The Passionate Learner: A Practicial Guide for Teachers and Parents

Enjoying the Learning ProcessAs an elementary school teacher for the last six years, I have witnessed students become excited and enthusiastic about learning new things, and have seen the light turn on when a skill or connection has been mastered in the learning process. I was glad to see that author Robert L. Fried shares the view that children and adults should always be passionate about the learning process. The author?s goal for children is surely what all teachers in America would hope for. Children in our education system should never be sidelined because of ability or lack thereof, all should be challenged, hard work and determination is valued and of course children should develop confidence, just to name a few. This book begins with interviews with parents of young toddlers reminiscing on how happy, innocent, enthusiastic, and explorative their young children are, and these parents hope that this kind of excitement about learning continues as the child grows in the school system, as well as outside of school learning. The author takes special care to also describe fifteen signs where passionate learning may break down. If your child exhibits some of the following, a breakdown or bump in the road has occurred: your child becomes discouraged after receiving low grades, he or she is distracted in class or bored by mundane or routine assignments, your child is working simply to please the teacher for that high grade, perfectionism, embarrassment by leveled groupings in certain subject areas, and perhaps your son or daughter may believe the teacher does not like them or the teacher is unfair. Other passionate breakdowns according to Mr. Fried include students becoming fearful of teasing by other students when a child excels at a certain skill level, and perhaps there may be language or cultural differences that inhibit or prohibit learning from taking place.The book is broken down into chapters dedicated to what can be done to ameliorate some of these situations. Chapter 3 is dedicated to ?What Teachers Can Do to Reclaim the Promise.? Teachers can create strong relationships with students where all children are respected and attitudes are positive, celebrate each child as a learner inside the school walls and outside, and create a strong sense of worth and a community atmosphere. One of the strongest elements that stuck in my mind was the importance of communicating and discussing the relevance of activities and allowing the student to have input in the learning process. Students able to take ownership in projects by being allowed to generate ideas for projects, and even helping create the rubrics for how their work will be assessed was another element discussed as a way to keep the learning relevant and important. According to Mr. Fried, teachers should also provide ample opportunities for oral reports, story telling, discussion among peers about the learning process and topics learned, and also integrate reading and writing in