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"I Love Learning; I Hate School": An Anthropology of College
Frustrated by her students' performance, her relationships with them, and her own daughter’s problems in school, Susan D. Blum, a professor of anthropology, set out to understand why her students found their educational experience at a top-tier institution so profoundly difficult and unsatisfying. Through her research and in conversations with her students, she discovered a troubling mismatch between the goals of the university and the needs of students.
In "I Love Learning; I Hate School," Blum tells two intertwined but inseparable the results of her research into how students learn contrasted with the way conventional education works, and the personal narrative of how she herself was transformed by this understanding. Blum concludes that the dominant forms of higher education do not match the myriad forms of learning that help students—people in general—master meaningful and worthwhile skills and knowledge. Students are capable of learning huge amounts, but the ways higher education is structured often leads them to fail to learn. More than that, it leads to ill effects. In this critique of higher education, infused with anthropological insights, Blum explains why so much is going wrong and offers suggestions for how to bring classroom learning more in line with appropriate forms of engagement. She challenges our system of education and argues for a “reintegration of learning with life.”
In "I Love Learning; I Hate School," Blum tells two intertwined but inseparable the results of her research into how students learn contrasted with the way conventional education works, and the personal narrative of how she herself was transformed by this understanding. Blum concludes that the dominant forms of higher education do not match the myriad forms of learning that help students—people in general—master meaningful and worthwhile skills and knowledge. Students are capable of learning huge amounts, but the ways higher education is structured often leads them to fail to learn. More than that, it leads to ill effects. In this critique of higher education, infused with anthropological insights, Blum explains why so much is going wrong and offers suggestions for how to bring classroom learning more in line with appropriate forms of engagement. She challenges our system of education and argues for a “reintegration of learning with life.”
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 23, 2015
5★
“I believe the institution of school has outlived its usefulness. It rarely succeeds. There is chaos in discussing its aims, implementation, measures. As a system of educating, its returns on genuine learning are shameful. As a signaling game and credential competition, it is incredibly wasteful. As a way of trying to squeeze all individuals into a tight mold, it is abusive and creates suffering. This system began, basically, with the Common School movement. We can’t significantly improve a conceptually flawed system; we can only replace it.”
This is a well-researched, interesting, and readable collection of more information than you ever thought was available regarding complaints about “school” from teachers, students, and the public, mainly in the US. There are many personal stories and anecdotes that I enjoyed and which should keep readers engaged. The author recognizes the dilemma facing those pushing for change.
“There are enormous corporate and interest-group elements that would challenge any dismantling of the half-trillion-dollar system.”
And one size certainly won’t fit all. “Students growing up in a two-professional household with a taste for classical music and organic food will not be the same as adolescents raising their younger siblings while Mom is in jail. If these last get a chance to go to college, they will have a different perspective on the whole experience.”
She is refreshingly honest about her early attitude to learning and admits she was comfortable in the traditional school environment. But over the last many years of teaching, she’s come to realize how unnatural this setting is for many students who would probably benefit from other methods, including free, non-institutional resources like the TED talks and MOOCs—massive open online courses.
As Blum points out, “Most people learn most of what they know without direct instruction. Teachers—and sometimes teaching—are often optional. Babies learn to walk and talk. We are born to learn—but how?”
Little kids watch big kids surf, ask for tips, and then have a go themselves. And they’ll do it all day long. College is full of kids who learn all kinds of things in their extra-curricular activities, and they love it.
I have a term I use often—“academic airheads”—which is for those people who can quote the great philosophers or name-that-tune at classical concerts (and probably got good grades in school). But if I’m ever stranded on a desert island, I sure hope it’s with the ‘real’ people of the world who know how to fix a busted boat or catch fish.
Not everyone is suited to the classroom. There are countless YouTube how-to videos for people who don’t want to darken the door of a classroom but who just want learn things (like how to fix a busted boat).
Blum quotes and references many studies and papers, the upshot of which is that we have unwittingly developed a system that children and adolescents have learned to ‘game’ so they can appear to be learning in class while just warming their chairs. Then, with some quick memory work and before they forget it, they manage to regurgitate enough of the right amount of necessary information in papers and exams to get good grades.
And it’s all about the grades. Grades to keep moving up through the system. No matter if you really understand anything. Just so it looks good on paper and the right prep school will accept you and then the right Ivy League College will accept you and then the right Wall Street firm will head-hunt you and then you can live happily ever after – possibly never learning much of any great use in your career at all.
Grades are the reward for ticking the right boxes, but many studies show that rewards are counter-productive.
“Edward Deci conducted a study with a result so amazing that nobody believed it. College students were divided into two groups. All were given a challenging puzzle to work on, but half earned money for solving it. Researchers left the room and observed the students. The ones who had been paid showed less interest in the puzzle than the other group. This finding has been replicated again and again and again.”
Blum says at the outset that this is not a manual, but she does give some useful suggestions.
She’d like a two year break after high school to let students mature. A Gap Year is popular in some cultures, but she advocates two.
“If I could make only one change to conventional schooling, it would be to stop giving grades . . . I have begun to give my students, in smaller classes, rubrics without grades. I tell them that if this causes too much anxiety, I’ll be happy to tell them what grade the rubric would translate to. (Nobody has requested this, so far.)”
Referring to trees that grow crooked in bad times, Blum says we must find better ways to engage students and foster real learning.
“Many of our students are like those twisted trunks. They seek fulfilment and passion and meaning. Nourishment. If they cannot get it from the thin pabulum of our cognitive curriculum, they will look for it in beer pong and football chants and fast food work and all those places outside our classrooms.”
Like YouTube.
If you have any interest in education and how we might fix it, this is a great resource. Good luck!
Enormous thanks to NetGalley and Cornell University Press for providing me with a pre-publication digital copy. I apologize if any of the quotations are changed before publication, but she said it better than I could.
“I believe the institution of school has outlived its usefulness. It rarely succeeds. There is chaos in discussing its aims, implementation, measures. As a system of educating, its returns on genuine learning are shameful. As a signaling game and credential competition, it is incredibly wasteful. As a way of trying to squeeze all individuals into a tight mold, it is abusive and creates suffering. This system began, basically, with the Common School movement. We can’t significantly improve a conceptually flawed system; we can only replace it.”
This is a well-researched, interesting, and readable collection of more information than you ever thought was available regarding complaints about “school” from teachers, students, and the public, mainly in the US. There are many personal stories and anecdotes that I enjoyed and which should keep readers engaged. The author recognizes the dilemma facing those pushing for change.
“There are enormous corporate and interest-group elements that would challenge any dismantling of the half-trillion-dollar system.”
And one size certainly won’t fit all. “Students growing up in a two-professional household with a taste for classical music and organic food will not be the same as adolescents raising their younger siblings while Mom is in jail. If these last get a chance to go to college, they will have a different perspective on the whole experience.”
She is refreshingly honest about her early attitude to learning and admits she was comfortable in the traditional school environment. But over the last many years of teaching, she’s come to realize how unnatural this setting is for many students who would probably benefit from other methods, including free, non-institutional resources like the TED talks and MOOCs—massive open online courses.
As Blum points out, “Most people learn most of what they know without direct instruction. Teachers—and sometimes teaching—are often optional. Babies learn to walk and talk. We are born to learn—but how?”
Little kids watch big kids surf, ask for tips, and then have a go themselves. And they’ll do it all day long. College is full of kids who learn all kinds of things in their extra-curricular activities, and they love it.
I have a term I use often—“academic airheads”—which is for those people who can quote the great philosophers or name-that-tune at classical concerts (and probably got good grades in school). But if I’m ever stranded on a desert island, I sure hope it’s with the ‘real’ people of the world who know how to fix a busted boat or catch fish.
Not everyone is suited to the classroom. There are countless YouTube how-to videos for people who don’t want to darken the door of a classroom but who just want learn things (like how to fix a busted boat).
Blum quotes and references many studies and papers, the upshot of which is that we have unwittingly developed a system that children and adolescents have learned to ‘game’ so they can appear to be learning in class while just warming their chairs. Then, with some quick memory work and before they forget it, they manage to regurgitate enough of the right amount of necessary information in papers and exams to get good grades.
And it’s all about the grades. Grades to keep moving up through the system. No matter if you really understand anything. Just so it looks good on paper and the right prep school will accept you and then the right Ivy League College will accept you and then the right Wall Street firm will head-hunt you and then you can live happily ever after – possibly never learning much of any great use in your career at all.
Grades are the reward for ticking the right boxes, but many studies show that rewards are counter-productive.
“Edward Deci conducted a study with a result so amazing that nobody believed it. College students were divided into two groups. All were given a challenging puzzle to work on, but half earned money for solving it. Researchers left the room and observed the students. The ones who had been paid showed less interest in the puzzle than the other group. This finding has been replicated again and again and again.”
Blum says at the outset that this is not a manual, but she does give some useful suggestions.
She’d like a two year break after high school to let students mature. A Gap Year is popular in some cultures, but she advocates two.
“If I could make only one change to conventional schooling, it would be to stop giving grades . . . I have begun to give my students, in smaller classes, rubrics without grades. I tell them that if this causes too much anxiety, I’ll be happy to tell them what grade the rubric would translate to. (Nobody has requested this, so far.)”
Referring to trees that grow crooked in bad times, Blum says we must find better ways to engage students and foster real learning.
“Many of our students are like those twisted trunks. They seek fulfilment and passion and meaning. Nourishment. If they cannot get it from the thin pabulum of our cognitive curriculum, they will look for it in beer pong and football chants and fast food work and all those places outside our classrooms.”
Like YouTube.
If you have any interest in education and how we might fix it, this is a great resource. Good luck!
Enormous thanks to NetGalley and Cornell University Press for providing me with a pre-publication digital copy. I apologize if any of the quotations are changed before publication, but she said it better than I could.
January 3, 2017
All the review I think you need is this, "Now that I've read this book, I'm excited to start planning the nuts and bolts of my spring classes."
August 3, 2017
I love when a book takes something I value deeply and makes me question everything about it. It's like seeing education in a whole new context and asking questions about its relevance in today's world. How do you measure a good life? What is the goal of school? Can we achieve equality with the systems we have?! I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
August 29, 2024
I really enjoyed the first half, but the second half seemed drawn out to me. But overall I loved how thought provoking the book was, especially on such a common topic.
July 5, 2018
I am perplexed by the four star average review this book has received. It is, essentially, a long essay about what the author doesn't like about the way college is organized (everything...grades, majors, any requirements at all...everything) and students. She's obviously thought a lot about her dislikes, she writes well about them, and I think some of them warrant analysis and change. The problem is, she seems to have given almost no thought to what we should do differently. There are a couple of very vague suggestions of small things she does differently in her classroom, but that's it. She spends a lot of time saying radical change is necessary...and then ends it there. No roadmap for how to get there or even a description of what the destination would look like.
The most frustrating part is the intellectual work in the book. Dr. Blum does zero analysis of *why* the current system exists and what purposes it serves. A cogent analysis would have examined the state of our current situation, teased out what works and what doesn't and why, and then proposed a way forward or described how other countries or individual institutions have dealt with the problems successfully. I just wanted something other than "everything about college stinks."
Like the author, I, too, have spent my entire adult life employed at colleges and universities, but unlike the author, I'm profoundly tired of the elitism that permeates higher ed, or at least the part found in selective institutions. The author does the seemingly-requisite clutching of the pearls and swooning over the idea that some activities in college are (gasp!) routine and mundane, you know, like that nasty *factory work* that we're so much better than. And those *student affairs people* who put together *activities* for students that don't involve studying. Of course that's a sign of the lack of seriousness in colleges these days, right?
The reason I gave it two stars is that the author is, stylistically speaking, a good writer, and the middle part of the book is fascinating. Blum spends that part talking about what anthropology has discovered about learning, and it's engrossing. The rest is kvetching about the callowness of students and moaning about the organization of higher education that can be heard in any faculty cocktail party.
The most frustrating part is the intellectual work in the book. Dr. Blum does zero analysis of *why* the current system exists and what purposes it serves. A cogent analysis would have examined the state of our current situation, teased out what works and what doesn't and why, and then proposed a way forward or described how other countries or individual institutions have dealt with the problems successfully. I just wanted something other than "everything about college stinks."
Like the author, I, too, have spent my entire adult life employed at colleges and universities, but unlike the author, I'm profoundly tired of the elitism that permeates higher ed, or at least the part found in selective institutions. The author does the seemingly-requisite clutching of the pearls and swooning over the idea that some activities in college are (gasp!) routine and mundane, you know, like that nasty *factory work* that we're so much better than. And those *student affairs people* who put together *activities* for students that don't involve studying. Of course that's a sign of the lack of seriousness in colleges these days, right?
The reason I gave it two stars is that the author is, stylistically speaking, a good writer, and the middle part of the book is fascinating. Blum spends that part talking about what anthropology has discovered about learning, and it's engrossing. The rest is kvetching about the callowness of students and moaning about the organization of higher education that can be heard in any faculty cocktail party.
May 17, 2024
For a couple of decades I’ve been reading about & studying various dualities & tensions in educational theory & practice: active vs. passive learning, constructivism vs. objectivity, even teaching vs. learning. This book introduced me to another, perhaps more important distinction (captured in the title): schooling vs. learning.
Schooling is the stuff we do within our educational institutions. Learning is what happens when a person grows into more of a person.
We assume that schooling translates into learning, but this book convinced me that we need to question that assumption.
This book is personal & wide-ranging. I think it’s meant to raise questions more than answer them. That it does; which is another way of saying that I learned something.
Schooling is the stuff we do within our educational institutions. Learning is what happens when a person grows into more of a person.
We assume that schooling translates into learning, but this book convinced me that we need to question that assumption.
This book is personal & wide-ranging. I think it’s meant to raise questions more than answer them. That it does; which is another way of saying that I learned something.
September 8, 2019
About 70 sticky notes marking passages for use in the classroom.
January 24, 2016
Disclaimer: I received access to a digital copy of I Love Learning; I Hate School through Netgalley. I was not required to review this book, and any recommendations are made voluntarily. Any views or opinions expressed are my own.
Even though a lot of what I read in I Love Learning were things I kind of knew, it struck a very deep chord in me. Here’s this professor who’s been teaching for years who seems to finally get the plight of the young college student, or of any student, who is sick of school and sick of the crooked system. Blum is a professor I wish I had, and I can only hope that other educators adopt her way of thinking.
While I Love Learning; I Hate School isn’t really a how-to guide, it certainly gives a lot of great insight to professors who still think college is like the way it was a few decades ago (I don’t mean it in a demeaning way; they likely attended college with other students who love academics). Also, if you’re even mildly interested in the anthropology of education, I’d recommend reading this book.
However, a word of warning: Blum’s writing style isn’t the most fluid. She tends to open new sections with bright, fresh writing, then gets into the nitty gritty of the topic. I figure it’s the nature of the book (it is about academics, after all), so I don’t necessarily fault it overall.
In short, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. The writing is okay and the ideas presented aren’t completely new, but the author does some very solid research and shares her personal experiences, both of which were important in solidifying her ideas (with empirical and emotional requirements fulfilled).
--
Full review found at my blog.
Even though a lot of what I read in I Love Learning were things I kind of knew, it struck a very deep chord in me. Here’s this professor who’s been teaching for years who seems to finally get the plight of the young college student, or of any student, who is sick of school and sick of the crooked system. Blum is a professor I wish I had, and I can only hope that other educators adopt her way of thinking.
While I Love Learning; I Hate School isn’t really a how-to guide, it certainly gives a lot of great insight to professors who still think college is like the way it was a few decades ago (I don’t mean it in a demeaning way; they likely attended college with other students who love academics). Also, if you’re even mildly interested in the anthropology of education, I’d recommend reading this book.
However, a word of warning: Blum’s writing style isn’t the most fluid. She tends to open new sections with bright, fresh writing, then gets into the nitty gritty of the topic. I figure it’s the nature of the book (it is about academics, after all), so I don’t necessarily fault it overall.
In short, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. The writing is okay and the ideas presented aren’t completely new, but the author does some very solid research and shares her personal experiences, both of which were important in solidifying her ideas (with empirical and emotional requirements fulfilled).
--
Full review found at my blog.
June 5, 2016
I downloaded a copy from Net Galley for an unbiased review.
The author loves learning and teaching and could not see for a long time why or how the education system in America failed many pupils. This despite the fact that she helped design a college curriculum which forced all students, including athletes, to take a term course in 'childhood studies' and she saw their stubborn rejection of what they saw as a pointless, retrograde step.
There's a broad look at various facets of the American education tiered system, which is based on the British system and copied around the world. The author recognised through speaking with students - why was that so hard to do?- and watching her own children, that some kids were better home schooled and others to take alternative routes.
I learnt a lot about the Establishment and as someone whose main memory of secondary education is that it was cold, boring and largely useless, years ago mind you, I recommend that anyone making education their career have a read of this book. Because I love learning and I was reading from the age of two and a half, and I've taken two third level qualifications to date, but I did not like school.
The author loves learning and teaching and could not see for a long time why or how the education system in America failed many pupils. This despite the fact that she helped design a college curriculum which forced all students, including athletes, to take a term course in 'childhood studies' and she saw their stubborn rejection of what they saw as a pointless, retrograde step.
There's a broad look at various facets of the American education tiered system, which is based on the British system and copied around the world. The author recognised through speaking with students - why was that so hard to do?- and watching her own children, that some kids were better home schooled and others to take alternative routes.
I learnt a lot about the Establishment and as someone whose main memory of secondary education is that it was cold, boring and largely useless, years ago mind you, I recommend that anyone making education their career have a read of this book. Because I love learning and I was reading from the age of two and a half, and I've taken two third level qualifications to date, but I did not like school.
April 9, 2018
"I love learning, but hate school" is probably the only short description that perfectly applies to myself without further need for clarification. And I must say that Susan D. Blum does exemplary job at dissection why individual might come to exhibit this attitude, but does a poor job at explaining the emergence of the system itself.
The author draws on important anthropological and sociological studies, philosophy, and personal experience to write a compelling argument as to why the school system in general is severely out-dated — albeit the examples used are related mostly to college, thus forcing the generalization upon pre-college education; which isn't necessarily a big flaw.
As a quick, both incomplete and incorrect, summary of the problems identified: a disconnect between how schools force people to learn versus how they tend to learn in day to day life, the general isolation of students from one another in the learning process which denies the need of human beings for social learning, a societal obsession with almost useless abstractions like "degrees", an incessant need to "sort" students according to their grades (these roots not being adequately explored in the book in my opinion), then mix in an economistic view of education (as opposed to seeing education as a good in its own right) and you get the huge cluster-fuck that we have to deal with today.
I do think that the author is misguided in their optimism that there's an upcoming paradigm shift, a revolution, in the education industry just because the signs of decay are so visible. We might very well live with this structurally broken system for the rest of society from here on out unless we start understanding why the system is the way it is. Without such understanding we are probably doomed to hope for revolutionary change in the education system without it actually being possible in the broader social context.
The author draws on important anthropological and sociological studies, philosophy, and personal experience to write a compelling argument as to why the school system in general is severely out-dated — albeit the examples used are related mostly to college, thus forcing the generalization upon pre-college education; which isn't necessarily a big flaw.
As a quick, both incomplete and incorrect, summary of the problems identified: a disconnect between how schools force people to learn versus how they tend to learn in day to day life, the general isolation of students from one another in the learning process which denies the need of human beings for social learning, a societal obsession with almost useless abstractions like "degrees", an incessant need to "sort" students according to their grades (these roots not being adequately explored in the book in my opinion), then mix in an economistic view of education (as opposed to seeing education as a good in its own right) and you get the huge cluster-fuck that we have to deal with today.
I do think that the author is misguided in their optimism that there's an upcoming paradigm shift, a revolution, in the education industry just because the signs of decay are so visible. We might very well live with this structurally broken system for the rest of society from here on out unless we start understanding why the system is the way it is. Without such understanding we are probably doomed to hope for revolutionary change in the education system without it actually being possible in the broader social context.
July 31, 2025
A very good examination about what it means to be an undergraduate college student today (2016). For people with a background in education, there won't be a lot of new information here. (Although it is interesting to see the author's teaching style evolve, to a greater emphasis on flexibility and self-evaluation.) But new faculty members are the best audience for this book, the majority of whom come to college teaching without any formal instructional training.
Blum is a professor at Notre Dame, and incorporates her personal experience as well as a wide variety of studies and surveys to illustrate college is often a frustrating experience even for highly capable students.
Blum is a professor at Notre Dame, and incorporates her personal experience as well as a wide variety of studies and surveys to illustrate college is often a frustrating experience even for highly capable students.
August 5, 2018
This is an engrossing read, especially for people who are interested in education and pedagogy. Blum explores the reasons that students fail at school or fail to be truly interested in school (or really that schools fails students). Near the end she recommends additional books for those interested in learning more about alternative pedagogical strategies that better match how students "learn in the wild."
RIYL smashing your LEGO creations and building something new out of the wreckage
RIYL smashing your LEGO creations and building something new out of the wreckage
January 2, 2018
There's much to admire and learn from this anthropology, beginning with Blum's impulse to write it in the first place. From tracing her own path to better understanding the "entitled" and "lazy" attitudes of her many students to giving some clear-cut ideas for how higher-education could get ourselves out of the hole we seem to have dug, this book was both introspective and practical. I feel like it should be assigned reading for professors and administrators at elite colleges and (especially) universities nationwide.
March 10, 2022
Powerful and important book for every administrator, educator, policy-maker, student, and employer should read. Blum outlines the problems with our existing system of education very well. However, she does fall a bit short on solutions.
December 11, 2024
I started reading this before reading other work by Blum. I enjoyed it when I first started this and I felt like I could relate to the students' and Blum's perspective. I enjoyed the quotations from students that had been interviewed, despite this being 11/12 years old and in the US, the same comments are still being made by myself or fellow students.
I left the book for about 5 months and re picked it up just so it's finished and as I read on it felt very repetitive of aspects previously mentioned but also aspects from her other work, that I read in between reading this.
I left the book for about 5 months and re picked it up just so it's finished and as I read on it felt very repetitive of aspects previously mentioned but also aspects from her other work, that I read in between reading this.
November 7, 2018
This is a very good examination of many of the issues with the current education system at all levels. Highly recommend this!
Read
October 28, 2020Read for class
Want to read
April 17, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
September 14, 2021
Are you a student, planning to be a student, have children who will be students, were once a student? This is a must-read book. It’s past time to abolish the grading system.
Read
August 20, 2025summer reading for anthro class
April 30, 2016
Many students find their time at college or university to be a very difficult, dissatisfying experience, something they endure and go through the motions with as a means to an end. Does it need to be like this?
The author, a professor of anthropology, had had enough and decided to dig deeper into the subject. For a long time she had been frustrated with her students’ performance and came to the conclusion that there is a concerning mismatch between the goals of the university and the needs of students. This research is clearly based on U.S. educational establishment experiences, although the U.S. system is far from unique to that country and thus many takeaway points can be relevant in other countries. This book mixes up the methodology of learning with the author’s own research into the problems that appear extant. It doesn’t make for pleasant reading; the subject that is, the book does a good job at delivering the “bad news”.
There is hope, says the author, who analyses what is going wrong and suggests how to change things to make classroom learning more relevant and engaging to modern-day needs. That’s the theory. Implementing it may be the greater challenge and first the system needs to accept and understand that the system itself might need to change. The system can be sapping the intellectual curiosity of students rather than encouraging them.
This book is not itself a direct roadmap for possible change. A lot needs to be considered and possibly implemented. Yet the author plants the seeds for change in the reader’s mind, gives clear reasoning why change may be necessary and details what the problems are perceived to be. One person cannot change the world, yet they can be part of the catalyst that may inspire the change process.
If you think the system is perfect, you have nothing to lose by reading this book since you are convinced your system is perfect and thus can easily debunk the book’s contents on logical grounds. However, for the rest, whether you are clearly seized on the idea for change from the get-go or just accept that something may be possibly improved upon, this book can give you a different perspective and possibly a lot more besides.
A highly recommendable, crucial read for many, and an engaging, thought-provoking read for the rest of us.
The author, a professor of anthropology, had had enough and decided to dig deeper into the subject. For a long time she had been frustrated with her students’ performance and came to the conclusion that there is a concerning mismatch between the goals of the university and the needs of students. This research is clearly based on U.S. educational establishment experiences, although the U.S. system is far from unique to that country and thus many takeaway points can be relevant in other countries. This book mixes up the methodology of learning with the author’s own research into the problems that appear extant. It doesn’t make for pleasant reading; the subject that is, the book does a good job at delivering the “bad news”.
There is hope, says the author, who analyses what is going wrong and suggests how to change things to make classroom learning more relevant and engaging to modern-day needs. That’s the theory. Implementing it may be the greater challenge and first the system needs to accept and understand that the system itself might need to change. The system can be sapping the intellectual curiosity of students rather than encouraging them.
This book is not itself a direct roadmap for possible change. A lot needs to be considered and possibly implemented. Yet the author plants the seeds for change in the reader’s mind, gives clear reasoning why change may be necessary and details what the problems are perceived to be. One person cannot change the world, yet they can be part of the catalyst that may inspire the change process.
If you think the system is perfect, you have nothing to lose by reading this book since you are convinced your system is perfect and thus can easily debunk the book’s contents on logical grounds. However, for the rest, whether you are clearly seized on the idea for change from the get-go or just accept that something may be possibly improved upon, this book can give you a different perspective and possibly a lot more besides.
A highly recommendable, crucial read for many, and an engaging, thought-provoking read for the rest of us.
April 9, 2016
I am such a sucker for books like these.
were this an Atlantic essay about one professor's evolution of how she saw her students and herself, I would have enjoyed it. instead, I found her trodding very familiar ground, a lot of it, and not quite as well as others before her.
were this an Atlantic essay about one professor's evolution of how she saw her students and herself, I would have enjoyed it. instead, I found her trodding very familiar ground, a lot of it, and not quite as well as others before her.
December 11, 2016
Disappointed that a book with so much hype and by an anthropologist should be so poor. Very little of the author's own experiences, no ethnography, and a lot of mishmash of other people's ideas.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews