Review: Why Don’t Students Like School–A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom

4 Star, Education (General), Information Society, Intelligence (Public)
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4.0 out of 5 stars Major Contribution, Itself a Bit Turgid, Easily in the Dirty Dozen MUST READS

June 30, 2010

Daniel T. Willingham

I struggled a bit with this book, which is ably and logically presented but does not tell a story as much as it delivers a lecture piece by piece. No doubt my own limitations in play, but this book is so important that I would recommend the publisher sponsor a very small round table including the authors or intellectual sponsors of such books as the five below, with a view to creating a new version of this book that is holistic and actionable on a much larger canvas. Without having read these other books listed below, I would not have appreciated this one as much.

The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative

Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace

Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling

The Creation of the Future: The Role of the American University

Public Philosophy: Essays on Morality in Politics

CONSILIENCE. THE UNITY OF KNOWLEDGE.

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