Wise Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning [Hardcover]

Guy Claxton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 1999

A new science of learning is emerging and Guy Claxton is at the forefront. It was recently thought that one's learning was a matter of intelligence, or of how hard one tried and that the differences in achievement were due to "ability" or "effort". Widespread attitudes to learning currently disable rather than enable because they concentrate almost exclusively on conscious reason. This new science of learning tells us that everyone's learning power can be enormously increased. Good learners need to know when to mull and drift, as well as when to be analytical and focussed. The methods that Claxton advocates allows the individual to be comfortable with uncertainty, teaching the individual to rely on resourcefulness, resilience and reflection: qualities we have need for learning and growing into the future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Expanding on his previous books (Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind; etc.), which argue that conventional education vastly overemphasizes rational, memory-based ways of learning and knowing to the detriment of other modes, British psychologist and educator Claxton urges parents, teachers and students of all ages to concentrate on precisely those neglected channels. He advocates direct immersion, which lets us pick up useful patterns by osmosis; intuition or "soft thinking," which can prompt artistic, scientific and practical creativity; and imagination, including visualization, fantasy and playAall useful tools for drawing on the brain's various pockets of expertise, according to Claxton. Higher education in the U.S. and U.K. is stagnating, he charges, as a generation of conformist students shun deep inquiry for fear of upsetting their teachers. To help individuals, educators and businesses "wise up," he offers examples of primary schools and colleges around the world that are using nontraditional educational approaches, and of companies that are creating a workplace environment conducive to on-the-job learning. Along the way, he takes potshots at multiple-intelligence theorist Howard Gardner, developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, linguist Noam Chomsky, computer tycoon Bill Gates and others with whose ideas he disagrees. Buttressed by recent research in cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence and neuroscience, Claxton offers a smorgasbord of food for thought that will appeal to teachers, parents, creative types and managers. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Claxton offers a smorgasbord of food for thought that will appeal to teachers, parents, creative types and managers. (Publishers Weekly )

His multidisciplinary approach is beautifully executed (Kirkus Reviews )

an original approach to the concept of intelligence (Library Journal )

The best book I have read in 30 years. (David Hargreaves, University of Cambridge Education Department (UK) )

Brilliant...finally enabling teachers and not persecuting them. (John Seymour, Department of Education (UK) ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (September 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582340390
• ISBN-13: 978-1582340395
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read Wise Up and RISE UP!, April 20, 2003

By 

Matthew J. Marrinan (Manhasset, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wise Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning (Paperback)

I hope my being the first person reviewing this brilliant book is not in anyway an indication of the number of people who have read it. The ideas presented in this book turn established theories on learning upside down.

Whether it is in the home, the high school or the university much of what is taught implicitly or explicitly about learning is faulty. Guy Claxton's assertions seem to coalesce with findings in neuroscience (authors such as Stephen Pinker and Joseph LeDoux write extensively on the subject). It is essential that proper forms of learning are taught early on in life being that is when the brain is most malleable.

Much of the education system is based on rote memorization and doesn't accurately depict the realities of life. The future is less clear than ever and future success regardless of the endeavor requires life long learning. A typical topic in the university classroom is given at most several classes and taught in such isolation of other factors. Unfortunately, 'learning slow to act fast' doesn't seem to be on the agenda of many. A slow learning process cultivates intuition, which is another area that is frowned upon. If one is unable to articulate the reasons for a decision and back it up with concrete facts it is considered uninformed.

Uncertainty is a fact of life but there are many who believe every problem can be solved almost instantaneously, possibly with the help of a formula. There is no room for play, imagination and creativity.

Parents, peers, and teachers should understand that they are there to be a conduit to ignite the pupils mind in many directions. To often however, students are told 'this is how it is' and 'this is the only correct way', which serves to stifle creativity and exploration.

Expert knowledge in a particular field doesn't translate into the ability to successfully transfer that knowledge to others. Too often academics mistakenly equate their classroom knowledge and tenure with their ability to teach. Interestingly, as corporate America has evolved and the American worker no longer is guaranteed a lifetime of employment by one company, the institutions which serve as the gateways for the next generation have failed to evolve!

- "I an uncertain situation, the only useful -and defensible- thing to do is try to prepare young people to deal well with uncertainty. As John Holt said as far back as the 1960s: 'since we cannot know what knowledge will be needed in the future, it is senseless to try and teach it in advance. Instead we should try and turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.' That has to be the central curriculum objective of the learning society, not just in rhetoric but in reality. We have to remember that the end of education is to enable young people, when they are grown up, to live happy, successful and responsible lives. If teaching them to multiply fractions is genuinely a means to that end, then let us do it. But we must not vaguely wish or hope that it is such a means; nor must we fervently believe it, for that makes the future education a battleground rather than an inquiry. The nineteenth-century American essayist Alexis de Toqueville once defined a fanatic as someone who redoubles his efforts when he has forgotten what he is fighting for. We cannot really start to decide what education should be unless we first remember what it is fundamentally for."

- "The world of work exemplifies the central theme of this book: the urgent need to recognize and develop learning power in everyday life; and the confused and sometimes subversive attitudes that may get in the way of this happening. Individuals carry forward from their childhood and schooldays outmoded assumptions that breed narrow approaches to learning, and beliefs about themselves which can turn practical uncertainty into personal insecurity and thus encourage a defensive rather than inquiring mind-set. When these assumptions are echoed in the structures and habits of a workplace culture, and modeled and purveyed by senior managers, then individuals withdraw from learning and companies become rigid and myopic. When leaders develop the insight to inspect these belief systems, and the courage to share that reflective journey of corporate self-discovery with the workforce, remarkable shifts can take place and ?true learning? organizations become a real possibility."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've read, May 3, 2006

By 

S. Gillar (Austin) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wise Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning (Paperback)

Like the first reviewer, I was enchanted with this book. I've read parts of it many times and think about its tenets often. If you are interested in how people learn, teaching children, or types of schooling then this book is for you. It is timely and timeless.

5.0 out of 5 stars If Learning Is Important To You, This Is A Must Read, January 18, 2011

By 

Conrad Spirrison - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wise Up: The Challenge of Lifelong Learning (Hardcover)

Guy Claxton explains the learning process in a very clear and relatively concise manner. What goes on in one's head as we interact with the environment is verbally illustrated in scenarios ranging from birth through the end of our lives. After carefully explaining the initial process of learning as we grow and develop, special attention is focused on the learning process as experienced during the school years and in our years in the workforce.
I believe this book should be strongly considered as a primary resource for the training of parents and teachers. It would also be very appropriate at the high school level, college level and beyond.