Fast and Slow Learning in the 21st Century:

Ideas and Tools for Improving Ed Reform, Teaching, and Learning

Dr. Gustavo E. Fischman & Dr. Eric M. HaasProfessor Independent ResearcherArizona State University

Excellence in Education: Building a Brighter Future

Phoenix, AZSeptember 22 – 23, 2014

AbstractThis presentation provides ideas and tools for improving decisions about which education ideas will likely improve teacher practice and student learning. Drawing on research in cognitive science, the presentation discusses how both our automatic fast thinking and our deliberate slow thinking are involved in our learning and how both affect our decision making about education. Interactive activities help participants experience their fast and slow thinking. An “Education MADness” test is provided for participants to use in determining which education policies and practices will likely be effective, which will likely be ineffective, and why.

How did you learn that?

Think of something you’re good at.

How do people learn something?

How did we learn to do what we’re good at?

How do people learn something?

How did we learn to do what we’re good at?

By constructing knowledge. By fitting new experiences into the mental models we already have or by reconfiguring mental models

Among other by participating in •Mentored practices on the whole activity•Practices and reflection on the big picture•Practices that payed attention on the little details

In 1 minute . . .

draw a math class

Two ways to think about learning and teaching

Which one represents your way of learning?

Which one represents what goes on in your school?

The Conduit Model

Teachers are info

depositors

Words are vessels for objective meaning

Minds are empty

Conduit-Empty Vessel Logic

• Authority A in the name of society decides that Knowledge K is important

• A selects teacher B with lots of K to deliver to student X who doesn’t have any K

• B gives K to X

• If X doesn’t “get K”, then it is X’s problem

Learning is Growth(better, yet imperfect metaphor)

Minds or Brains are Soil

Ideas/Understandings/Students are Plants

Growth Metaphor Logic

• People construct their understandings

• People need supports to construct accurate or expert understandings/abilities

•High expectations•Sufficient supports•Strong relationships

Many practices are rightly wrong

Because they are based on models

—prototypes and metaphors—

that feel right

but are fundamentally wrong

Why the disconnect?

Sometimes things are obviously bad ideas

You know it in your gut and it is still obviously bad the more you think about it

Sometimes what feels right initially, when you think about it a bit more slowly isn’t really a good idea

And, things that are smart ideas when you think about them slowly, should feel good initially too

Being an expert is getting your fast and slow thinking aligned and working together

Recognizing smart and dumb ideas initially so that your decisions also stand up to the scrutiny of slow deliberations

How often have we actively or inadvertently

thought, talked, and acted as if teaching as direct transmission is

true?

How can we avoid the rightly wrong

temptation of using the Conduit-Empty Vessel

Metaphor?

Rethink Rationality

David.Plunkert.image_.via_.NYT_.11-27-11

What’s in common?

Both math lessons?

What do you see?

Can you read this?Can yuo raed tihs? Are yuo srpruesid?

You can aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht you are rdanieg. In fcat, if yuo are fulnet in Egnislh you cnnaot not raed tihs. Yuor bairn rdaes this atoullimatacy and yuo conant sotp ylsouerf. Amzanig, huh?

Yo ca re d t is jus fin , too. Eve with t e miss g l tt rs.

In sum . . .• We automatically construct knowledge;

we can’t stop making or using our mental models

• Our mental models are not always accurate;

fast and slow thinking can disagree

• Our mental models include judgments:

good or bad; smart or dumb

MADness TestApply to any educational

proposal

Misunderstand how people learn ?

Apply (rightly wrong) ideas as silver bullets ?

Disregard (contrary) evidence (consistently and stubbornly) ?

Does it . . .

Promote Smart Ideas

Ones with little of no credible evidence

of likely success

Ones supported by credible evidence of likely success

Avoid Dumb Ideas

Apply MADness

• At your table, select one reform

• Apply the MADness test

• Share & Discuss

Madness TestApply to any educational

proposal

Misunderstand how people learn ?

Apply (rightly wrong) ideas as silver bullets ?

Disregard (contrary) evidence (consistently and stubbornly) ?

Does it . . .

Let’s continue this conversation!

Thanks!Dr. Gustavo Fischman fischman@asu.edu

• ORCID: 0000-0003-3853-9856

Dr. Eric Haas haaseric@gmail.com