Willful blindness is a cognitive bias that explains ‘the deliberate avoidance of knowledge of the facts.’
if there’s information that you could know and you should know but you somehow manage not to know, the law deems that you’re willfully blind. You have chosen not to know.
What are you wilfully blind to? — Forward Institute
What Harm Might We Cause
Just recently, I learned of a school leader pushing the idea of learning styles. They used the flawed concept and strategies to frame student needs.
Readings and examples that explained the issue were ignored. They chose not to know.
Ideology powerfully masks what, to the uncaptivated mind, is obvious, dangerous, or absurd and there’s much about how, and even where, we live that leaves us in the dark. Fear of conflict, fear of change keeps us that way.
Why We Ignore the Obvious: The Psychology of Willful Blindness – Brain Pickings
Every minute counts with students; that is why these mental models are essential. We have to peer into our gloomy thinking shadows and ask:
- What harm might we cause?
- What am I missing here?
Conscious Avoidance of the Truth
According to Margaret Heffernan, as much as 85% of employees report people are afraid to raise issues at work.
This compulsion not to rock the boat is a survival impulse that protects us from conflict and confrontation. “We can’t notice and know everything”.
We mostly admit the information that makes us feel great about ourselves, while conveniently filtering whatever unsettles our fragile egos and most vital beliefs. It’s a truism that love is blind; what’s less obvious is just how much evidence it can ignore.
How many issues and negative work habits in schools are ignored? Perhaps wellbeing and health are where willful blindness in education is most prevalent.
Your Talking Points
- How might we be wrong?
- What process might surface any negative work habits?
- How might we reduce the discomfort and fear of change?
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