The Book of Learning and Forgetting [Paperback]

Frank Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998 | ISBN-10: 080773750X | ISBN-13: 978-0807737507

In this thought-provoking book, Frank Smith explains how schools and educational authorities systematically obstruct the powerful inherent learning abilities of children, creating handicaps that often persist through life. The author eloquently contrasts a false and fabricated "official theory" that learning is work (used to justify the external control of teachers and students through excessive regulation and massive testing) with a correct but officially suppressed "classic view" that learning is a social process that can occur naturally and continually through collaborative activities. This book will be crucial reading in a time when national authorities continue to blame teachers and students for alleged failures in education. It will help educators and parents to combat sterile attitudes toward teaching and learning and prevent current practices from doing further harm.

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Teachers College Press (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080773750X
• ISBN-13: 978-0807737507
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.4 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Cognitive

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank Smith was a reporter, editor, and novelist before beginning his formal research into language, thinking, and learning. He has been a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, the University of Toronto, the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 133 pages
• Publisher: Teachers College Press (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080773750X
• ISBN-13: 978-0807737507
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.4 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Medical Books > Psychology > Cognitive

More About the Author

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Ammunition for the battle to restructure education February 22, 2000

By Jerry in Japan

Format:Paperback

Frank Smith has given educators substantial arguments for resurrecting the need for change debate. Smith goes underneath the surface and exposes the governing ideas that shaped western learning environments. He nicely explains how the influence of the triple whammy of military, behaviorism, and testing all contributed to making the monolithic educational machine more blind and resistant to natural learning. I love the way he ties the forgetting into the equation, and forces us to reflect on our methodologies and goals. In essence, learning according to the "official" system simply is a matter of compliance for the students, and control for the teachers. This is good material for those teaching overseas.

I like the way he addressed how teachers may focus on measuring what is not learned and may fail to see what is actually learned. Instead of finding fault with the student, he comments on the deficiency of the institutionalized "official" policy that goes unquestioned. Simply marvelous. Smith includes objections to his ideas and answers them in a fair manner. The book is easy to read, nicely dotted with interesting educational insights, and does a superb job in contrasting the official view with the classical view of learning. His ideas are no nonsense and resonate with any teacher and student. While his analysis is quite helpful, his simple three step solution was too simple for me. Smith proposes we be more understanding, honest, and I wish he would have given more examples or data that demonstrate how the changes have affected other teachers and systems. I also wish he would have said more about rewarding the self-directed learner.

I found chapter 10 on online education to be a bit alarmist as he portrays the popular notion that technology may end up replacing teachers.... I believe, however, that good teachers will always be needed and that good teachers know how to incorporate technology into their learning plans and not be threatened by it. Still, he has a valid point about cognitive science or educational programmers being the new gatekeepers of information. Definitely worth the money. I am recommending it to all of my colleagues as a professional reading group discussion book. Thank you, Dr. Smith. Read more ›

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging content -- helps you rethink your teaching methods June 10, 1998

By [e-mail]

Format:Paperback

This book is an easy read -- but filled with engaging content that helps you rethink your teaching methodology. Frank Smith stresses that students learn what is modeled, not just content. He occasionally reassures us not to memorize the book's content, but to read with interest. Do we take away that interest from our students by making them memorize information?

Frank Smith talks about how we build up our own identity by "interacting with the significant people in our lives." He talks about the "clubs" we belong to -- those communities of influential people (both formal and informal).

"Work experience and learning," should be recognized as a significant educational experience. Many times the greatest learning experiences do not come from classroom "sit time." What can we do as educators to effectively link our classrooms to the world of work?

You'll be so glad to read about correct and incorrect spellings of words stored in our memory -- sometimes we aren't able to sort them out. I thought it was just me -- I was glad to know I wasn't the only one!

I have always heard that once something is placed in long-term memory, it's always there. It's also nice to know that just because it's securely stored away, it's not always easy to access it. Frank Smith talks about creating a trail to that stored information. One thought triggers another and so on. That's why brainstorming is such an effective way of pulling together all those concepts so safely packed away in our heads.

Frank Smith goes into the militaristic history of the educational system, and explains why we do certain things -- and challenges educators to understand and change some of that tradition.... The language includes "drills" and "batteries of tests," which "perfectly illustrates the insidious infiltration of militaristic thinking in education." Kind of scary, but very interesting and sad as well.

Frank Smith doesn't just point out frailties in o! ur educational system, he offers possible solutions. This book should be read with an open mind -- it is very stimulating indeed. Read more ›

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Short, concise book on the right and wrong of learning November 14, 2000

By K. L Sadler VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This excellent book on learning reemphasizes the mistakes that are being made as far as teaching children (and actually adults). In educational departments in universities, too often more importance is placed on rote learning and not on helping learning to be an enjoyable experience. I am afraid too many teachers are being churned out that feel the pressure to produce for standardized testing, without realizing that learning this same information can happen in such a way as to make it enjoyable, make sense, and be remembered for a lifetime. At this time, too many times students remember for only short-term recall, and then promptly lose the knowledge after the test. Learning is a continual and lifetime process, and Frank Smith reiterates the mistakes that teaching in the U.S. is making in emphasizing the wrong way to learn.

The information Smith gives is vitally important, and he makes several very quotable statements concerning learning and memory which I have used (citing him) in papers. The book is almost too short, and not as readable as I would have liked it. Nevertheless this is an absolute must read for educators, and for would-be teachers prior to entering their teaching jobs. It is also important for those going into educational research and educational testing to be aware of. We can and should expect children to learn, but we definitely are not approaching it the right way. This book can provide plenty of topics for discussions in education departments across the country. Testing should not be the ends, but rather the ability to learn over a lifetime and the ability to continue this process from indirect sources once out of the school system. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh