The Well Educated Mind

Curious. Most curious. Children are the most curious creatures you will ever find. They want to learn, and they learn fast. If nourished properly, this natural love of learning would last a lifetime. If developed wisely, the child would educate himself with very little adult enforcement. In medical school, we first watched a procedure, then we did that procedure, then we taught that procedure. We were still children, in many ways. And we thrived performing procedures of incredible sensitivity.

On a less life-threatening level, children are capable of learning. Children can learn declarative knowledge--factual knowledge, and procedural knowledge--how to do things.

The Well Educated Mind is the kind of book that shows anyone how to learn on their own, from readily available resources. Our culture is drowning in available knowledge resources, but most adults are not prepared to use them for lifelong growth. Here is a pdf excerpt from one of the chapters.

Procedural knowledge is somewhat different, and involves learning long sequences of actions, along with contingencies. Diagnostic skills and real time monitoring skills are vital for skilled procedural knowledge. Here are two popular sites for acquiring how to knowledge for basic everyday skills.

ehow.com
howstuffworks

It is important for children to learn basic skills fairly early, so that they can build on the basics in learning more advanced skills. Our children are being shortchanged in this area by the system that is supposed to prepare them for the future, and by their own parents who should know better, but were unfortunately taught by the same system that is ruining their children.

The best way children learn "how to" is by watching the people around them who can already do something well. That is one of the advantages of homeschooling, having an adult around who likely has some actual real world skills. See one, do one, teach one. It is not just for medical students.