©  2013  SAIS  www.sais.org  

   

the  conversation  continues  inside  of  

SAISconnect  http://saisconnect.sais.org  

 

BOOK  REVIEW  David  and  Goliath:  Underdogs,  Misfits,  and  the    Art  of  Battling  Giants  By:  Malcolm  Gladwell  Published:  October  2013  Reviewed  By:  Donna  Siebenthaler,  Trinity  Presbyterian  School  Review  Published:  October,  2013    In  Malcolm  Gladwell’s  latest  book,  David  and  Goliath:  Underdogs,  Misfits,  and  the  Art  of  Battling  Giants,  the  world  is  turned  upside  down.  Weaving  together  history,  psychology,  sociology,  and  economics,  Gladwell  posits  that  obstacles  are  not  always  disadvantageous  and  our  greatest  strengths  do  not  always  give  us  the  beneficial  results  we  assume  they  will.  Understanding  this,  for  Gladwell,  is  the  first  step  towards  success,  for  through  that  understanding  comes  the  ability  to  make  wiser  choices  in  our  personal  and  professional  lives.    Starting  with  the  biblical  story  of  David  and  Goliath,  Gladwell  explains  that  we  too  often  read  a  situation  in  our  lives  wrong  to  our  own  and  others’  detriment.  We  assume  that  the  story  of  the  shepherd  boy  David  defeating  the  giant  Philistine  Goliath  is  about  overcoming  obstacles,  and  we  assume  that  David  was  the  one  at  a  distinct  disadvantage  in  this  fight.  According  to  Gladwell,  however,  our  assumptions  are  all  wrong.  David  was  actually  the  one  who  came  down  to  the  

Valley  of  Elah  with  all  the  advantages  on  his  side,  and  while  we  take  it  for  granted  that  Goliath  should  have  won  the  battle,  Gladwell  argues  it  would  have  been  more  of  an  upset  if  David  had  lost.  Why?  Because  David  had  the  upper  hand  in  terms  of  his  faith,  his  weaponry,  his  physical  health,  and  his  willingness  to  fight  as  a  projectile  warrior  rather  than  as  an  infantryman  in  hand-­‐to-­‐hand  combat.  David’s  strategy  was  totally  unexpected,  and  in  his  surprise,  Goliath  was  overwhelmed  and  defeated.      Gladwell  wants  us  to  see  the  story  of  David  and  Goliath,  as  well  as  the  stories  all  around  us  with  new  eyes,  eyes  that  look  for  the  liabilities  among  our  assets  and  the  assets  among  what  we  assume  are  our  liabilities.  Can  a  group  of  twelve-­‐year-­‐old  girls  with  little  talent  for  the  game  of  basketball  and  a  coach  with  no  knowledge  of  the  game  find  a  way  to  play  to  their  strengths  and  actually  win  games  against  far  superior  opponents?  Does  going  to  a  second-­‐tier  university  rather  than  a  tier  one  university  actually  hold  greater  advantages  for  a  

 

   

©  2013  SAIS  www.sais.org  

   

the  conversation  continues  inside  of  

SAISconnect  http://saisconnect.sais.org  

 

young  female  who  wants  to  enter  the  sciences?  Could  coping  with  dyslexia  sharpen  certain  skill  sets  for  people  that  allow  them  to  flourish  in  ways  they  might  not  have  otherwise?  The  author  explores  all  these  issues  among  others,  and  you  can  probably  guess  by  now  that  the  answers  are  not  what  you  might  assume  at  first  glance.    While  much  of  what  Gladwell  writes  is  useful  for  educators,  one  chapter  in  particular  touches  home,  especially  for  teachers  and  administrators  in  independent  schools.  One  of  the  key  statistics  

that  independent  schools  like  to  cite  in  their  promotional  materials  is  their  student-­‐to-­‐teacher  ratio.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  independent  schools  proudly  broadcasting  that  they  have  a  student  to  teacher  ratio  of  15:1,  12:1,  or  even  smaller,  knowing  that  most  parents  believe  small  class  sizes  are  the  ideal.  Unfortunately,  as  Gladwell  points  out,  the  research  we  have  on  the  effect  of  class  size  on  student  achievement  does  not  bear  this  out.  Study  after  study  indicates  that  there  is  no  clear  evidence  that  smaller  class  sizes  (within  a  medium  range)  increase  student  achievement  in  statistically  meaningful  ways.  In  fact,  Gladwell  goes  on  to  argue  that,  just  as  you  can  have  too  large  of  a  class,  you  can  have  too  small  of  a  class  as  well.  Here,  Gladwell  relies  

more  on  anecdotes  than  statistics,  but  he  finds  evidence  in  interviews  with  teachers  that  small  class  sizes  can  inhibit  discussion,  limit  interaction  between  students  with  similar  ability  levels,  and  generally  change  the  class  energy  levels  and  culture  for  the  worse.  So  should  independent  schools  and  public  schools  alike  stop  worrying  about  class  size?  Not  quite.    First,  Gladwell  does  admit  that  smaller  classrooms  can  translate  to  better  outcomes  “if  teachers  change  their  teaching  style  when  given  a  lower  workload,”  i.e.  fewer  students.  If  a  teacher  uses  the  same  instructional  methods  with  a  class  of  28  students  that  he  or  she  does  with  a  class  of  15,  then  student  outcomes  will  likely  remain  similar  in  both  classes.  Yet  if  a  teacher  is  willing  to  reshape  his  or  her  instruction  for  the  smaller  class,  great  gains  may  be  made  in  student  outcomes  as  a  result  of  both  smaller  class  size  and  the  kind  of  instruction  that  a  smaller  class  size  enables.  This  then  becomes  the  salient  point  for  teachers  and  administrators  of  independent  schools  reading  Gladwell’s  book:  Do  not  assume  that  smaller  class  sizes  alone  will  increase  student  achievement,  but  do  use  your  small  class  sizes  to  the  advantage  of  your  students  and  school  by  reshaping  the  teaching  and  learning  process.    Second,  Gladwell  does  not  make  allowances  for  advances  in  technology  when  it  comes  to  education  and  class  sizes.  Small  classes  do  not  have  to  operate  completely  autonomously  in  a  brick  and  mortar  structure  anymore.  With  technology,  a   Michelangelo’s  David  

Bernini’s  David  

 

   

©  2013  SAIS  www.sais.org  

   

the  conversation  continues  inside  of  

SAISconnect  http://saisconnect.sais.org  

 

teacher  with  only  12  students  physically  sitting  in  a  classroom  can  connect  with  another  10  students  in  a  classroom  halfway  across  the  world.  The  discussions  and  diversity  of  such  a  classroom  become  enhanced  rather  than  inhibited  by  such  a  small  class  size.  It  is  difficult  to  complete  such  learning  activities  with  two  classrooms  of  25  or  more  students  each.  The  relationship  between  technology,  class  size,  and  student  outcomes  is  not  an  avenue  addressed  in  the  book,  but  it  is  one  worth  exploring.    As  with  other  recent  books  like  Daniel  H.  Pink’s  Drive  or  Carol  Dweck’s  Mindset,  Gladwell  succeeds  in  getting  readers  to  think  twice  about  assumptions  they  make  and  the  lens  through  which  they  view  the  world  around  them.  All  people  must  navigate  their  way  through  adversity,  but  Gladwell  illustrates  that  adversity  itself  may  bring  with  it  its  own  set  of  advantages  if  we  know  how  to  look  for  them.  This  is  a  useful  lesson  for  all  -­‐  whether  parent  or  child,  teacher  or  student,  employer  or  employee.                      

Donna  Siebenthaler  is  the  Curriculum  Director  and  a  history  teacher  at  Trinity  Presbyterian  School  in  Montgomery,  AL.    She  can  be  reached  via  email  at  dsiebenthaler@trinitywildcats.com