Lessons Without Limit: How FreeChoice Learning is Transforming Education - Softcover

Falk, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0759101604 ISBN 13: 9780759101609

Publisher: Altamira Press, 2002

Synopsis

This book offers a new understanding of the learning process and guides us in maximizing our lifelong learning journey.

About this title

Review

Falk and Dierking's . . . bold ideas for building a national awareness of . . . lifelong learning make this book [a] must-read in our changing world. . . . Though free-choice learning is driven by individual choice and need, the power of this book is that it argues for collective action to support individual lives. The ultimate winner is the community itself, strengthened through knowledge, purpose, and an informed citizenry.--Beverly Sheppard, from the Foreword

Lessons Without Limit is a book in the tradition of John Dewey, George Leonard, and James Burke. It demonstrates with clear prose and inspiring examples two truths that should be self-evident but are too rarely evident in practice: 1) As human beings, we are wired to learn. We are marvelous, indeed, miraculous learning machines. 2) Learning should be joyful, social, and lifelong. For educators of all stripes, formal and informal, using the old media and the new, these lessons are more timely than ever.--Dr. Milton Chen, Executive Director, The George Lucas Educational Foundation

This wonderful book brings alive the 'profoundly human' experience of learning, in all its complexity, variety, and joy. Falk and Dierking write with clarity and passion of the many ways human beings learn, and of the diverse resources they use. To pick up this book is to accept their invitation to learn about learning, and to enjoy it immensely.--Joey Rodger, president, Urban Libraries Council

Lessons Without Limit is a lively read that reminds us that learning spans a lifetime; includes a variety of rich experiences and approaches; and is essential for maintaining a healthy, dynamic society. Parents, educators, and media executives will find much to inform their work in this interesting book.--Robert T. Coonrod, president, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Lessons Without Limit is a readable, persuasive argument for why 'learning, ' not 'education, ' needs to be our focus as cultural institutions. Lifelong learning is vital to the health of our communities and Falk and Dierking have made the case for why museums must now look upon their role as a civic responsibility.--Lou Casagrande, chair of the board, American Association of Museums; and president/CEO, The Children's Museum, Boston

There is now a deep understanding of the learning process and how to best facilitate it, however, the practices in many educational settings lag behind this knowledge, and the recognition and valuing of other learning settings and experiences is minimal. This book will help to alter this situation and to raise the profile of the free-choice learning component in all our lives.--Janette Griffin, University of Technology, Sydney "Visitor Studies Today "

Today the fundamental issue facing museums has shifted yet again. We no longer must decide if museums are educational institutions, but what educational role museums play in our increasingly diverse and sophisticated communities. With Lessons Without Limit: How Free-Choice Learning Is Transforming Education, John H. Falk and Lynn D. Dierking ask us to change the way we view education in America and in the process provide a vision for the role of museums and other educational institutions in the country's future. . . . Thirty years from now . . . this book by Falk and Dierking may well be seen as a catalyst in the next transformation of museums as educational institutions.--Jim S. H. Hakala, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History "Museum News "

Like it or not, lifelong learning is getting more essential every year. For those who are not afraid of this opportunity, Lessons Without Limit will serve as a useful and enjoyable guide.--Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Claremont Graduate University; author of Flow

This book will be useful for managers charged with the responsibility of setting long-term goals for museums, galleries, zoos, gardens and other educational institutions and would arm them with a number of powerful reasons in arguing for increased resourcing for free-choice educational institutions. It will also be valuable to educators who wish to step back and review the big educational picture as they map out future plans. It is a great source of anecdotes for those who wish to illuminate academic educational points with real life examples.--Simon Langsford, South Australian Museum, Adelaide "Museum National "

Falk and Dierking's Contextual Model of Learning provides a practical framework to use when designing an informal (OK, free-choice) learning program. The book includes a wealth of guidelines for carefully considering each dimension (personal, social, physical) of their model. In brief, I highly recommend this book to parents, educators, and others interested in education outside the classroom.--Robert L. Russell "Informal Learning Review "

Synopsis

Lessons Without Limit is not just another book about school reform but a highly readable guide to transforming the entire experience of learning across a lifetime. Free-choice learning is all about what you choose to do in your learning time. We learn every day - at home, at school, at work, and out in the world, from books, in museums, watching television, hearing a symphony, building a model rocket. Our motivations and expectations change over our lifetime but learning never stops. This book will give you a new understanding of the learning process and guide you in maximizing your lifelong learning journey.

Edition details

• Publisher: Altamira Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0759101604
• ISBN 13: 9780759101609
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 204