Why Don't Students Like School A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom

by Willingham, Daniel T.

• ISBN13: 9781118269527
• ISBN10: 1118269527
• Edition: 1st
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2012-01-05
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

Easy-to-apply, scientifically-based approaches for engaging students in the classroom

Cognitive scientist Dan Willingham focuses his acclaimed research on the biological and cognitive basis of learning. His book will help teachers improve their practice by explaining how they and their students think and learn. It reveals-the importance of story, emotion, memory, context, and routine in building knowledge and creating lasting learning experiences.

• Nine, easy-to-understand principles with clear applications for the classroom
• Includes surprising findings, such as that intelligence is malleable, and that you cannot develop "thinking skills" without facts
• How an understanding of the brain's workings can help teachers hone their teaching skills

"Mr. Willingham's answers apply just as well outside the classroom. Corporate trainers, marketers and, not least, parents -anyone who cares about how we learn-should find his book valuable reading."
—Wall Street Journal

Author Biography

Daniel T. Willingham is professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, where he has taught since 1992. He writes the popular Ask the Cognitive Scientist column for American Educator magazine.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments.

The Author.

Introduction.

CHAPTER 1 Why Don't Students Like School?

CHAPTER 2 How Can I Teach Students the Skills They Need When Standardized Tests Require Only Facts?

CHAPTER 3 Why Do Students Remember Everything That's on Television and Forget Everything I Say?

CHAPTER 4 Why Is It So Hard for Students to Understand Abstract Ideas?

CHAPTER 5 Is Drilling Worth It?

CHAPTER 6 What's the Secret to Getting Students to Think Like Real Scientists, Mathematicians, and Historians?

CHAPTER 7 How Should I Adjust My Teaching for Different Types of Learners?

CHAPTER 8 How Can I Help Slow Learners?

CHAPTER 9 What About My Mind?

Conclusion.

Notes.

Index.

Credit Lines.