Learning 'From Nobody': The Limited Role of Teaching in Folk Models of Children's Development

Abstract Among the Western intelligentsia, parenting is synonymous with teaching. We are cajoled into beginning our child's education in the womb and feel guilty whenever a 'teaching moment' is squandered. This paper will argue that this reliance on teaching generally, and especially on parents as teachers, is quite recent historically and localised culturally. The majority follow a laissez faire attitude towards development that relies heavily on children's natural curiosity and motivation to emulate those who are more expert.