Creating Independent Learners with Teach by Dennis Dinoia

Looking for practical ways to encourage your kids to take ownership of their education? Dennis DiNoia, also known as Mr. D, shares valuable insight on this in Teach: Creating Independently Responsible Learners.

I received a complimentary copy of this title for review purposes. I have been compensated for my time reading, but was not required to write a positive review. Also, this post contains referral links for recommended products; see my disclosure to learn more about that.

You know, I’m in an interesting place when it comes to homeschooling. I’m still committed to home education for both of my kids, but I no longer need affirmation that this is the best choice for them and our goals as a family. I no longer need reminders to not give up and press on when things get hard.

Don’t get me wrong, I still like learning about educational philosophy and even like reading some of the reassuring messages about homeschooling. But after doing this since 2009, I’m a lot more interested in equipping my kids to learn than I am in selling others (or myself) on our choice to homeschool. There’s definitely a time and place for the encouraging “here’s why I homeschool my kids” message, but the why eventually takes a backseat to the how.

That’s where I find myself now that I’ve got one kiddo starting dual enrollment and one entering middle school next year. In other words, we’ve made it to the point that I can imagine life after homeschool and there’s this urgency to be sure I’ve truly equipped my kids to learn and grow in whatever they pursue.

That being said, you can probably understand why I was immediately interested when I learned that Dennis DiNoia (AKA Mr. D) wrote a book about self-directed learning. Now that I’ve read it, I’m happy to share my thoughts about TEACH: Creating Independently Responsible Learners with you today.

Creating Independent Learners with Teach by Dennis DiNoia

You may remember seeing me talk about how we’ve covered ASL or economics recently. If so, you know that courses from Mr. D Math have played a big part in our homeschool in recent years. Because of our experience with these courses, I knew Mr. DiNoia could provide valuable insight on the how component of homeschooling that I’ve been digging into recently.

Review: TEACH by Dennis DiNoia

Sharing insights learned through teaching in public school classrooms and Mr. D Math, Dennis DiNoia’s Teach focuses on understanding, learning, and knowing as the core components of becoming an independently responsible learner.

This happens by helping parents understand that their roles in developing this kind of learner centers around letting students take the lead in their education.

Granted, self-led learning is a buzz word of sorts in the homeschool community, but it is usually understood to mean choosing which subjects to cover and how. That’s a great start, especially for younger learners, but self-led learning — when carefully nurtured — shifts from preference-based learning to becoming a responsible learner.

That’s where Teach comes into the picture. And, with or without any previous self-led learning efforts, this book helps parents guide their kids to a place of ownership that will carry them into lifelong learning.

Now that I’ve shared the premise of the book, I’d love to share what specifically stood out to me while working through it.

1. Teach is ACCESSIBLE.

I truly enjoy learning about educational models, how people learn, and even hands-on aspects like teaching methods, but I am not a trained educator. I continue to study these topics anyway because it helps me as a homeschooler.

That being said, most of the information in the educational space isn’t written with parents in mind. Because of that, it can often be overwhelming to work through these resources and find how the information presented in them applies to homeschooling.

That’s where Teach is different from the rest of the books about education and homeschooling. The language and explanations presented are understandable, accessible, and implementable regardless of your professional background.

In other words, whether your experience in education centers around homeschooling or a classroom full of students, this book is for you. It’s for all of us.

2. Teach is Practical.

Teach is accessible, but it is also practical. This is especially helpful because it can be easy to overthink when it comes to teaching, guidance, and homeschooling in general. However, instead of writing a book about educational theories, Teach reads like a letter from a coach who takes you step-by-step through the process of raising kids who take charge of their education.

And, while this was written with homeschoolers in mind, the ideas Mr. DiNoia shares aren’t homeschool-exclusive. For example, the chapters on the role of testing, learning styles, and the importance of mastermind groups provide practical insights that genuinely benefit students in any educational setting.

3. Teach is Clarifying.

This points back to Teach being both accessible and practical, but I also appreciate the fact that it’s clarifying. Some of the points made in this book were things I hadn’t considered before, but there were others that weren’t new at all.

The thing is, the concepts that weren’t new happened to be things I didn’t have words for or had not identified before reading. Through Teach, I found language and explanations for things I’ve observed in my years of homeschooling but had not put into perspective. 

Learn More about Dennis DiNoia’s Teach

Ready to learn more about creating independently responsible learners? TEACH is available in paperback, on Kindle, and Audible through Amazon.

After you finish ordering, I invite you to stop by the Mr. D Math site and peruse the course catalog. My kiddos and I are forever and always Mr. D Math fans, so it goes without saying that we think you’ll love these classes as much as we do.