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Why Students Don't Like School

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Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel T. Willingham

Part A:
Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel T. Willingham is a book about the workings of the mind and how to be access students by knowing how the mind works. In each chapter he leads the reader through the questions that we ponder, the concrete of what that looks like, how the mind works around that question, the data the backs that up and then finishes with the implications for the classroom.
In chapter one Willingham discusses thinking. He reminds us that thinking is hard but an enjoyable experience. We like it based on content and level of difficulty. If it is too easy or hard then we are bored or blown out. Thinking relies on four factors: the information …show more content…

For all subjects, the basic processes must become automatic in order for students to advance their learning to the next level. Practice helps transfer of knowledge because it makes the deep structure more obvious.
Teachers want students to “think like a scientist…historian…mathematician.” Chapter 6 shows that students are cognitively not able to do it. Students are ready to comprehend but not create knowledge. Being an expert (or thinking like one) is not reachable for students because they haven’t received all of the knowledge and practiced it enough to think in terms of function. Activities that call for them to “think like an expert” will not give cognitive knowledge for students but will boost motivation because it is interesting and fun. Don’t expect novices to learn by doing what experts do. Students need the breakdown and practice of basics before doing so.
There is so much talk of differentiation based on the different types of learners. Chapter 7 says that no one has found consistent evidence supporting the theory of differences in people that have them preferring one style over another. In other words students are more alike than different in terms of how they think and learn. Willingham shows the difference between ability and style. Ability is the capacity for success in certain area of thought. Style is the biases or tendencies to think in a

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