The Tipping Point Review
Posted on October 2, 2009
Filed under Book Review
Posted by: Meghan Foster, Instructional Technologist
Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point” attempts to explain why certain sociological events are subject to dramatic and often unexpected changes. He opens with several examples (teen smoking, crime, & Hush Puppies sales) where these phenomena do not follow a slow and steady decrease or increase as common definable predictors could explain. Instead they reach a sort of critical mass where the idea, behavior, or product suddenly explode and begin to spread much like a disease or, more specifically, like an epidemic. This point of critical mass is what he calls The Tipping Point.
In order to explain these social epidemics, Gladwell defines three rules of epidemics:
- The Law of the Few
- The Stickiness Factor
- The Power of Context
The Law of the Few states that there are special types of people in the world who are crucial to spreading certain ideas and defining popularity and trends: Connectors are the “social butterflies” of the world. Mavens are the experts of their fields. Salesmen are the persuaders of the world.
Teachers must master all three of these to be most successful. They must connect to students from all types of backgrounds and experiences. They must be mavens of their particular field of study in addition to modern educational theory; constantly gathering new information and data from all sources (including their students). They must be salesmen to successfully convey both their new knowledge as well as its value to truculent students. But rather than specialize in any single ability, the best teachers should learn to balance all three abilities.
The Stickiness Factor states that some ideas are more interesting, engaging, or memorable than others. Gladwell uses several examples to illustrate the subtle differences between ideas that stick, and others that fail. From his examples I have identified four different elements that contribute to the “stickiness” of an idea:
Clarity: A message cannot be remembered and passed on if it is not understood. The best ideas are often simple ones. The makers of Sesame Street discovered this while studying the relationship of the attention spans of preschoolers to the contents of their show. If the skit was too clever or abstract, then the kids would look away from the show or get frustrated. The same goes for any student from pre-school to adult education. New ideas and concepts must be clearly explained using concrete examples. The learner must be able to connect this new idea with existing knowledge and integrate it into their world view. Metaphors (even bad ones) are paramount for communicating new ideas.
Repetition: The more times a message is repeated, more of it is remembered. Any math teacher will attest to the effectiveness of traditional “skill and drill” exercises in helping students remember basic concepts and processes. But there is also a familiarity and comfort level that is established with repeated actions and experiences. Eventually these good feelings are attributed to the message directly and confidence in the idea is built.
Interactivity: A message is better remembered if the recipient is challenged and rewarded for getting the message. This approach is effective for a couple of reasons: 1) participants must get up and accomplish something and 2) participants are then rewarded for their success. Active participation in the delivery of the message creates a sense of ownership.
Sequence and the Power of the Narrative: Messages are best remembered when expressed in the proper order. Storytelling is one of humankind’s oldest art forms and was the primary means of recording history in pre-literate societies. Anecdotal evidence often outweighs pure statistical data because the listener understands and relates emotionally to a concrete story despite the accuracy of abstract numerical proof.
The Power of Context, the third rule of epidemics, states that our environment, conditions and circumstances affect the impact and nature of an idea on its recipients:
The Broken Windows theory states that if a window is left broken on a street then passersby will assume that no one is watching or in control and therefore be much more likely to commit “crimes of convenience”. This idea can be applied to both classroom management and teaching pedagogy. By cracking down on seemingly innocuous disruptions (i.e. cell phones or chewing gum), teachers can actively prevent more serious issues and create an environment that is highly conducive to learning. It is also important for teachers to be detail oriented in their lectures and lessons. Focusing on vocabulary, spelling and grammar in a math class can improve overall cognitive discipline and lead to better outcomes.
Transactive Memory states that some memories are stored outside a person, often through relationships with other people who are best suited to remembering certain types of information. This phenomenon explains why social constructivism is so effective. Students working in groups develop relationships and use the knowledge about each other to determine which members of the group are best suited to remember which types of knowledge. This same concept is expressed in “The Wisdom of the Crowd” or The Law of Large Numbers.
The Magic Number: Gladwell also discovered that most people are only able to establish functional relationships (where transactive memory can be used) with at most 150 people. So classes or any sort of learning community must consist of less than 150 students in order take advantage of the benefits of transactive memory and social constructivism.
The Impact of Peer Pressure in these small, well-connected groups is then a much more effective way of maintaining high quality and accountability. In small groups, peer pressure is often a greater motivator than any sort of pressure applied by an authoritarian figure or boss. Once the relationships and peer groups are established, individual members will self-police to correct themselves and live up to the group’s expectations.
Malcolm Gladwell makes good use of his theories in reaching out to connectors, mavens, and salesmen and translating his work between all three. His book is very “sticky”, using simple language and repeatedly using stories to illustrate his ideas. In fact the greatest testimony to his ideas is the success of his book, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference”.
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