Yes, we overthink. We overthink a lot. Instead of putting efforts where they are necessary, we waste a lot of time and energy thinking about consequences. It is weird but we are in a way taught to think like that. In general circumstances, I am pretty sure you heard a lot of people asking you, “Are you sure?” even if it is the right thing to do. Also, we don’t necessarily do anything unless it has some benefit for us. May be we should cater some time to (over)think about helping people around us. Interesting post!

Nice post. I like the structure of your post. The equity picture is a good representation of the unique teaching/learning interface for different people.

Like the cooking metaphor. Critical thinking needs to be both encouraged and tutored by the teacher.

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Love Armani’s example of replacing hand-holding with more inspiring questions.
Thank you for the post.

Thanks for sharing the experience of the Jigsaw. I however did not find it very useful for the way it was applied. I think that each of us wrote a piece of the assignment and then we put it together. As individual pieces they work, but as a one piece document, I find a lot more challenging. I think the assignment would have been more successful if we would have had more structure, or even a higher more defend assignment, this way, all of us would have contributed our part into one piece assignment, and not multiple segments within.

Thanks for your thoughts on critical Thinking, which is obviously an skill that needs to be paid attention in education. I would like to add that teaching, is a way to continuously learning, and critical pedagogy plays a role in making the goal of the class to acquire certain knowledge by the end of the term, rather than the instructor providing the knowledge tot he students. This way to see education, allows for students to critic and think deeper about the constructs build in class. .

I’m glad you highlighted the ‘humanizing’ aspect of CP. Reading last week about the ability of educational institutions to suppress the masses gave plenty of 1984 flashbacks: –

Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength

We must acknowledge the power we have as educators. Further, we should relinquish some of that power, as the CP approach advocates, to avoid any Distopian-style futures.

I agree, when we realize that teaching is about becoming a learning facilitator, rather than an expert that teaches information, we start creating learning communities within our classrooms, a community that emphasizes collaboration between classmates. I wonder what would have be the case if in the Armani example the professor would have not only adequate learning strategies to all the needs of the students, but also if how would have re-directed help to the class, calling on students to create an environment of mutual collaboration.

It is so bizarre to hear from multiple engineering students that there is not a strong experiential bent to teaching styles. As a spectator, engineering seems like the most hands-on, problem-solving based discipline of any! I would love to be an engineer (if I had the time or ability); you actually make things! I can’t think of anything more rewarding. Well maybe Paediatrician, but there is not many.
I used to live with a couple of engineers (in the UK mind) who were constantly working on assigned projects, building drones, pipes, bridges, etc. I had just assumed that this was the norm because it makes such intuitive sense, but evidently not. What is the engineers justification for ever deviating from such an approach?

I particularly liked the input of establishing interdisciplinary works and welcoming them to the engineering field. This is definitely missing in educating engineers and could immensely add to the current fundamentals being taught if incorporated in an appropriate way. Which could also help in reducing the education-workforce gap.