I want to look at bias, which can impact our ability to provide quality services and not “do the best I can”. There are several types of bias; I am choosing to focus this blog on “confirmation bias”. I feel this bias has particular relevance to our practice in schools. I know personally I have experienced it as a school-based practitioner.
From Science Daily (https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/confirmation_bias.htm) confirmation bias is defined as “In psychology and cognitive science, confirmation bias (or confirmatory bias) is a tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions, leading to statistical errors.”
Am I too confident in my presuppositions and beliefs regarding my student, his/her profile and or team dynamics? Am I thoroughly and objectively exploring the participation restrictions of a student? Am I processing information too simply and easily? Am I asking the right kind of questions? And engaging all stakeholders? Food for thought….
Next blog post will be exploring the types of questions we can utilize to strategically and effectively support our students and teams. Stay tuned.