#682 Daniel Willingham: Why Don't Students Like School?
RECORDED ON JULY 5th 2022.
Dr. Daniel Willingham is Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Until about 2000, his research focused solely on the brain basis of learning and memory. Today, all of his research concerns the application of cognitive psychology to K-16 education. He is the author of books like Cognition: The Thinking Animal, Why Don’t Students Like School?: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom, and Outsmart Your Brain.
In this episode, we focus on “Why Don’t Students Like School?”. Topics include: why the brain is not designed for thinking, and what people like to think about; why students need factual knowledge, and not just critical thinking skills; the transference of knowledge between domains; the importance of extended practice; individual differences in intelligence; what distinguishes experts from laypeople; learning styles; multiple intelligences; growth mindset; and the impact of technology on education.
Time Links:
Intro
The premise of the book
The brain is not designed for thinking
Students need factual knowledge
Does knowledge transfer between domains?
The importance of extended practice
Individual differences in intelligence
What distinguishes experts from laypeople
Are there different “learning styles”?
What about multiple intelligences?
Growth mindset
Evaluating about the impact of technology
Follow Dr. Willingham’s work!
Follow Dr. Willingham’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3zx1WbD
Website: https://bit.ly/3aNwXOe
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3tqzcNN
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/3NHonix
Why Don’t Students Like School: https://amzn.to/3xorzJa
Twitter handle: @DTWillingham