Book Review: The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion
The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion. By Sarah Rose Cavanagh.
West Virginia University Press, October 2016, 256pp.
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At first glance, it may feel like there is little place for emotion in the statistics classroom; that this book may be better suited for a humanities or social science course. However, I have read several traditional books about pedagogy and my curiosity combined with my desire for a new perspective outweighed my skepticism and I decided to give The Spark of Learning a chance. The book clearly shows how emotions are connected to learning generally as well as in the classroom. It also provides many insightful connections and examples, as well as jumping off points for developing lessons and assessments.
The Spark of Learning is divided into two parts. The first covers research on the links between emotion, cognition, and learning. Here the reader is given a clear and useful summary of research on emotions and builds strong evidence for the foundational role of emotions in helping to gain attention, retain information, and persevere through difficulties. Dr. Cavanagh often cites multiple studies around the same topic, helping to guard against the error of following interesting but ultimately flawed conclusions.
The second part discusses theory and specific uses of emotion in teaching. The first chapter of this part looks at gaining and keeping students’ attention. It begins by emphasizing self-care to make the emotional connections regularly in class. If then follows with topics such as mindfulness, humor, self-disclosure, and optimism. Even if some of these ideas do not immediately strike a tone with you or your teaching style, you are still likely to glean a useful pointer or two in each. The next chapter discusses ideas of interest and curiosity, among others, used to motivate students to engage with material at a deeper level. The book then tackles helping students persist in their coursework by reflecting on the value of the content as well as the struggle to master it, self-regulating expectations, and the control students have over both their successes and failures. The final chapter before the conclusion looks at the negative side of emotions in the classroom: text anxiety, power struggles between students and instructors, slacking in group work. Again, Dr. Cavanagh provides useful suggestions for both avoiding these issues or confronting them when they arise.
Stylistically, The Spark of Learning is well-written and well-organized. Even though it is pretty standard length for books on pedagogy, it feels like a quick read. Each chapter ends with a one-page chapter summary and a short list of further reading on the topic and chapters in the second part include multiple callouts to provide specific detailed examples of the current concept. I have already used suggestions from this book to tie class material more closely to students’ experiences and develop for more authentic assessment opportunities. It has become one of my favorites among the dozen or so pedagogy books I’ve read and I expect to continue to refer to it as I develop my courses. It is highly recommended for someone looking for some new tools to add to their teaching repertoire.