Ask someone a question, and he inquires for a day,

teach someone to question, and she inquires for a life.

Old Chinese proverb

     I'm a  Great Books Reading Partner.  It almost sounds "accomplished", but don't be prematurely impressed.  I'm on Chapter One of the first book on our list, How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler.  I've read thousands of books, so I begin Chapter One with a little bit of cynicism.  How hard could this be?  Well, the good news is....it isn't difficult!  But, it IS hard work.  These are a few points made by the author which spoke to me both as a reader and a homeschool mom. 

     In regard to reading as a method of learning, the author differentiates between being informed and being enlightened.   Do we place an inordinate amount of emphasis on reading to learn the facts in our daily schooling?   As we are just completing the Grammar Stage  in our homeschool,  focusing primarily on "just the facts" is developmentally appropriate.  But as my children enter the Dialectic Stage or Logic Stage , it's time for me to change gears.  The shift required is summarized by these definitions:

 Informed: to know that something is a fact                                                        Enlightened: to know why/when/how it is a fact and how it relates to other facts.

     In other words, the student must shift from being able to remember something to being able to explain it.  As the old Chinese proverb intimates, this higher level of learning can best be accomplished through the art of asking questions.  At this stage in the education of my children,  I need to become an enlightened enabler.  How do I define an enlightened enabler?  I need to model a deeper level of learning by asking good questions and thus, enable my students to learn the art of asking their own questions. 

     If you have a child in the Grammar Stage, you know they will narrate a detailed story line of a book they've read.  As my memory fails me more often lately, I'm always impressed with the level of detail my kids can retell.  I need to move them to the next stage of learning by modeling good questioning.  We no longer just ask WHAT happened, but HOW one event relates to another.  We ask WHY to explore motivations.  We ask WHAT IF to compare results. 

     After reading this first chapter, I  realize the time is ripe for our next stage of reading as learning.  We must step beyond information and dive into analysis.  We must interact with the information.  We are no longer passive recipients, but aggressive explorers.  We can become informed by inaction, but to become enlightened requires active, organic, and purposeful effort.  Reading a book well can be hard work!

     Adler concludes that a book is like the nature of the world.  When you question it, it answers you ONLY to the extent that you do the work of thinking and analysis yourself.  The more questions you ask, the more understanding you will gain. 

     As you read your next book, will you settle for merely becoming informed?  Are you willing to work at becoming enlightened?  If you are a homeschool mom, are you ready to become an enlightened enabler?

Avoid the error of thinking widely read and well-read equal.

Featured in the 20th Carnival of Homeschooling

Go to  Chapter #2 –  my response notes

Related Tags: Great Books, literature, Mortimer Adler, analytical reading

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Posted by Theresa

That is VERY interesting! I like very much your ideas on informed vs enlightened. I don't know much about classical education, as it is really not my MO, but I am wondering...is it common for a child to be ready to move into the logic stage (I believe that is the correct term?) in one subject but not in another? For example, my 10yo son who is WAY past memorization of facts in science-he readily sees connections and patterns, but not perhaps in history. And is it possible for a child to be ready for that stage in a certain subject, but still not be completely solid in the grammar stage? For example my son who understands algebra and theoretical , problem-solving type math but cannot remember 4X6=24? In other words, does a child ever skip a stage and then go back and fill in the missing information as he needs to apply it? Or am I misunderstanding the process too much?
What do you think?

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Posted by TRINITYPREPSCHOOL

I think the learning stages are like any developmental milestone. You may observe two steps forward in one area and one step back in another. Some kids walk at 10 months, some not until 14 months. Both are normal. As kids become preteens, some days we recognize them and sometimes they are like aliens in our homes. You learn to expect unpredictable mood swings and amazing accomplishments all in one day. Each stage has blurred transitions. But it sounds like you are observing signals of an impending transition. I think 6th grade was a big transition year for all four of mine. Then it gets FUN! Really!

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Posted by ClassicalMamma

I copied what you posted here and put in as your comment to Chap. 1. I understand that you felt what you wanted to say was too long but it wasn't, it was perfect. I've dedicated the classicalmamma blog to the reading partnership only. All the readings and comments will be archived. If we don't put our full comments there (at the ClassicalMamma blog) they won't be archived and able to be ready by others reading the book in the future.

I loved what you wrote, it's very inspiring, insightful and you gave it practical purpose.
Respectfully, Jessica

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Posted by mamma1420

Tell us 6 random things about you and then tag 6 other people!

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Posted by LadyMother

You continue to impress me. You are such a thinking person and I really enjoy what you share. Most of the people I know tell of events and talk about people. I think we subconsci\ously respond in like manner because I rarely discuss thoughts except with my daughter. We have great conversations - she is very analytical and makes me look at things in a way I would not choose. If I tried to talk to most people like I do with her they would look at me as though I had two heads. I'm going to get the reading book for fun...
Be blessed,
Miss Meg

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