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How Children Learn (50th anniversary edition)

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How Children Learn (50th anniversary edition)

By: John Holt
Narrated by: Matt Kugler
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About this listen

 This enduring classic of educational thought offers teachers and parents deep, original insight into the nature of early learning. John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, "learning is as natural as breathing." In this delightful yet profound book, he looks at how we learn to talk, to read, to count, and to reason, and how we can nurture and encourage these natural abilities in our children. Childhood Education Developmental Psychology Education Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships

Critic Reviews

"Holt is a class with Piaget."
—New York Review of Books
"By his vision of what can be done in education, he makes us think in new ways about what is being done."
—The Wall Street Journal
"One of the most profoundly moving books I've ever read, the truest account of how I remember my best learning experiences as a child and an adult."
—Cory Doctorow, author of Walkaway and Little Brother
"The gentle voice of reason."
—Life magazine
All stars
Most relevant
This was written over 50 years ago and we are still in this trap of transmitted education.
This is a motivational and valuable book for all teachers/educators to read and reflect on.

50+ years of wisdom

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I didn’t really know much about this book before listening to it, other than that I had a vague memory of possibly hearing it recommended somewhere. At the start of the book I felt a bit apprehensive, wondering if the whole thing was just going to be a recollection of his interactions with children (playing with his typewriter and whatnot), but as I got further in I was blown away by the simplistic, yet revelational, truths of how children learn. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who has involvement in the lives of children (but especially parents). This is definitely the kind of book that I will return to over time to absorb the insights it provides. Thank-you for this wonderful work, Mr. Holt.

Brilliant

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It really illustrated to me how much we should follow the child’s lead and have faith that the child will learn in their own way and time, and forcing them to learn in someone else’s time will only stifle their learning and motivation

Loved this book

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The narrator of this title is perfect, very easy to listen too. I'm a huge fan of John Holt so was excited to listen to this title. Not the best of his work (I like the underachieving school), but still a decent read!

Huge fan of John Holt

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Enjoyed the first 1/4 but the remaining 3/4 was long winded and a grind to get through.

Could be a lot shorter

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