The thing is – we don’t even know that this is true until we are forced to face it.

Now, I know it’s a general comment, and it can fit so many different scenarios.  What brought this to mind was an mid-term that I gave today.  Normally you are given a text on the concepts that were taught in the lectures.  You spit back the information – you might even have to do some thinking to do so, but you either fill in the blanks or write as much as you can to arrive at an answer.  That’s  typical test right.

I gave one today that was mostly pictures.  My students had to not only know the concept, but then match the concept to a corresponding picture.  It’s much harder than it sounds.  Some of them even said it was fun.  It definitely allows them to access a different part of their brain than they are normally used to doing.  They did not know how to study for this, and I even told them that it was not going to be easy.  They did not know what that meant when they were study, but they get it now.  It was great to see their faces and a few of them would look up at me and just had this confused look.

You may like to learn, but in the way that you know how to learn.  It’s great to be challenged to learn and think in a new way.

When you’re programmed to do it one way, other ways seem wrong or weird.  Just saying.