Page 19 - Management 17 (1)
P. 19
Igor Rižnar | Students Beware!
by ‘We should introduce iPads or computers’ or tive viewpoints, constantly supress opposite
‘We should make smaller classes and things will views.
improve considerably.’
• Status Quo Bias. Maybe both teachers and
Some Other Important Errors of Thinking students are afraid of change. The result of
in Education status quo bias is the feeling some of them
have: that nothing changed to better in edu-
• Fundamental attribution error. When teach- cation for a very long time.
ers observe another teacher’s class they
clearly see the things the other teacher does Conclusion
wrong. But when we teach, we only notice Our brains play tricks on us. I wish I were a hand-
the things students might do wrong. This is some, young and confident writer, because then,
fundamental attribution error. Fundamen- the reader would judge my comments more favou-
tal attribution error stops us from learn- rably than I might deserve. Speaking about think-
ing by condemning our problems on the ex- ing errors of people is a difficult job. Fears, af-
ternal circumstances (students, technology, fection, and hatred explain many occasions on
not enough time, etc.) rather than with our which people depart from rationality. On the
own limitations. other hand, luck plays a large role in every suc-
cess story.
• Planning fallacy. Have you ever kept post-
poning planning your classes until the last Kahneman’s book describes the workings of
day? Or, in the case of students: have you the mind as an interaction between two systems
ever postponed starting to study for an exam or two characters: the automatic System 1 and the
until it was almost too late? The planning effortful System 2.
fallacy makes us underestimate how much
time we need to complete the task before So, let me ask the final question: What can we
the deadline. do to become less biased? One answer is that little
can be done without a considerable investment of
• Overconfidence bias. Overconfidence bias ma- effort. Being aware that I am as prone to overcon-
kes us misjudge how much control we have fidence, extreme predictions, and the planning
and makes it impossible for us to predict fallacy as my 40-year younger students is some-
problems. Student progression may be mis- thing. I am maybe a bit better at recognizing the
judged, their failure to pass the exam may be signs of a cognitive minefield, and so I can slow
misinterpreted, our own abilities as teachers down deliberately and ask for help from System
may be plain wrong. 2. But this sensible procedure is, in my case, too,
less likely to be applied when needed.
• Outcome bias. The outcome bias tells teachers
that because something worked well in one What can teachers do? We should, perhaps, fo-
class, may also work splendidly in all other cus more on developing student’s thinking skills,
classes. When we do not focus on the process decision-making skills, principles of probability,
but prefer to focus on the result, things are choice theory and statistics and teach our stu-
likely to go wrong without us knowing it. dents how to approach problems methodically
and avoid jumping to conclusions – in other words,
• Cognitive dissonance. If you have been read- teach them to understand and not only to gain
ing this carefully and think that none of new knowledge, to understand by not blindly ac-
this applies to you, cognitive dissonance is cepting what they hear or read. They should be
the term you should pay some attention to. constantly asking questions, do their own think-
Even though people tell you that you are ing and be critical by challenging the well-known
wrong, you keep believing how right you are. and exploring the unknown.
If someone observes your lesson and gives
you feedback, you refuse to change your Appendix
opinion because you are sure the observer Kahneman’s list of biases is unexhaustive, and his
is wrong. You might never learn anything if remarks are precious food for thought. Here are
you constantly think you are right. some for you to discuss with your peers and think
over.
• Groupthink. A perfect example for group-
think bias is the Office for Standards in Ed- 1. ‘A reliable way to make people believe in
ucation’s keen desire to continue grading falsehoods is frequent repetition, because
schools. Ofsted officials do not see alterna-
management 17 (2022) številka 1 19
by ‘We should introduce iPads or computers’ or tive viewpoints, constantly supress opposite
‘We should make smaller classes and things will views.
improve considerably.’
• Status Quo Bias. Maybe both teachers and
Some Other Important Errors of Thinking students are afraid of change. The result of
in Education status quo bias is the feeling some of them
have: that nothing changed to better in edu-
• Fundamental attribution error. When teach- cation for a very long time.
ers observe another teacher’s class they
clearly see the things the other teacher does Conclusion
wrong. But when we teach, we only notice Our brains play tricks on us. I wish I were a hand-
the things students might do wrong. This is some, young and confident writer, because then,
fundamental attribution error. Fundamen- the reader would judge my comments more favou-
tal attribution error stops us from learn- rably than I might deserve. Speaking about think-
ing by condemning our problems on the ex- ing errors of people is a difficult job. Fears, af-
ternal circumstances (students, technology, fection, and hatred explain many occasions on
not enough time, etc.) rather than with our which people depart from rationality. On the
own limitations. other hand, luck plays a large role in every suc-
cess story.
• Planning fallacy. Have you ever kept post-
poning planning your classes until the last Kahneman’s book describes the workings of
day? Or, in the case of students: have you the mind as an interaction between two systems
ever postponed starting to study for an exam or two characters: the automatic System 1 and the
until it was almost too late? The planning effortful System 2.
fallacy makes us underestimate how much
time we need to complete the task before So, let me ask the final question: What can we
the deadline. do to become less biased? One answer is that little
can be done without a considerable investment of
• Overconfidence bias. Overconfidence bias ma- effort. Being aware that I am as prone to overcon-
kes us misjudge how much control we have fidence, extreme predictions, and the planning
and makes it impossible for us to predict fallacy as my 40-year younger students is some-
problems. Student progression may be mis- thing. I am maybe a bit better at recognizing the
judged, their failure to pass the exam may be signs of a cognitive minefield, and so I can slow
misinterpreted, our own abilities as teachers down deliberately and ask for help from System
may be plain wrong. 2. But this sensible procedure is, in my case, too,
less likely to be applied when needed.
• Outcome bias. The outcome bias tells teachers
that because something worked well in one What can teachers do? We should, perhaps, fo-
class, may also work splendidly in all other cus more on developing student’s thinking skills,
classes. When we do not focus on the process decision-making skills, principles of probability,
but prefer to focus on the result, things are choice theory and statistics and teach our stu-
likely to go wrong without us knowing it. dents how to approach problems methodically
and avoid jumping to conclusions – in other words,
• Cognitive dissonance. If you have been read- teach them to understand and not only to gain
ing this carefully and think that none of new knowledge, to understand by not blindly ac-
this applies to you, cognitive dissonance is cepting what they hear or read. They should be
the term you should pay some attention to. constantly asking questions, do their own think-
Even though people tell you that you are ing and be critical by challenging the well-known
wrong, you keep believing how right you are. and exploring the unknown.
If someone observes your lesson and gives
you feedback, you refuse to change your Appendix
opinion because you are sure the observer Kahneman’s list of biases is unexhaustive, and his
is wrong. You might never learn anything if remarks are precious food for thought. Here are
you constantly think you are right. some for you to discuss with your peers and think
over.
• Groupthink. A perfect example for group-
think bias is the Office for Standards in Ed- 1. ‘A reliable way to make people believe in
ucation’s keen desire to continue grading falsehoods is frequent repetition, because
schools. Ofsted officials do not see alterna-
management 17 (2022) številka 1 19
