Why Don't Students Like School? by Daniel T. Willingham (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
Introduction
N.B. Snide political comments are my own and not those of the author.
I am blogging my reading of the book Why Don't Students Like School? by Daniel T. Willingham (John Wiley & Sons, 2009). I started with the introduction this morning on the subway and was intrigued by a couple of points that I will mention here. I definitely want to keep reading.
First, for a science teacher steeped in the inquiry methodology that was all the rage a few years ago, comes the admonition from Willingham that "you should not try to get your students to think like real scientists." Well, I've got to find out what that's all about.
The second point should be obvious to anyone who is remotely following the political discourse in this country today, and that is that we need to stop thinking about how good humans are at thinking and realize that we are in fact pretty bad at it. Will this help me to understand the phenomenon that is Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, & right wing talk in general?
The introduction lays out the basic problem: cognitive science has taught us a lot about how the brain works, which you might think would lead us to develop better learning and teaching strategies, but a peek at any average classroom today would tell you that not so much has changed in how instruction is delivered and how schools are structured. The book promises an understanding of how the mind works and practical implications of this knowledge for how to become a better teacher.
I have been to workshops that make similar promises, so I will approach this one with cautious optimism...
Next: Chapter 1: Why Don’t Students Like School? (Part 1: Thinking is hard)
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I will admit to being a human who is not good at thinking; but, as a teacher, I give myself an "A" for effort. I look forward to learning more about how the brain works. Thanks Mike!
ReplyDeleteLisa M.
PS Congratulations to you and your "jolie laide" on the birth of your babies. Next time call me in to witness it!
I was also intrigued by the points you mentioned from the introduction. I am glad the book has sparked and held your interest. Keep us posted. I am really curious what the author thinks are classroom solutions.
ReplyDeleteLisa - the babies were born back in spring of 2008, and I haven't seen any since then. I also separated the males & females this summer to keep the population from exploding.
ReplyDeletetalking to the dog - I am enjoying the book, even though so far there's really not much new here, it's a nice summary and reminder of the things we need to keep in mind as we teach.