willingham on gove

As a complement to my previous post, it's worth reading this one by Daniel Willingham, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.

It's a short commentary on a speech Michael Gove gave this week to the Social Market Foundation (reported on here by the Guardian; the full text is here, and definitely worth a read.)

Gove's speech focuses on one of his core themes: the importance of knowing stuff. Somewhat mischievously, it borrows from one of the left's heroes, the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci (it was Gramsci, of course, who inspired Green Gartside to name his band Scritti Politti, which many consider to be his greatest legacy).

Willingham, respected and influential by educators and policy-makers in the States for his lucid and sensible applications of cognitive science to education, explains why Gove is right in his approach (if not necessarily his policies) and why - at least judging by his response to the speech - Stephen Twigg doesn't get it. He concludes:

Mr. Gove is rare, if not unique, among high-level education policy makers in understanding the scientific point he made in yesterday's speech. You may agree or disagree with the policies Mr. Gove sees as the logical consequence of that scientific point, but education policies that clearly contradict it are unlikely to help close the achievement gap between wealthy and poor. 

Willingham's post here.

Comments

[Anne]

Oh Mr. Leslie, I am so sad. It's been such a long time since your last post. I am beginning to realize that my infatuation with your blog is all one-sided. I have so loved tuning in and finding out what you had to say, starting back in 2008 with the whole Clinton/Obama primary madness, but I am going crazy waiting for each post! I still, sadly, tune in every morning, and yes, darn it, it's still the February 6 post. And now it's the 24th and I have to face it -- you just don't post every day anymore. SIGHHHHHHH.

I miss it!