Why Don't Students Like School? (eBook)

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.

Acknowledgments v

The Author ix

Introduction 1

CHAPTER 1 Why Don't Students Like School? 3

CHAPTER 2 How Can I Teach Students the Skills They Need WhenStandardized Tests Require Only Facts? 25

CHAPTER 3 Why Do Students Remember Everything That's onTelevision and Forget Everything I Say? 53

CHAPTER 4 Why Is It So Hard for Students to Understand AbstractIdeas? 87

CHAPTER 5 Is Drilling Worth It? 107

CHAPTER 6 What's the Secret to Getting Students to ThinkLike Real Scientists, Mathematicians, and Historians? 127

CHAPTER 7 How Should I Adjust My Teaching for Different Types ofLearners? 147

CHAPTER 8 How Can I Help Slow Learners? 169

CHAPTER 9 What About My Mind? 189

Conclusion 207

End Notes 214

Index 217

Credit Lines 225

"Just like his Ask the Cognitive Scientist column, Dan Willingham'sbook makes fascinating but complicated research from cognitivescience accessible to teachers. It is jam packed with ideas thatteachers willfind both intellectually rich and useful in theirclassroom work."
--Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers

"This readable, practical book by a distinguishedcognitivescientist explains the universal roots of effectiveteaching and learning. With great wit and authority it practicesthe principles it preaches. It is the best teachers' guide I knowof--a classic that belongs in the book bag of every teacherfrom preschool to grad school."
--E. D. Hirsch, Jr., university professor emeritus, Universityof Virginia

"Dan Willingham, rare among cognitive scientists for also beingawonderful writer, has produced a book about learning in schoolthat readslike a trip through a wild and thrilling new country. Forteachers and parents, even students, there are surprises on everypage. Did you know, for instance,that our brains are not reallymade for thinking?"
--Jay Mathews, education columnist,The WashingtonPost

"Educators will love this wonderful book--in clear andcompelling language, Willingham shows how the most importantdiscoveries from the cognitive revolution can be used to improveteaching and inspire students in the classroom."
--John Gabrieli, Grover Hermann Professor of HealthSciences,Technology and Cognitive Neuroscience, MassachusettsInstitute of Technology

"Scientists know so much more than we knew thirty years agoabout how children learn. This book offers you the research, andthe arguments,that will help you become a more effectiveteacher."
--Joe Riener, English teacher, Wilson High School, Washington,D.C.