Summer Reading Book Review: “Small Teaching Online” by Flower Darby with James M. Lang

Summer is winding down, although its true end isn’t until September. Even so, things get busy this time of year, when the new academic calendar begins and work prep never ends. That’s where short books come in handy (and where podcasts become useful).

For this month’s summer reading, we’re looking at Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes, a companion book to the well-regarded Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning. Focusing on how to reach online students, this book is also relevant for remote and hybrid teaching.

Overview

Small Teaching Online owes its existence to Small Teaching, a book by James M. Lang which gives small, actionable steps teachers can take to better teach and reach students. Lang wanted to explore how to apply small teaching to virtual spaces, and author Flower Darby was eager to share her experiences with online learning. This collaboration is a result of their combined efforts, from Lang’s research and editing to Darby’s writing and direct experience.

In Small Teaching Online, tips are organized by theme into parts. Part I focuses on course design, Part II focuses on students and Part III focuses on motivation. The last part looks at motivation from both the students’ and teachers’ perspectives. These parts are further broken down into sections: an introduction, a theoretical breakdown, models and principles, and a bulleted list with quick, easily implemented actions. Because of this consistent formatting, Small Teaching Online is easy to pick up and read in small bursts — fitting, given the book’s audience of busy teachers.

A Closer Look

Small Teaching Online shares the premise of Small Teaching in its intro, stating that “[p]aying attention to the small, everyday decisions we make in teaching represents our best route to successful learning for students, in almost any learning environment we can imagine.” This idea permeates Small Teaching Online as well, with Darby and Lang noting where small changes offer big wins. The “quick tips” sections in particular offer advice that can be put into place after setting down the book.

Part I, course design, looks at three major areas: backward design, engagement and edtech. Backward design is a metacognitive way of approaching learning, making sure that each assessment and activity fits learning goals. For example, structuring online courses so that final assessments are encountered early on — such as by including final assessment elements in the first online module — integrates endgame learning into a course where students might not pace themselves efficiently. Pacing, too, is brought up via the idea of “conditional release” (CR), or breaking down assessments into checkpoints that require students to demonstrate specific skills in order to unlock new materials.

In Part II, Darby shares ideas for not only fostering online community, but also keeping students on track. Online community requires student input. These days, there are more options than ever for providing interactive spaces, be it through forums or third-party integrations such as social annotation tools. Darby suggests rethinking assignment deadlines to better accommodate students who might only have weekends and evenings to work. For example, having assignments due on Monday instead of Sunday gives confused students a bit more time to rework projects if they have last-minute, Sunday-night questions. Darby also extols the value of breaking down ideas into scaffolded sections.

In the final part, Part III, Darby suggests motivation arises from autonomy (i.e. letting students choose learning pathways and providing different topics to support individual interest). Some online learning platforms have built-in features to support student choice. Another factor in motivation is interdisciplinary connections. Having materials connect between subjects (or between classes) not only makes learning objectives more meaningful, but also more interesting. Students can note connections via concept maps, diagramming and retrieval tools. For example, one quick tip suggests providing partial outlines for note-taking, which could then be used as an assessment when students upload the completed notes.

The very last chapter looks at how teachers can improve their online instruction. This is an interesting chapter in that it speaks directly to the audience of the book, rather than providing a how-to solely for students, as might be expected. Tips include taking an online class (nothing like learning by doing!), finding and mimicking mentors, and pursuing continuing education and professional development.

As mentioned, this book is on the shorter side, making for a quick read. It reads very well as an ebook, with parts and sections clearly linked. Given that it’s text heavy, screen size doesn’t matter, and in fact, being able to change font size might be a boon for readers needing a large-print option.

Each new chapter begins with an anecdote, which feels friendly and familiar. Subsequent research in the In Theory subsections helps to solidify the value of these stories. The book also feels cohesive, which sometimes isn’t the case when two writers work together.

Takeaways

Small Teaching Online was written to capture the then-growing segment of learning that had shifted online. More and more learners were looking to take online classes, and both Lang and Darby wanted to reach these students and teachers. The advice from the original Small Teaching was reworked for a virtual space.

Fast-forward to now. With so many schools teaching at least partially online, teachers need to consider the best ways to reach these learners, many of whom wouldn’t have chosen online classes if given a choice. For that reason, Small Teaching Online provides value in how it approaches virtual classrooms and connecting with students online.

One aspect of early chapters is Darby’s focus on universal design, or Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This idea, that creating accessible classrooms makes learning better for whole classes, not just individual students, is more and more notable given the learning disparities evident in remote learning. Some students may have technology struggles; others may be unable to learn in all modalities, be it due to physical or environmental reasons. UDL is a natural fit for teachers looking to teach more equitably.

With its clear organization and actionable advice, Small Teaching Online is worth picking up if you’re looking to teach students online, particularly if you’re currently designing an online-only course. While its advice is only as specific as the tools that existed in 2019, the research behind the principles and the experienced-backed anecdotes provide a blueprint for how to make online learning work.

Have you read this book? What did you think, and what were your takeaways? Comment below! If you’d like to read more books on teaching and learning, browse this guide.

About the blogger:

Jesika Brooks

Jesika Brooks is an editor and bookworm with a Master of Library and Information Science degree. She works in the field of higher education as an educational technology librarian, assisting with everything from setting up Learning Management Systems to teaching students how to use edtech tools. A lifelong learner herself, she has always been fascinated by the intersection of education and technology. She edits the Tech-Based Teaching blog (and always wants to hear from new voices!).