that little b...more
Awesomely amazing book!
How is it possible that this respectful, thoughtful approach to educating children still seems so innovative when it was written in 1985?
I'm no expert on child development, but Holt's studies and conclusions seem consistent with what I've seen from parenting.
I wish this was the standard way of thinking in our public schools (or that it had been the standard when I was in public school).
Imagine the world we'd have if we were a society in which children's love of learning was never squashed...
I'm no expert on child development, but Holt's studies and conclusions seem consistent with what I've seen from parenting.
I wish this was the standard way of thinking in our public schools (or that it had been the standard when I was in public school).
Imagine the world we'd have if we were a society in which children's love of learning was never squashed...
Really loved this book and looking forward to reading more by John Holt.
This books makes intuitive sense to me. This passage, on the last page, sums it up:
"We can best help children learn, not be deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they can do, answering their questions - if they have any - and helping them explore the things they are most interested in."
It made me excited to watch Penny explore life.
"We can best help children learn, not be deciding what we think they should learn and thinking of ingenious ways to teach it to them, but by making the world, as far as we can, accessible to them, paying serious attention to what they can do, answering their questions - if they have any - and helping them explore the things they are most interested in."
It made me excited to watch Penny explore life.
Time to figure out how my daughter learns! This is a low pressure book on learning with the view on self teaching.
i've been declaring i would homeschool my kids ever since i was in 5th grade and my teacher basically discouraged me from reading at my level, which was adult. but now that my son is 2 i decided i should really start doing some reading so i make a real decision in the next few years.
so far this book has picked apart what's wrong w/ the way schools teach early reading and early math, and how they can destroy kids natural ability to set and meet their own challenges
so far this book has picked apart what's wrong w/ the way schools teach early reading and early math, and how they can destroy kids natural ability to set and meet their own challenges
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After teaching in private schools for many years John Holt wrote his first two books, How Children Fail, and How Children Learn. He became a vocal advocate for school reforms, and wrote several more books about education theory and practice, including alternative forms and many social issues relating to the education system.
Eventually he decided school reform was impossible, and changed his focus...more
More about John Holt...
Eventually he decided school reform was impossible, and changed his focus...more
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Jul 22, 2010 11:30pm