CEP 812
I am quite enjoying reading The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students through Digital Learning by James Paul Gee because his honesty and straightforward writing style is refreshing. We live in a world where so many subjects are taboo- Don't talk about it and it doesn't exist. This is not how Gee operates. He points out all of our flaws as humans and a society in a blunt fashion and poses the question, "Why are people stupid?"
This week, we were asked to think about the question:
“What limitations prevent us from solving big, complex problems smartly?”
As I began reading with this question in mind, a few of Gee’s ideas jumped out at me. I picked three limitations/problems I believe prevent us from solving wicked problems.
- The ”Confirmation Bias”
- Problems in the education system
- Our hypocritical society
The “Confirmation Bias”
Gee defines the confirmation bias (or myside bias) as, “... a seemly built-in mental bias that makes humans favor information that confirms their beliefs.” (Gee, 2). Big, complex problems, or wicked problems, are impossible to solve and have many different parts. I believe these problems, particularly in education, are unsolvable because so many people are firm in their beliefs and refuse to budge. This creates divides with people and groups. Gee also states on page 2, “The confirmation bias, because it leads to biases in seeking, interpreting, and recalling information, also leads to polarization.” In short- You can never make everyone happy. Our big problems will continue to be debated and pushed around and around because everyone believes their belief is the right belief.
Problems in the Education System
According to Gee, our current educational system is not setup to provide students with the skills they need to solve complex problems. He believes that our schools have become skill-and-drill test prep academies and our colleges have become, “...social camps for credentials, beer, and warm bodies, not knowledge.” (Gee, XII). Unfortunately, leaders have become so caught up in competing with other countries to be the “best,” that they have lost sight of what education is really about: Preparing our children to be productive members of society. Policy makers and leaders need to keep in mind the question, “What sort of education could - what would it mean for an education to - make us humans smart enough to solve our problems and save ourselves from our own stupidity?” (Gee, XII).
Our Hypocritical Society
Another reason Gee believes humans are so stupid is the hypocrisy of our beliefs and actions. He shares several examples of this, “We call ourselves ‘pro-life’ because we oppose abortion and yet oppose universal health care and thus let thousands of children and adults die because they lack health insurance.” (Gee, 3). This makes us stupid. We don’t think about things all the way through; we just think about how it directly affects our lives at the moment.
Awareness of Limitations:
Honestly, after reading Gee, I do not think anything would change if people were aware of these limitations. He states over and over how people ignore evidence and have deep-rooted beliefs. “But the deeper problem is why humans care so little about evidence, truth, and the well-being of others even when, in the end, their actions undermine themselves, their societies, and their world.” (Gee, 4).
In a perfect world, people would see these limitations and self-reflect. In a perfect world, we would put our beliefs aside and come together for the common good.
Gee, James P. (2013) The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students through Digital Learning. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan.
I have to agree with your theory that people would not change with knowledge. We live in a world where every fact is available to people, yet we ignore things that make us uncomfortable or that we don't personally agree with. It's like Gee states in his book, that humans will overlook factual evidence if their beliefs don't coincide with the information. It's a little disheartening to think about how difficult it can be to change something in society today!
ReplyDeleteI am also disheartened about how difficult it seems to be to make changes, even when trying to do it at the small local level of a school or community. When one thinks of it, recycling depots should pay for themselves and the need for landfills should diminish...but everyday I see someone throw out something that should be recycled. Thus tying back into your idea of Hypocrisy because everyone is pro recycling it seems until it is inconvenient for them to do.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Lauren. It is clear to me that you have thought critically about Gee and his ideas. I, too, feel (unfortunately) that little would change even if people were aware of these limitations. This is one of my struggles with what Gee proposes (or attempts to propose) as the catalyst for change. Perhaps there would be an evolutionary type of change that could occur if enough people were to really acclimate themselves to the limitations and pass down this knowledge to other generations, then over time change could occur. Your post is organized and thoughtful. I appreciate the way you have clearly presented Gee's views and countered or supported them with your own strong thinking. I look forward to reading more about your thinking next week as you continue to explore this book. Well done.
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