Key Selling Points
BESTSELLING AUTHOR. The Learning Household is the third book in a highly
successful trilogy. What the Best College Teachers Do has sold over 200,000 copies in
hardcover and has been translated into 10 languages. What the Best College Students
Do has sold nearly 60,000 copies in hardcover and has been translated into 9
languages.
FOSTERING "A LEARNING HOME." Bain shows that helping children find joy and
passion in learning is not just about rethinking what they do at school or spending
more time helping them with homework. It's about the conversations you have at the
kitchen table, the way you involve your kids in household chores, and the attitudes you
display toward creativity and learning. He offers a range of easy-to-implement ideas to
create a household that fosters a love of learning.
EXPERT PLATFORM. A leading education expert, Bain has founded teaching centers
at Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, and New York University, and has
been a consultant for elementary schools, secondary schools, universities, and
governments around the world. He is also the President of the Best Teachers Institute,
which has served over 700 colleges and universities, 2,000 faculty from 30 countries,
and 65,000 students, offering workshops aimed at improving graduation rates.
Summary
An expert guide to raising creative, passionate learners, from the bestselling
author of What the Best College Teachers Do.
Children are eager learners. As anyone who has taken a car trip with a toddler will tell
you, they have a seemingly endless urge to ask questions about whatever pops into
their heads. And yet, many kids end up bored and alienated at school. What can
parents do to sustain their natural curiosity?
In The Learning Household, educators Ken Bain and Marsha Marshall Bain argue that
parents can do a lot. Too often, however, parents emphasize grades instead of instilling
the creativity, grit, and enthusiasm necessary to navigate a rapidly changing world. At
its best, school provides opportunities to cultivate innovation and apply knowledge to
novel problems. But before children can experience such an education, parents must
create “a learning household” in which they encourage children to ask thoughtful
questions rather than memorize correct answers, to discover their passions rather than
fret about report cards, and to take risks rather than worry about failing.
Providing dozens of activities that can be adapted to meet the needs of every family,
The Learning Household is an essential guide to bringing curiosity back to the
classroom and fostering an appreciation for the intrinsic value of learning.
Contributor Bio
Ken Bain is President of the Best Teachers Institute. Previously, he was the founding
director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Vanderbilt University and taught at
New York University, Northwestern University, and University of Texas Rio Grande
Valley. His books include What the Best College Teachers Do, What the Best College
Students Do, and Super Courses.
Marsha Marshall Bain is coordinator for the Best Teachers Institute. A writer and a
researcher, she contributed significantly to What the Best College Teachers Do, What
the Best College Students Do, and Super Courses.