Description
Book SynopsisClear, easy principles to spot what's nonsense and what's reliable Each year, teachers, administrators, and parents face a barrage of new education software, games, workbooks, and professional development programs purporting to be "based on the latest research.
Trade Review"Parents increasingly come face-to-face with important educational decisions that they feel ill prepared to make. Whether they are choosing among schools, math programs or early interventions for a learning disability, this book will help them figure out which options are backed by the best science. (Recommended)"—Scientific American
"By my bedtable is Dan Willingham's new book, When Can You Trust the Experts?... This is help we all can use, from one of the most sensible guys around."—John Merrow, The Huffington Post
"A brilliant new book... Willingham presents a 'short cut' to assessing the value of a given idea—a set of four steps that will be useful to anyone sizing up an unfamiliar concept. I’ve read Willingham’s book and I recommend it highly!"—Annie Murphy Paul
Table of ContentsAbout the Author xi
Acknowledgments xii
Introduction: What are You to Believe? 1
Part One Why We So Easily Believe Bad Science
Chapter 1 Why Smart People Believe Dumb Things 31
Chapter 2 Science and Belief: A Nervous Romance 57
Chapter 3 What Scientists Call Good Science 81
Chapter 4 How to Use Science 107
Part Two The Shortcut Solution
Chapter 5 Step One: Strip It and Flip It 135
Chapter 6 Step Two: Trace It 167
Chapter 7 Step Three: Analyze It 183
Chapter 8 Step Four: Should I Do It? 207
Endnotes 223
Name Index 237
Subject Index 243
