Why Don't Students Like School?

Why don't 21st century students like school? Cognitive psychologist Dan Willingham explains what keeps kids engaged and how to utilize this information for knowledge retention in the classroom.

 

Willingham is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and a columnist for the American Educator magazine, where he writes the Ask the Cognitive Scientist column.

 

More from publisher Jossey-Bass:
 

“Kids are naturally curious, but when it comes to school it seems like their minds are turned off. Why is it that they can remember the smallest details from their favorite television program, yet miss the most obvious questions on their history test?

Cognitive scientist Dan Willingham has focused his acclaimed research on the biological and cognitive basis of learning and has a deep understanding of the daily challenges faced by classroom teachers. This book will help teachers improve their practice by explaining how they and their students think and learn, revealing the importance of story, emotion, memory, context, and routine in building knowledge and creating lasting learning experiences.”
 

 

Reviews:
 

“Dan Willingham, rare among cognitive scientists for also being awonderful writer, has produced a book about learning in school that readslike a trip through a wild and thrilling new country. For teachers and parents, even students, there are surprises on every page. Did you know, for instance,that our brains are not really made for thinking?"

— Jay Mathews, education columnist,The Washington Post

 

"This readable, practical book by a distinguished cognitivescientist explains the universal roots of effective teaching and learning. With great wit and authority it practices the principles it preaches. It is the best teachers' guide I know of—a classic that belongs in the book bag of every teacher from preschool to grad school."

— E. D. Hirsch, Jr., university professor emeritus, University of Virginia