SocProf reviewed Why Students Resist Learning by Anton O. Tolman
Review of 'Why Students Resist Learning' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
The title is a bit misleading. It should read "why students resist active learning...". The key insights in the book are directed at students' resistance to this specific type of pedagogy. The argument is that since this pedagogy has been shown to be more effective in producing deep learning, we have to figure out how to overcome students resistance to it.
To that end, the authors propose an integrated model of student resistance (IMSR) that lays out the different types of resistance instructors may encounter along two axes (passive / active, asserting autonomy / preserving the self). Then, the subsequent chapters examine in greater details the possible explanations for student resistance, and possible avenues to overcome it. The bulk of the book though is on diagnosis and examination, more than remedy. That being said, the book also provides copious sources and resources to that end.
An important part of this …
The title is a bit misleading. It should read "why students resist active learning...". The key insights in the book are directed at students' resistance to this specific type of pedagogy. The argument is that since this pedagogy has been shown to be more effective in producing deep learning, we have to figure out how to overcome students resistance to it.
To that end, the authors propose an integrated model of student resistance (IMSR) that lays out the different types of resistance instructors may encounter along two axes (passive / active, asserting autonomy / preserving the self). Then, the subsequent chapters examine in greater details the possible explanations for student resistance, and possible avenues to overcome it. The bulk of the book though is on diagnosis and examination, more than remedy. That being said, the book also provides copious sources and resources to that end.
An important part of this is that resistance is a systemic concept, not a psychological trait, with multiple possible causes at different levels of academic institutions: "Student resistance is an outcome, a motivational state in which students reject learning opportunities due to systemic factors. The presence of resistance signals to the instructor the need to assess the systemic variables that are contributing to this outcome in order to intervene effectively and enhance student learning."
Anton O. Tolman and Janine Kremling. Why Students Resist Learning: A Practical Model for Understanding and Helping Students (Kindle Locations 304-306). Stylus Publishing. Kindle Edition.
The book provides a lot of food for thoughts, especially for instructors looking to make the jump to more active learning pedagogy, while warning that there is a stiff price to pay for doing so in terms of students resistance and lower student evaluations.