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Cognitive Dissonance - adapting to new information



The last year or so has shown us all a lot about the world we live in and the people we share it with. It's interesting to see how tightly individuals may cling to ideas or beliefs that have later been shown to be inaccurate and have been updated. That's the scientific method in a nutshell - make a prediction, test it, learn something, adjust. Math works the same way, but I'm seeing that the "adjust" step is becoming harder and harder for students to make. 

I had an experience in my Algebra class that sort of outlined the apparent push to reject what is proven in favor of what makes us comfortable (more about that in the video) and it got me thinking.
This whole math education thing (or compulsory schooling in general) isn't about cramming kids' heads full of information. It's more about opening them up to conflicting ideas (cognitive dissonance for all you psychology/education fans out there) and giving them the tools to determine true from false, fact from fiction in a way that makes them better people overall (or better game show contestants!). 


So, would you stick or switch? Trust your gut or trust the data? 


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