Rating: 
Summary: More difficult than it seems at first glance...
Review: This book exemplifies the post-modern trend in psychological thinking, i.e., (i) There are no universally valid "givens," other than this one; (ii) Truth depends on perspective and context; and (iii) Validity stems from a proposition's meaning, and so forth. Langer happens to be one of the more articulate proponents of this kind of thinking, namely: (i) conditional teaching and (ii) creative distractions increase the "mindfulness" of a person's learning; that (iii) rote learning is verboten, (iv) that one should help youngsters move toward "mindfulness," and (v) that "flexibility" in thinking, not raw intellect, is favored as an indicator of intellect. Some of her techniques can be useful to educators and teachers: (i) conditional questions and presentations, (ii) mindful scanning, (iii) reading from more than one perspective, (iv) searching for differences, (v) shifting questions from "obvious" to "not so obvious," and so on. Despite the post-modern flavor, the embedded educational philosophy here is Progressive and Romantic, not Basics, so if you want something that will tell you how good it is to memorize the multiplication tables, this book is not it. While I have do doubt that Prof. Langer is a very creative and unique person, the unstated educational philosophy here is as elite and as unfulfilling as a Bordeaux cookie.
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