The Book of Learning and Forgetting

I just finished reading The book of Learning and Forgetting. I can say that I learned a lot of information. Below you will find a detailed summary of the book with my thoughts incorporated.

Frank Smith's book presents two views of learning, the classical theory of learning and the official theory of learning. These two contrasting views have both been present in the educational system, but today's school systems follow the official theory---which is seen as highly ineffective.

The classic theory is defined as the ability to "learn from the people around us with whom we identify (3)--you learn from the company you keep by making them part of what we already know. They are not new bits to be added to a store of knowledge, but extension or elaaborations of the experience and beliefs that make us what we are" (13). This means that you learn from watching and working with people like you. On the contrary, the official theory is the idea "that learning is work, and that anything can be learned provided sufficient effort is expanded and sufficient control enforced" (4). Thus, you have to try very hard in order to learn something effectively.

Smith spoke about the importance of the classical theory and joining clubs. He states that we join clubs because we identify with the people in those clubs. Whether it is a book club, fishing club or tennis club, we become like the "company that we keep." We will exhibit this identity by the way we "talk, dress, and ornament ourselves" (11)