Why Don't Students Like School? A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom

In Why Don’t Students Like School?, distinguished researcher and accomplished author Daniel Willingham delivers tangible, accessible ways that educators can improve learning outcomes for students. The book offers practical strategies backed by scientific evidence that can be put to immediate use by classroom teachers.

Praise for WHY DON’T STUDENTS Like SCHOOL?

“A critical addition to the literature on teaching and learning.”
—John B. King, Jr., 10th U.S. Secretary of Education and President and CEO of The Education Trust

“Willingham’s clear explanation of what it takes to learn and think well gives teachers and policymakers a strong blueprint for helping our youth not only tackle COVID’s aftermath, but thrive.”
—Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers

“A rare pairing of intelligible theoretical principles and practical strategies crafted with teachers in mind. Willingham’s book is one that educators can revisit and appreciate anew with every year of teaching.”
—Jasmine Lane, High School English Teacher, Minnesota

Research-based insights and practical advice about effective learning strategies

In this new edition of the highly regarded Why Don't Students Like School? cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham turns his research on the biological and cognitive basis of learning into workable teaching techniques. This book will help you improve your teaching practice by explaining how you and your students think and learn. It reveals the importance of story, emotion, memory, context, and routine in building knowledge and creating lasting learning experiences.

With a treasure trove of updated material, this edition draws its themes from the most frequently asked questions in Willingham’s “Ask the Cognitive Scientist” column in the American Educator. How can you teach students the skills they need when standardized testing just requires facts? Why do students remember everything on TV, but forget everything you say? How can you adjust your teaching for different learning styles? Read this book for the answers to these questions and for practical advice on helping your learners learn better.

Discover easy-to-understand, evidence-based principles with clear applications for the classroom

• Update yourself on the latest cognitive science research and new, teacher-tested pedagogical tools
• Learn about Willingham’s surprising findings, such as that you cannot develop “thinking skills” without facts
• Understand the brain’s workings to help you hone your teaching skills

Why Students Don’t Like School is a valuable resource for both veteran and novice teachers, teachers-in-training, and for the principals, administrators, and staff development professionals who work with them.