Review of "Why don't students like school?" on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This should be a must-read for everyone in education. First, it is short compared to many texts and studies about teaching best-practices. Second, it isn't sophisticated: Willingham stays away from most jargon and defines the jargon he uses. And finally, it contains practical applications and makes sense.
Willingham dispels a few myths and reaffirms some strategies that have gone out of vogue. For example, practice is necessary and all of us need to have quick recall of some facts to be able to think critically about a subject. For example, it really is worth the time to memorize basic mathematical facts. Memorization has gotten a bad name over the last ten years or so of teaching, but memorizing some things simply provides another tool to facilitate improve thinking skills.
Finally, Willingham is clear about what is required to think effectively about any subject: sufficient working memory, factual knowledge (aka schema), …
This should be a must-read for everyone in education. First, it is short compared to many texts and studies about teaching best-practices. Second, it isn't sophisticated: Willingham stays away from most jargon and defines the jargon he uses. And finally, it contains practical applications and makes sense.
Willingham dispels a few myths and reaffirms some strategies that have gone out of vogue. For example, practice is necessary and all of us need to have quick recall of some facts to be able to think critically about a subject. For example, it really is worth the time to memorize basic mathematical facts. Memorization has gotten a bad name over the last ten years or so of teaching, but memorizing some things simply provides another tool to facilitate improve thinking skills.
Finally, Willingham is clear about what is required to think effectively about any subject: sufficient working memory, factual knowledge (aka schema), and procedural knowledge. "Thinking is the putting together of information in new ways." The information in this book can help teachers not only become better teachers but also help students and teachers become better learners.