BKHWCFAL.RVW  951026
 
"How Children Fail", John Holt, 1982, 0-201-48402-1, U$11.00/C$15.00
%A   John Holt
%C   1 Jacob Way, Reading, MA   01867-9984
%D   1982
%G   0-201-48402-1
%I   Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.
%O   U$11.00/C$15.00 800-822-6339 Fax: (617) 944-7273 bkexpress@aw.com
%P   303
%T   "How Children Fail"
 
This book shows over and over again that children *do* fail, but it says
precious little about how.  Throughout the loose collection of old teaching
notes and observations, mechanisms and analysis are given, but there is little
evidence to support them.
 
Holt's primary contention seems to to be that fear, uncertainty and doubt;
fostered by the "cold pricklies" of Transactional Analysis for Tots; lock
children into known behaviours, even if they are known to be wrong.  I have
every sympathy with this view, but Holt's "research", if it can be called that,
is far from compelling, particularly when compared with, say, that of Martin
Seligman.
 
Again, the author attempts to discourage teachers from "quashing" children by
dumping on wrong answers.  Holt, though, does exactly the same to the teachers
he is addressing by pointing out that an inappropriate response to a child can
be very damaging, but failing to show either what actions are appropriate, or
how to determine, in advance, whether an action is good or bad.  (The later
"How Children Learn" [cf. BKHWCLRN.RVW] would be seen by many as filling the
gap in positive suggestions, but it's major advice seems to be "don't teach".)
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKHWCFAL.RVW   951026

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