Have you ever experienced cognitive dissonance, when what you believed did not match with reality in an unsettling way? What did you choose to do in that situation? Did you embrace the new idea, the new normal excited to explore the new world of possibilities? Or, did you feel your heart begin to crumble and your mind clenched tighter to the comfort of what you knew to be true?
It has always been my philosophy in life and as a teacher that mistakes and failures are opportunities for growth and future success. So, it is with chagrin that I was faced with the knowledge that I may have completely misunderstood the design of the culminating project for my class. As a struggled with doubt, fear, and frustration, my group members patiently asked me to explain my project. They took the time to give me honest feedback and demonstrated to me the design of the project. Through their guidance, I was able to see that I was on the right track.
What happened is typical of many students. I focused on the end product and trying to reach my goal, instead of focusing on the process. The activity was designed to cause the learner to question, dig deeper, revise their thinking and continue to explore the concept. I was still in the inquiry stage of the project. Because I was focused on the end product, I was unprepared to experience the cognitive dissonance that inquiry based research creates. Today’s session of TeachShift! forced me to struggle and tackle issues that were more complex than I had assumed, so that I would question and research further to find a better solution to the problem that I was trying to solve with this project.
In the future, when I experience the gut wrenching moment when I realize my strongly held beliefs are wrong, I will take a deep breath, seek the guidance of my colleagues and dig deeper into research related to the issue at hand.
Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. – Pele
Capturing A Rainbow in a Cup 
Working as a team or having that person or mentor to go to is valuable, especially when we we become overwhelmed. Often at the end of the school day, our team comes together to debrief – it helps our mindset.
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Wow! I’m glad to hear that it was a learning experience and that your research is coming along. I was really questioning this as I read it: How do we prepare students for this type of experience? What ways can I rethink or “shift” the way I am planning my own lessons so I don’t run into this experience?
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I love that you were able to make a connection and empathize with your students as you progressed through this difficult moment. Such an important realization to have. I think it would be great for you to share this experience with your students and talk with them about how you worked through it.
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Malia, I know it’s not the first time that this has happend, and it won’t be the last. Most of my life is spent in the fog between what I know and what I see. The older I get, the thicker the fog. In the end, it’s about staying the course and improving as a teacher. Keep it up.
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