A leading education expert who has taught at Harvard and MIT describes how he learned a radically different approach to individualized learning after he was kicked out of middle school, expelled from high school and dropped out of two colleges.
"One of the world's top experts on education delivers an uplifting memoir on his own personal failures and successes as he sought to become a good learner and teacher. Tony Wagner is an eminent education specialist: he's taught at Harvard and MIT; done significant work for the Gates Foundation; and speaks across the country and all over the world. But before he found his success, Tony was kicked out of middle school, expelled from high school, and dropped out of two colleges. Learning by Heart is his powerful account of his years as a student and teacher. After struggling in both roles, he learned a radically different approach to individualized learning--one based on understanding each student's core questions and interests and strengthening his or her intrinsic motivations. From being labeled a failure in high school to experiencing the joy of learning at summer camp, from the years he spent working at odd jobs after dropping out of college, to his early, formative years as a teacher, his story is one that sheds light on several critical issues facing today's educators and parents, and reminds us that trial and error, resilience, and respect for the individual, is at the very heart of all teaching and learning"--
&;A page turner. With candor and clarity, Tony Wagner tells the story of his remarkable life and, in so doing, tells the story of our education system.&;
&;Angela Duckworth, Founder and CEO, Character Lab, and New York Times bestselling author of Grit
One of the world's top experts on education delivers an uplifting memoir on his own personal failures and successes as he sought to become a good learner and teacher.
Tony Wagner is an eminent education specialist: he has taught at every grade level from high school through graduate school; worked at Harvard; done significant work for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and speaks across the country and all over the world. But before he found his success, Wagner was kicked out of middle school, expelled from high school, and dropped out of two colleges. Learning by Heart is his powerful account of his years as a student and teacher.
After struggling in both roles, he learned to create meaningful learning experiences despite the constraints of conventional schooling--initially for himself and then for his students--based on understanding each student's real interests and strengthening his or her intrinsic motivations. Wagner's story sheds light on critical issues facing parents and educators today, and reminds us that trial and error, resilience, and respect for the individual, are at the very heart of all teaching and learning.
