Questions for David and Goliath Discussion

  Questions for David and Goliath Discussion 

1.  What anecdotes from your own life might you reference as support or challenge of “Part I: The Advantage of Disadvantages?” Consider specifically the chapter titled “Teresa DeBrito: ‘My largest class was twenty-nine kids. Oh, it was fun’” and your own experiences with class size. 
2.  Chapter Three (“Caroline Sachs: ‘If I’d gone to the University of Maryland, I’d still be in science’”) is particularly relevant as you explore your college options (and is one that you might enjoy revisiting via YouTube, as Malcolm Gladwell presents it as a TED talk). What considerations does this chapter raise for you? What questions might you want to ask of students and college admissions officers when you visit and tour schools? 
3. Drawing on your own life experience or from your study of history, what illustrations might you offer in support or challenge of “the theory of desirable difficulty” as presented in “Part II: The Theory of Desirable Difficulty”? 
4.  What, for you, is the take-away from “Part III: The Limits of Power”? 
5.  Malcolm Gladwell has been both praised and criticized for his use of anecdote in his social science observations. Which anecdotes resonate with you, and why? Which anecdotes do you find less convincing, and why?