This is from the collection of my reflections on three selected phrases from each chapter of John Holt’s book; Learning all the time. An online version of the book could be found here.
Book: Learning All the Time
Author: Holt, John Cardwell, 1923-1985
Length: 169 pages
Published by: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
Year of Publication: 1989
Edition: Eight, August 1995
ISBN: 0-201-55091-1
Chapter 3: Loving Music
Phrase 1:
We need to take serious account of the fact, well known to all musicians, that most children who have been to any great degree pushed into music, however skillful they may become at it, do not enjoy it very much. [para 1, page 113]
This is one of dilemmas of schooling that most of the children, even becoming skillful in their field, lose the interest and passion in their work. What schools do most, is they make children eager to do anything which earns well rather than encouraging them to choose the field of their interest. This results in producing resource which is skillful but does not have long term interest in their work. Interest in anything makes the person feel happy and satisfied with his work. There is usually a clear difference in the way we do things of our interests and things in which we have little or no interest. Choosing a field of interest as source of earning clearly makes that person prominent in his work and performance.
We definitely need a learning method which not only makes children learn but also encourages them excelling in their fields of interest, and teaches skills without boring them or making them lose their interest.
Phrase 2:
Children Learning to speak do not learn to say one short word or phrase perfectly, then another word of phrase, and so on. They say a great many things, as many as they can, and with much use and practice learn to say them better and better. In their learning they advance not on a narrow front but on a very broad one, working on many different things at once. [para 3, page 118]
The way children learn their native language is in complete contrast with what the way they are made to learn other subjects and skills. They are not taught holistically but in bits and pieces, and are made to practice until they become perfect then another piece of knowledge is introduced. This type of teaching also transforms a completely meaningful and sensible thing into senseless one, and the child often loses interest because he is unable to match that particular piece of knowledge with what he sees and observes in his surroundings.
I believe, we use natural learning process for our child for the things which we can’t forcefully teach him like the ability of eating with hand or spoon, walking, speaking, holding something in hand etc. However things which we can teach a child, we believe that the child can never learn those without being taught by us like reading, writing, counting etc.
I wonder why I never thought that children learn many skills by just being facilitated without being taught, and so can read and write too having us as facilitator or helper and not always a teacher.
Phrase 3:
The fundamental insight of Suzuki, the living heart of his method, is that just as children learn to speak by trying--at first very clumsily--to make some of the speech they hear others making around them, so children can best learn to make music by trying to play on their instruments tunes they have heard many times and know. [para 2, page 118]
The is a great discovery in the method of learning by Suzuki. The mindblowing results of Suzuki’s learning method is a benchmark for others to introduce this method for providing learning environment for all subjects to the children. I can say, this method is very natural. However, using this method requires patience among the teachers as well as parents and lowering their expectations from the children, which is hardest part of this method.
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