What I found most striking in this chapter is the amount of angles from which education can be looked from. Typically, I judge my education based off of three things:
- How much did I learn?
- Was it interesting?
- Was it interactive?
After reading chapter three, however, I realized that there is much more to educating than just those three factors. There is the importance of having multiple modes of learning. There is even importance in assessing a student’s prior knowledge, and if it’s faulty, to correct that knowledge. This is referred to as “juxtaposition” by the text. Having all these new aspects to consider makes me appreciate the multifaceted nature of educating. It’s a complex field to understand, and I have a deeper understanding of how educators need to account for many variables to make sure their teaching is on par.
I believe that juxtaposition is one of the most important of these variables to include in education. Having the element of surprise in teaching can keep students on their feet and constantly interested in what they’re learning. One of the most boring things for a student to experience is learning something that they already know or don’t care about. But if you surprise them with information which contradicts their preconceived understanding, it wakes them up and alerts them. In essence, a surprising juxtaposition to prior knowledge is a stimulant.
Humans tend to fall into a phenomenon known as “hedonic adaptation,” which means we quickly grow accustomed to pleasure from the external world. We lose the excitement of having a new television within a few weeks of its purchase. Look at an amazing view every day, and after a while the view will cease to be as amazing. We build tolerance and constantly need new stimulation to excite ourselves. In a way, this breeds progress. Within the context of hedonic adaptation, juxtaposition is a great tool for education. It finds a way around our tendency to adapt to stimuli by constantly surprising us with new facts.
The same can be said for making learning interactive, hands on, and social. Each of the case studies in the chapter spoke to how alluring science with these qualities can be, with the participants getting much enjoyment. One of the most interesting case studies was the skeleton exhibit. As you cycled a stationary bike, a mirror to your side would overlay your skeleton onto your reflection, allowing you to see its movement in real time. According to Surrounded by Science, “Of the 93 children in the sample, 96 percent correctly drew skeletons whose bones began or ended at the joints of the body.” This is proof of how engaging and effective hands-on science is.
