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The first thing that struck me while reading this chapter was the immediate connection to the phenomenal book by Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers.

Willingham discusses at one point the differences between amateur and expert thinking. Gladwell details how experts in anything have to spend at least 10,000 hours perfecting their expertise. Becoming an expert doesn't just happen, it is hard work!

Willingham states that it is a "tall order" to our learners to "think like a scientist" or "think like an historian." Gladwell uses many excellent examples in Outliers, but I will use one. The Beatles did not climb to the top of the charts through good looks and a bit of luck. Lennon and McCartney are not the top songwriters of the 20th Century because they banged guitars while writing songs (Paul is left-handed, John was right-handed. Hence, the banging of the guitar necks.) They became outstandingly gifted song writers because they collaborated for years before they ever had a hit s...See More
dc I'm reading both books right now, Kim, and I agree that I find many "aha!" parallels. I like the Willingham book because I just want to SHOVE certain pages of it into certain people's faces and SAY, "SEE, SEE, this is why I do what I do! This is why our schools should do this! This is why you politicians are wrong, wrong, wrong!"

I suppos...See More
Jan 18, 2011
KimK1ca Oh yes, I agree. It feels better to shove it in their faces but the frustrating thing is that they suffer from a form of cognitive dissonance and will only listen to research that satisfies their political agendas.

Nodding my head up and down in affirmation, dc!

:-)K
Jan 18, 2011


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