If you have been homeschooling for any length of time, you may have heard of Mr. D. Mr. D started out offering online math classes and has expanded to so much more! We have participated in several of his math classes, economics class, SAT Boot Camp, and even ASL! Now Mr. D (Dennis Dinoia) has written a book called TEACH – Creating Independently Responsible Learners.

{Disclaimer: I received a free copy of TEACH by Dennis Dinoia and was compensated for my time in writing this review.  All views are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. Please see my full Disclosure Policy for more details.}

TEACH by Dennis Dinoia

TEACH: Creating Independently Responsible Learners is written by Dennis himself, in a conversational manner that makes it easy to follow and understand. It’s a sort of guide for helping students become the masters of their own educational destiny. Dennis is a former public school teacher as well as being a parent, and more specifically homeschool parent too! This gives him unique insight having seen education from so many different perspectives.

What we, as parents and teachers, need to focus on is DISCOVERING. TEACH shows you how to help your students become independently responsible learners. Once our students know how they can be independently responsible in how they learn, the whole world is available to them. Literally. They become self-directed. They become inspired. They discover what is most important to them!

Dennis Dinoia in TEACH

I don’t know about any of you, but I am an avid reader. As my children have gotten older it has become easier to find time to read!

One of the things I try to do is read a non-fiction book every month. TEACH has taken it’s place on my nightstand where I am able to snuggle in and read a chapter or two at night. While I have the paperback copy, I am finding myself reading it digitally so I can highlight things of note and easily find them again. (P.S. It also leaves my paperback copy free to loan out to friends! AND yes I’m definitely sharing this one with my friends.)

A Look at What’s Inside TEACH

TEACH by Dennis Dinoia is a book aiming to teach us how to learn. It’s not about learning one subject, or about a specific thing, but instead about the act of learning to learn. And guys THIS IS WHAT I AM ALWAYS SAYING when people ask me how can I homeschool or what do I teach. First and foremost I tell them my number one goal is to raise capable, independent humans. And the way I do that is by teaching them how to learn. Kids need to learn to ask questions, do research, learn who they should direct questions to, what are reliable sources, how to check their own work and learn from that, and SO MUCH MORE!

Dennis has written a book to help parents and educators alike to create independently responsible learners. If they own what they are doing and learning they will work harder and present themselves in a manner fitting a job done with heart, and done well.

A few of the concepts covered inside TEACH:

• To truly learn, the student needs to become the teacher
• Presenting Yourself is important – both in the presentation of your work and being present
• There is more than one way to grade work – he gives examples of different ways to grade work
• Test taking strategies like solving word problems by finding the question first
• The roles both students and parents should play on their educational duty (hint: parents become more of a coach and helper than the driver of tasks)

Things to Note About TEACH by Dennis Dinoia

1. Teach is Short and Easy to Read

There are 10 chapters plus one bonus chapter on goal setting in this book. Each chapter is written in short paragraphs, making it easy to read. You may decide you have a free couple of hours, or maybe you read a little when you sneak a bathroom break, or like me, read a couple of chapters before your head hits the pillow.

2. It’s not Just Theory

Dennis doesn’t bury you in long theories and concepts. Instead he gives you background and reasoning for why he believes something. Then he gives examples from his own experience as well as actionable items for you and your student to use in your educational journey.

3. Not just for Parents

Dennis wrote this book not just for parents and educators, but for learners. Many of the chapters are meant “to be read as the student”. If you have teens I highly recommend having them read this book – maybe book club style where you each read it simultaneously and discuss. In keeping with the independent learners theme, this will give them an opportunity to read and digest these methods and tips for themselves, with you as a sounding board and guide.

Purchasing TEACH by Dennis Dinoia

This is a great book for homeschool parents wanting to create in their children a sense of responsibility, ownership, and pride in the work they do. It extends beyond school aged education and will serve them well in adulthood.

TEACH – Creating Independent Responsible Learners is available in 3 formats:

• Paperback currently $14.95
• eBook (right now through June 15th it’s just .99 cents!)
• Audio – it’s 2hrs and 39 minutes, narrated by Mr. D himself!