Falk, John H. & Dierking, Lynn D. (2002).
Lessons Without Limit: How Free-Choice Learning is Transforming Education.
Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
John Falk and Lynn Dierking are co-founders of the Institute for Learning Innovation, (www.ilinet.org) a non-profit organization devoted to advocating free-choice learning as a model for lifelong learning. The Institute collaborates with a variety of institutions and organizations to encourage the growth of free-choice learning through the cultural and educational offerings of museums, libraries, community-based organizations, etc. Lessons Without Limits was written to spread the word to a wide audience about the possibilities of such free-choice learning opportunities and about the rewards that such learning can provide to families, individuals or groups interested in pursuing informal educational opportunities. The authors hope that through the adoption of free-choice learning, education in the United States can be transformed and extended throughout life. Their goal is to create a "learning society" where informal learning takes place continuously and continually.
The book is divided into three major sections:
The Hows and Whys of Learning,
Learning Over A Lifetime, and
Transforming Education In America.
The four chapters in the "Hows and Whys of Learning" define free-choice learning as "self-directed, voluntary, and guided by individual needs and interests" (p. 9), taking place largely outside formal educational structures. The authors build a solid foundation for their advocacy of this lifelong learning, describing the rationale and motivation for free-choice learning and the environment in which such learning takes place as well as summarizing learning theories which support the benefits of informal, self-directed learning. The six chapters in the "Learning Over A Lifetime" section trace characteristics of learning from birth to old age, using a variety of examples to illustrate the ways in which informal learning can be effective, creative and fun. In the final section, "Transforming Education In America," the authors lay out their Free-Choice Learner’s Bill of Rights and their recommendations for developing the learning society that they envision.
The authors’ enthusiasm for their vision permeates the book. It is written in an engaging and popular style with many personal anecdotes and examples. They have written about learning outside the classroom (museums, field trips, or outdoor excursions), since the mid 1970’s. Their vision is based on considerable study. This is an inspirational and idealistic book, filled with wonderful examples of informal learning experiences and environments. The authors hope to inspire everyone to engage in free-choice learning and certainly succeed in getting the reader to think about all the possibilities beyond the school and beyond the school years where learning can take place.
While not a practical, how-to book, it fosters a way of thinking about learning that expands the educational horizon. For the teacher and student teacher, the book offers a panorama of possibilities for engaging students through activities outside the classroom. For home-schoolers, the book offers both support and inspiration. For anyone interested in lifelong learning, Lessons Without Limit offers an ideal toward which society can aspire.
Pages: 189
Price: $16.95
ISBN: 0-7591-0160-4
Reviewed by: Carla A.Hendrix, Plattsburgh State University of New York
