The Howard Families were the product of a genetic experiment, an interbreeding programme which had produced one hundred thousand people with an average life expectancy of a century and a half. Now, at last, their existence was known on earth, and the entire world demanded to share the "secret" of eternal youth. "It is contrary to our customs to permit scientific knowledge to be held as a monopoly for the few" was what the expert said and it wasn't long before members of the Howard Families were the victims of vicious crime.
In his groundbreaking book, John Holt, draws upon his observations of children both in school and at play to identify ways in which our traditional educational system predestines our young people for failure.
Holt argues that children fail primarily "because they are afraid, bored, and confused." This, combined with misguided teaching strategies and a school environment that is disconnected from reality and "real learning", results in a school system that kills children’s innate desire to learn.
This book forms part of the 5 level course, designed for kids of different ages, and specifically organised in a way that English classes can be combined with such school subjects as Art, Science, Geography, etc.. The presentation is nice and amusing, children have fun doing various entertaining tasks and learn English playfully.
The concept of creativity presented in this book is one of connecting different frames of reference to create humour, discovery or works of art. It is about opening the mind to perceive things in alternative ways. The concept of creative teaching similarly is about using those connections to help children learn through a range of representations, teaching approaches and activities, which enable children to be active agents in their own learning.
Identified in the popular press as the biggest generation in the US since the baby boomers, the millennial generation (born 1982-2000) is said to be heir to a culture that has come to its senses and realized that children need guidance, nurturance, and limits. Integrating popular literature with current and established research, Verhaagen (a practicing psychologist) presents a summary of the characteristics of this group of children; he uses classic research on parenting from the 1960s to identify characteristics of those best suited to parent this new group.
In his groundbreaking book, John Holt, draws upon his observations of children both in school and at play to identify ways in which our traditional educational system predestines our young people for failure.
