As I involved myself in the discussion of APPR and its relation to fixed mindset/growth mindset, I found myself thinking back to the idea of groupthink, which was touched upon in this chapter. All of the drive to root out all of the ineffective teachers, and to punish those who are not proficient, seems to have come from a sort of groupthink that has been popularized by several media sources. The quote I found to begin the discussion on groupthink was this:
"In the early 1970s, Irving Janis popularized the term groupthink. It's when everyone in a group starts thinking alike. No one disagrees. No one takes a critical stance. It can lead to catastrophic decisions, and as the Wood study suggests, it often can come right out of a fixed mindset." (134)
I find myself wondering if our politicians are all caught up in groupthink at this point. If they are, what remedies might exist for educators to push back? I am not completely sure that this term applies to the present situation, but it is what I started thinking about as I read the comments from the other posts.
Interesting line of thinking, Justin. Since most of the politicians have their own agendas it is easy to think that the groupthink mentality is prevalent in that culture. They go along with the person in charge to further their own agenda even if it isn't what is best. As far as mindset is concerned I am not sure whether it comes from a fixed one or just the fact that they want their voice to be heard and think the only way is to go along with it and not make waves.
ReplyDeleteI really hate when I hit publish and my text disappears!
ReplyDeletePg 135-136 - Group think can also happen when a fixed mindset leader punishes dissent. People may not stop thinking critically, but they stop speaking up.
ReplyDeleteThese groups become very powerful. people believe in the what they say. They stop listening to both sides of the story. They stop thinking critically and researching for themselves. People stop voting. Money exchanges hands, corporations make dirty deals, budgets get passed, the middle class gets passed over, education gets screwed while people with yachts get a tax break. Makes one want to puke.
Why is it so much easier to live in the illusions created by these groupthink - fix mindset leaders than to see the reality that smacking you in the face?