How to Get People to Think | Dan Willingham

Dan Willingham is one of the world's leading cognitive psychologists and an influential voice on learning and education. This conversation explores the science behind his bestselling book Why Don't Students Like School? and discusses what cognitive psychology tells us about how people learn. Willingham argues that the human mind is not designed for thinking—it’s designed to avoid thinking whenever possible by relying on memory and past experience. That simple insight has profound implications for teaching, learning, curiosity, reading comprehension, and classroom practice. ▶️ Check out The Science of Learning playlist:    • The Science of Learning | Keith Sawyer   ▶️ The Science of Learning Substack newsletter: https://keithsawyer.substack.com We discuss why knowledge is the foundation of understanding, why background knowledge is essential for reading comprehension, how students move from facts to deeper conceptual understanding, and why "memory is the residue of thought" may be the single most important principle for designing effective instruction. We also explore scientific thinking, creativity, project-based learning, what’s wrong with Bloom's Taxonomy, and what teachers can do tomorrow to help students remember more and understand more deeply. Whether you're a teacher, professor, student, policymaker, or simply curious about how the mind works, this conversation offers practical insights grounded in decades of cognitive science research. In this episode: → Why the brain tries to avoid thinking → Why students don't like school → Knowledge vs. understanding → Why background knowledge matters for reading → Memory is the residue of thought → Teaching for deep understanding → Scientific thinking and transfer → Bloom's Taxonomy revisited → Creativity, expertise, and learning If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe to my channel, Keith Sawyer, for more conversations with leading researchers on learning, creativity, and education.    / @drkeithsawyer   00:00 The Mind is Designed to Avoid Thinking 00:25 Why Students Don't Like School 06:14 Curiosity, Knowledge, and Understanding 10:40 Why Knowledge Is the Foundation of Learning 15:14 Reading Comprehension Depends on Background Knowledge 21:38 Teaching Knowledge, Understanding, and Scientific Thinking 29:37 Memory Is the Residue of Thought 34:28 Practical Classroom Strategies for Teachers 39:40 Learning Creativity and Expertise 43:43 Dan Willingham's Next Book and the Future of Cognitive Science #scienceoflearning #DanWillingham #Learning #Education #CognitiveScience #Teaching #Memory #Reading #Knowledge #Psychology