How Children Learn
| Author | John Holt |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Education |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher |
Pitman Publishing (1967) Delacorte Press (1983) Perseus Publishing (1995) |
Publication date | 1967, 1983 (revised) |
| Pages | 189 (1967 ed.), 303 (1983 ed.), 320 (1995 ed.) |
| ISBN | 0-440-03835-9 |
| OCLC | 8786109 |
| 370.15/23 19 | |
| LC Class | LB1060 .H64 1983 |
How Children Learn is a nonfiction book by educator John Caldwell Holt, 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 in general, believing that children find it just as patronizing as would an adult and that parents 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. For example, the first thing all educators should do is evaluate the type of multiple intelligence possessed by students and use it to teach and assess them.