Biases and Those They Hurt the Most

Very few people care to think that they could possibly have any form of bias, especially among educators. But the fact remains that in our culture there is a very common bias that almost all of us have fallen for at some point in our lives, often among educators especially.

The article I read spoke of the "natural bias", the idea that we often put more trust and support into "naturals" rather than in those who we know physically work to get where they are. Educators fall to this trap often when a student does "naturally" well on a test. If the teacher praises that student before the class, such an act can understandably bring a lot of harm to the work ethic of the other students.

A recent survey done among musical high school students who were asked whether they valued natural or built talent. The majority claimed to support talent built up over time, as they claimed that someone who practices to become great may overcome the natural with time.

We all have our occasional biases. I've fallen to the natural bias as well. The important thing to remember is to not publicly praise someone for their work by degrading the other students. Rather, encourage those "naturals" to join the rest of the class by challenging them. Ask them, "How could you do that better?" With any luck, they'll become another tinkerer, like the rest.