What about textbooks? 'I'd take one of those textbooks. I'd clip off all the numbers on the pages. I'd pull out three pages here, two pages there, five pages here—all the way through. I'd put them aside, mix them all up, and give them to you and three other students and say, 'Put it back in order and tell me what's missing.'' You'd know that book inside and out."

Read the interview at The Wall Street Journal.

Part of the problem with teaching history and, I believe, English, is that political correctness leads us to such bad works.  The writing is abysmal and the subjects lack relevance.  All the effort is put into telling kids the subject is relevant and very little effort is put into understanding the subject.

"We're too concentrated on having our children learn the answers," he summarizes. "I would teach them how to ask questions—because that's how you learn."