Why Don't Students Like School?

Daniel Willingham's new book is a must read for teachers who care about their students' learning. Chapter 1 has enough material to change teaching practice to make the book worth the price.
 
There are 9 chapters; so imagine the value.
 
Each chapter begins with a question, modeling his theory and practice. Cognitive science is then discussed. That's all well and good, but each chapter concludes with a SO WHAT? list of things teacher can use in their classroom setting.
 
Brilliant > Brilliantly simple > but not Simplistic. My kind of reading.
 
Favorite lines from chapter one:
 
"Instead of making the work easier, is it possible to make thinking easier?"
 
"To the extent that you can, it's smart, I think, to assign work to individuals or groups of students that is appropriate to their current level of competence. Naturally you will want to do this in a sensative way, minimizing the extent to which some students will perceive themselves as behind others. But the fact is that they ARE behind others, and giving them work that is beyond them is unlikely to help them catch up, AND IS LIKELY TI MAKE THEM FALL STILL FURTHER BEHIND." [emphasis mine]
 
I'll post my learnings here. Can't wait.

iPhoned
 From R. Murry

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