Why Don’t Students Like School? changed my teaching career. After reading the book I could teach facts and and make repetition a core of my teaching with confidence. Up until then I had a hunch that this is what good teaching is about since it was the way I learned myself, but since I had read so much progressive rubbish I did not dare believe in it. Why Don’t Students Like School changed that.

From my own experiences, my youngest was impacted negatively by progressive methods that eschews prior knowledge, the importance of general knowledge and connecting the facts.

I too found it hard to convince my child’s teacher that it was the instruction methods, and in part the curriculum that was impeding learning for my child. I finally had to educate myself on all matters of progressive methods, and than show the teachers how it impacted my child’s learning. But they never quite believe it concerning my dyslexic child, and she became the exception in the class. The only times that seem to move teachers away from the typical progressive practices, was when the accomplished students were doing poorly in some aspect.

Well, I have taught a 16-year old who placed England in China. You may wonder what this pupil had been doing in school for all these years.

You have to learn facts. How else would it be possible to know and consequently understand something about the world?

One of the reasons why I purchased books for my youngest, with wonderful illustrations in the sciences, geography and for some strange reason she like reading ancient history. The world globe was another item, as well as a wall map of the world, for easy location of places. Some parents thought I was nuts, but it is paying off in senior high school, especially in the sciences and geography. It is not being taught very well in schools, the basic facts needed to do the advance work in the senior years with some ease.

And, in Daniel Willingham’s own words teaching content is teaching reading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiP-ijdxqEc

My original intent was to get her reading, to keep her reading grade level steady. She hated reading chapters books, and did not read one independently until she was 11 years or so. Of course it was not on the approve list, but the author is one of the top sellers in children’s books. Not on the approve list,it is discouraged in this part of the world.

Pity, that was when I discovered why my child read the whole book, and than read it again another 4 times or so. Than the kids begged my child to borrow the book to read. Who were the first kids to read the book - the kids with the reading problems. Than the rest of the kids read the book, and by that time I already brought the second book of the series.And than the teacher decided to read it, wondering why the kids who did not like reading took to the book like a duck to water. The book was very humorous, but more importantly the kids were learning the ways of adults from another 11 year old character in the book, from his perspective.

As for my child, it showed her the way how to handled the teasing of other children, by using her vocabulary to respond, rather than to walk away. Although I became her first victim, pointing out what she considered not very becoming of an adult, using humor to prove her point and in the same fashion as in the book series.

Yes teaching content is teaching reading, and even in books of fiction content can be found in teaching life lessons, providing that children can relate to the characters of the book.