The Learners' Manifesto
By Frank Smith
(1) The brain is always learning. We learn exactly what is demonstrated by people around us. Schools must stop trying to teach through pointless drills, activities, and tests.
(2) Learning does not require coercion or intimidation. We fail to learn only if we are bored, or confused, or if we have been persuaded that learning will be difficult. Schools must be places where learning can take place naturally.
(3) Learning must be meaningful. If we understand, then we learn. Schools must change themselves, not try to change us, to ensure we understand what we are expected to learn.
(4) Learning is incidental. We learn while doing things that we find useful and interesting. Schools must stop creating environments where we cannot engage in sensible activities.
(5) Learning is collaborative. We learn by apprenticing ourselves to people who practise what they teach. Schools must stop trying to deliver instruction mechanically. If teachers cannot teach, there must be better teachers, not more tests and programmatic instruction.
(6) The consequences of worthwhile learning are always obvious. We demonstrate the worthwhile things we learn by engaging in those activities. Schools, teachers, and parents should not have to rely on marks, scores, or tests to discover if we have learnt.
(7) Learning always involves feelings. We remember how we feel when we learn and when we fail to learn. Schools must not treat learners like battery hens or like machines.
(8) Learning must be free of risk. If we are threatened by learning, then the learning will always threaten. Schools must recognise that continual testing is intellectual harassment.
Frank Smith (1928-2020) - Renowned Psycholinguist
Frank Smith was born in London in 1928 and died in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 2020. He was a British psycholinguist recognised for his contributions in linguistics and cognitive psychology.
Key Contributions:
- Co-founder of innovative approaches for reading instruction alongside Kenneth S. Goodman.
- Author of the influential book "Understanding Reading" (1971), which "revolutionised reading theory and changed how educators think about the acquisition of reading fluency"
- The book went through six editions and sold "something like half a million copies, the most widely read book in the field of education perhaps in history"
Career Background:
- Started as a reporter and editor for media publications in Europe and Australia before studying at the University of Western Australia and receiving a PhD in Psycholinguistics from Harvard University in 1967
- His theory argued that "children can naturally learn to recognise whole words because they are searching for meaning" rather than always needing to sound out every word phonetically
Publications: He authored numerous influential books including "Psycholinguistics and Reading," "Writing and the Writer," "The Book of Learning and Forgetting," and many others