Here are some excellent books about education that you may want to read this summer.

1. Seven Myths About Education, by Daisy Christodoulou. (Highly recommended!)

“She examines seven widely held beliefs which are holding back pupils and teachers:

• facts prevent understanding
• teacher-led instruction is passive
• the twenty-first century fundamentally changes everything
• you can always just look it up
• we should teach transferable skills
• projects and activities are the best way to learn
• teaching knowledge is indoctrination.”

2.  Teacher proof: Why research in education doesn’t always mean what it claims and what you can do about it, by Tom Bennett

“Education is awash with theories about how pupils best learn and teachers best teach, most often propped up with the inevitable research that ‘proves’ the case in point…Drawing from a wide range of recent and popular education theories and strategies, Tom Bennett highlights how much of what we think we know in schools hasn’t been ‘proven’ in any meaningful sense at all. ”

3.  When can you trust the experts:  How to tell good science from bad in education”, by Daniel T. Willingham.

“In this insightful book, thought leader and bestselling author Dan Willingham offers an easy, reliable way to discern which programs are scientifically supported and which are the equivalent of “educational snake oil.””

Have a great summer from WISE Math!