Making Learning Whole

David Perkins, a noted authority on teaching and learning and co-director of Harvard's Project Zero, introduces a practical and research-based framework for teaching. He describes how teaching any subject at any level can be made more effective if students are introduced to the "whole game," rather than isolated pieces of a discipline. Perkins explains how learning academic subjects should be approached like learning baseball or any game, and he demonstrates this with seven principles for making learning whole: from making the game worth playing (emphasizing the importance of motivation to sustained learning), to working on the hard parts (the importance of thoughtful practice), to learning how to learn (developing self-managed learners).

• Vividly explains how to organize learning in ways that allow people to do important things with what they know
• Offers guidelines for transforming education to prepare our youth for success in a rapidly changing world
• Filled with real-world, illustrative examples of the seven principles

At the end of each chapter, Perkins includes "Wonders of Learning," a summary of the key ideas.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction: A Whole New Ball Game 1

1 Play the Whole Game 25

2 Make the Game Worth Playing 53

3 Work on the Hard Parts 79

4 Play Out of Town 109

5 Uncover the Hidden Game 133

6 Learn from the Team 169

7 Learn the Game of Learning 193

Afterword: The Future of Learning 213

Notes 227

Index 243

THE AUTHOR

David Perkins, Ph.D., is a senior professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and senior co-director (with Howard Gardner) of Project Zero, an educational research group known particularly for its work on learning for understanding, thinking, and multiple intelligences. Perkins is a noted international speaker and author of several books, including Smart Schools and The Eureka Effect.

David Perkins, a noted authority on teaching and learning, introduces a new, practical, and research-based framework for teaching. Using learning the game of baseball as a metaphor, Perkins illustrates how teaching any subject at any grade level can be made more effective if students are introduced to the "whole game," rather than isolated pieces of a discipline.

PRAISE FOR MAKING LEARNING WHOLE

"David Perkins is one of the great teachers of our time. In this insight-filled book, you can learn how he achieves his educational goals and how you can achieve yours as well." —HOWARD GARDNER, HOBBS PROFESSOR OF COGNITION AND EDUCATION, HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION; AUTHOR, FIVE MINDS FOR THE FUTURE

"An instant classic! Making Learning Whole will be used for decades by those interested in a framework for making classrooms better places for learning." —GARY S. STAGER, Ph.D., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE CONSTRUCTIVIST CONSORTIUM

"A must-read for those serious about transforming education to prepare our youth for success in a rapidly changing world." —DR. JAYNE H. MOHR, ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT, TRAVERSE CITY (MICHIGAN) AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

"David Perkins goes straight to the heart of the matter. Every educator should read this book, and so should policymakers whose work influences whether and how we can finally make school learning whole." —LINDA DARLING-HAMMOND, CHARLES E. DUCOMMUN PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, STANFORD UNIVERSITY