Unskilled and Unaware

Unskilled and unaware: this is a topic that sparked my attention immediately. Throughout my life, I have encountered those who have truly believed that they were talented in something, but they were not. Even when given constructive criticism, these people failed to accept the fact that they were amateurish. It did not matter the circumstance or the person relaying this news, these people rejected any notion of unskilled. In part, this could be due to a sense of pride. However, this event could be generated by an even scarier notion: these people were purely unaware.

In short, being aware is simply not having the knowledge of something. And I believe that it is here that one may experience “the illusion of learning”. This illusion, much like the illusion of competence as previously mentioned, is a sort of false understanding. Here, people honestly believe that they know something, but they do not. This is quite a scary thing to consider, for in these instances learning does not seem to take place.

Understanding these two illusions has changed my life, especially as a student. Now, I have realized that there may certain traps that I have fallen into; I may be personally experiences these illusion as I speak. With this in mind, I have tried to focus on changing my mindset.

As a student, I need to be willing to learn new things. In learning, I need to be willing to accept new ideas and concepts. Some of these ideas may not seem to fit with the schema that I have, causing disequilibrium, but this is something that I need to be willing to do. I believe such action requires trust, patience, and humility.

I must also accept the fact that I do not hold all the answers to things, and I am not correct in all things. With this, I need to be mindful when professors give advice. Rather that disregard this wisdom, I need to learn to apply what I have been taught.

With this information, I can change to better myself as a teacher. The following are three ways that I can implement what I have learned here:

1. If I recognize these illusions within my students, I must approach the situation in a sensitive manner. Rather than destroy a student’s self-esteem, I need to build them up. This means that I must come to the student in a loving manner. It is my job to help them grow and I must understand that.
2. In helping my students grow, I must also be aware of the damage that could come from these two illusions. With that in mind, I need not “beat around the bush” when I realize students are exhibiting characteristics of these two illusions. That being said, I cannot sugarcoat what needs to be said; I cannot be too nice.
3. In my assignments, I would like all of my students to exhibit and practice metacognition. If students can reflect upon their personal thinking, I believe that it will help these illusions dwindle.