Cognitive Capacity #3 - Perspective Taking

It has been over 10 years now since I completed my thesis, and during this time we have seen greater and greater strains put on the system of public education.  Covid 19, lead to hybrid learning, which caused an even greater disconnect between teachers and students.  The CCSS continues to this day, and teachers are boxed in to content that doesn't connect with the students, and locked into pacing guides that force superficial coverage of content.  The system is completely disconnected from the students.

There is another way. The analysis of the interviews with scientists and educators points directly to how we must consider not what we teach, but how we teach in order to develop cognitive abilities.  These cognitive abilities will continue to serve the student for years to come, while simple facts will fade from memory. 

In the original analysis of the data, or perhaps mainly to create a simple version summary table, there were onl 11 examples of cognitive capacity. we needed to address.  Perspective taking was not on the list, but infact it was an important part of many of the conversations.  Today, I can see that it is clearly one of the most critical cognitive capacities to develop. 

​Perspective taking is so necessary in our divided world.  We have become a culture of narcissits who require perfect mirroring of one another.  If we do not receive the perfect mirror of our beliefs, we cut off all communication and connection.  This is the opposite of what a healthy society looks like.  Clearly, this type of narcissitic demand on people only leads to division and enmity.not

The capacity for perspective taking allows our youth to be able to hold various truths without these becoming burdonsome to their own values.  I can honor and respect a muslim woman who believes that to show your body or even your hair displeases God, while at the same time I can keep my own belief that God loves our human form and glories in its beauty.  The ability to honor multiple perspectives allows for deeper conversations to emerge.  We do not get caught up or defensive about our own beliefs and how they differ from another, but we can start to look for the places of agreement between us.

This will help us define our shared moral values, and those are the ones that can be used to help us create social norms.  We can look honestly at where we agree, and when we find differences, we can deepen our understanding of the other person and deepen our understanding of the world.  

When we are able to see each other and honor them, we will live in a more peaceful world and learn to see the beauty in our diverse ways of seeing and being in the world.