''How Children Learn'' is a nonfiction book by educator
John Caldwell Holt
John Caldwell Holt (April 14, 1923 – September 14, 1985) was an American author and educator, a proponent of homeschooling (specifically the unschooling approach), and a pioneer in youth rights theory.
After a six-year stint teaching element ...
, first published in 1967. A revised edition was released in 1983, with new chapters and commentaries.
The book focuses on Holt's interactions with young
children and his observations of children
learning. From them, he attempts to make sense of how and why children do the things they do. The central thesis of his work is that children learn most effectively by their own
motivation and on their own terms. He opposes
teaching
Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the context of an educational institution. Teaching is closely ...
in general, believing that children find it just as patronizing as would an adult and that
parent
A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...
s should provide information only as it is requested.
Children learn best when they are not pressured to learn in a way that is of no interest to them.
American non-fiction books
Books about education
1967 non-fiction books
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