Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning by James M. Lang (review)

Changes in student demographics both in the k-12 and postsecondary educational systems are occurring rapidly with the United States’ growth. Faculty, instructors, and staff members’ understanding of student learning must evolve accordingly to be able to educate students for the next generation of employment and societal demands. James Lang’s book, Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning, focuses on small changes educators can enact in their environments to have positive effects on student learning. The book channels its efforts on improving classroom practices yet, there are many implications for student affairs for practitioners looking to hone their craft. In less than 300 pages of non-technical writing, readers will have the resources and tools needed to instantly make change in their own teaching practices.

Perhaps a nontraditional pathway to studying learning, James M. Lang is a professor of English at Assumption College where he teaches creative writing and British literature. However, he also serves as the institution’s Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence. Lang publishes for the Chronicle of Higher Education on a monthly basis and serves as an editor for the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education series published by the West Virginia University Press. His additional appointment and endeavors fit into Lang’s wider agenda for advancing the teaching practices of educators.

Through personal experience and previous empirical research, Lang argues small gestures and actions that educators perform in the classroom can have a profound influence on students’ learning. Pulling theoretical underpinnings from literature such as How Learning Works (2010), and Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2008), he developed a framework for Small Teaching (2016). The book is organized into three parts: Knowledge, Understanding, and Inspiration, guiding the readers through foundational components of student learning. Knowledge begins by describing the foundational components for learning. Lang describes the retrieving, predicting, and interleaving processes for students obtaining knowledge. Understanding guides readers to consider active strategies for helping students apply their learning through connecting it to prior knowledge, practicing skills, and self-explaining ideas. Lastly, Inspiration aims to help educators find ways to motivate students, assist students in growing through adversity, and expanding one’s pedagogy beyond traditional means.

The book systematically makes strong use of examples of beneficial teaching and learning practices. Each chapter contains an introduction, framework, application, and summary of learning strategies. Lang’s synthesis of renowned works in the field of education is a strength of Small Teaching as it legitimizes his claims and provides context for readers. The pragmatic nature of the book gives readers an understanding of how to hone their teaching e.g., “At the beginning of the class, unit, or course, give students a brief pretest on the material… close class by asking students to make predictions about material that will be covered in the next class session” (Lang, 2016, p. 60). Extensive resources are provided to readers at the end of the book including additional readings, gamification of teaching, and ways to develop a community of educators. Student affairs professionals can learn to incorporate these practices into their supervision meetings as well as staff trainings to increase effectiveness.

While the recommendations outlined in Small Teaching are often situated specifically in the classroom, they can be applied to co-curricular environments. “First, and most generally, emotions can help us capture the attention of our students” (Lang, 2016, p.173). Emotions are explained as part of social experiences, which can be activated to motivate students. Lang (2016) encourages educators to show up early, stay late, and tell stories to check-in with students who may need assistance with learning. The content is relevant for student affairs educators as these are simple practices that yield great benefits for students. College and university students spend majority of their time outside the purview of faculty therefore it is important for practitioners to consider how they are contributing to the overall education of students...