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Tag Archives: Small Teaching
“The enthusiasm of the educators statistically predicted their students’ ratings of enjoyment and perceived value in the subject matter.”
This is the first week in the spring semester at my college, and it’s a critical time for setting the tone and energy level in our classes. That’s why I’m turning again to James Lang’s excellent book Small Teaching, which … Continue reading
Posted in non-fiction, Pedagogy
Tagged James Lang, pedagogy, role of emotion in learning, science of learning, Small Teaching
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“The surprising result of this research was that self-transcendent purpose produced the strongest driver for students to persist through challenging academic tasks.”
Jim Lang’s wonderful book Small Teaching was the first one I reached for after finishing the profoundly disturbing book iGen last week, which described in precise, scientific terms the characteristics of many of the students who are entering our classrooms … Continue reading
Posted in Pedagogy
Tagged iGen, James Lang, research-based strategies, self-transcendent purpose, Small Teaching
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“This all sounds very messy”
What I’m looking for – perhaps what we’re all looking for – are learning principles that are most likely to lead to long-term retention – even if they’re messy. In Small Teaching, Jim Lang describes a learning principle called “interleaving” … Continue reading
Posted in Pedagogy
Tagged improved learning, interleaving, James M. Lang, Small Teaching
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“Asking someone to make a prediction represents a very simple route to raising curiosity and hence represents a very simple route to stimulating the brains of our students and preparing them for their learning.”
Can small changes in strategy result in significant improvements? This new book for college instructors by James M. Lang argues convincingly that they can. While some of the techniques are not new – my mother asked her students to make … Continue reading