Final Reflections - Jason Peterson

My self-directed learning

The learning section of this semester occasionally felt like trying to drink from a fire hose; whatever happened to stick really well were generally the things that I felt were most significant. The activities/research I embarked upon that held the most import as far as understanding the historical periods better were watching the Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will, and studying Wealth of Nations & the Communist Manifesto.

Triumph of the Will was critical, as everything I see and hear about WW2 has always been from an American/Allies point of view. It is often easy to dehumanize or devalue the experience of the "others," especially in this situation when they are universally condemned as being morally wrong along with having lost the war. This film opened my eyes to how a whole other side of human experience is often hiding behind the schemas of my ethnocentric mind.

Literacy: Timeless Skill, Contemporary Skillset

Our world is as fluid as an airplane beverage during turbulence. Due to the ever-shifting nature of communication, it is essential to develop methods of sifting through, confirming, and effectively using the massive amount of data available to us. Since all communication-related problems cannot be discussed in such a short video, we have prepared a presentation to introduce our arguments in more detail. Our hope is that this project may be used as your own springboard for thinking about the world around you.

• Eli discusses the consequences of falling victim to confirmation bias
• Jason introduces dialectical thinking as a way to open new doors to information
• Sarah applies communicative reasoning to our educational institution
• Jordan provides new tools and suggestions for how to sort and filter through information

21st Century Literacy - Dialectical Thinking

Intro: How Dialectical Thinking Can Save the Universe!

Have you ever wondered how Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith might have turned out had Obi-Wan and Anakin really put effort into thinking dialectically? Watch the video below... and then read on for more!

A Bit About Me

Me with my beautiful wife, we have been married for about 3 years!

I believe that if individuals and organizations put concerted effort into thinking dialectically, minds would be expanded, wars would be avoided, and society overall would progress at a much faster rate!

Now, before we dive into the nitty-gritty, I would like to relate why the concept of dialectical thinking is personally relevant to me. As a Mormon, Feminist, and Psychologist-in-training, I tend to get into a lot of involved discussions on a wide variety of hot topics. This happened just the other day, in a scenario that might sound extremely familiar to you!

Dialectical Thinking Rev 3 (With Video Intro)

Intro: How Dialectical Thinking Can Save the Universe!

Have you ever wondered how Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith might have turned out had Obi-Wan and Anakin really put effort into thinking dialectically? Watch the video below...

(Keep the volume turned down low and read the captions, Anakin's voice during the last half of the video is very loud.)

If dialectical thinking could save an entire galaxy, you should definitely consider learning more about it - read on!

A Bit About Me

Me with my beautiful wife, we have been married for about 3 years!

First I want to relate why the concept of dialectical thinking is personally relevant to me. As a Mormon, Feminist, and Psychologist-in-training, I tend to get into a lot of involved discussions on a wide variety of hot topics. This happened just the other day, in a scenario that might sound extremely familiar to you!

1. I post something on [insert social media platform here].
2. Others comment, some with agitated contradictory remarks.
3. I try to explain where I am coming from, since it seems they aren't getting that.
4. The whole thing spins out of control and morphs into a crazy argument that I have no interest in but is incredibly hard to end, and now everybody's day is worse, friendships are strained, and nobody has learned anything.

I am no saint here, and I have probably spent the first 90% of my life more like the aggressive commentator than the (hopefully) thoughtful original poster! But whomever the perpetrator is, it's unfortunate just how often we see this kind of unpleasant dialogue break out isn't it? Often at least one, if not all people involved, could be compared to a sailor, clinging to the last remnants of their sinking ship, seemingly only interested only in proving themselves correct.

Image from here.

Learning Does Not Equal Losing!

In a TED talk by Daniel Cohen (2013, Colby College), he talks about how we often percieve argument in a very warlike, adversarial framing. Imagine for a moment that two individuals have a discussion where Person A has an idea/concept, and Person B brings up a multitude of objections/questions to challenge that concept; Person A explains them all with a degree of competence, and thus Person B walks away with a deeper respect for - or maybe even, gasp! believing in - Person A's idea. Most, if asked to judge this interaction, would say that Person A "won" this argument. This mindset betrays the underlying concept that to learn is to lose. Furthermore, in a TED talk by Jesse Richardson (2014, Brisbane) he states that humans have a tendency to feel like it's very bad to be wrong. He opines that it would be good for us to learn that the ideas we hold are not us, and that we shouldn't feel the need to defend them to the death; rather, it is liberating and will fundamentally change our approach to the world if we allow ourselves to change our ideas.

Image from here.

Dialectical Thinking And Government

What might the world be like if we all decided to believe a certain ideology and then were never open to alternative viewpoints? Probably much like what the US Congress looks like these days! Almost 90% of Americans agree that the senate does not function as it should. On November 17th 2015, James Matheson (the only Democratic legistlative representative from Utah of his time, and co-chair of the Blue Dog coalition) stated his belief that this gridlock is because the Constitution was designed to facilitate compromise between various ideas and groups, so when our legislators are polarized/unwilling to think & act dialectically, the lack of compromise and cooperation across the "aisle" means that nothing gets accomplished.

Image from here.

This is why we must be capable of thinking dialectically!

And "Dialectical" Means...?

"Dialectical thinking" means to be capable and willing to understand and recognize the truth behind opposing viewpoints. Not only that, but it means that you are willing to find a solution that meets the needs of both opposing views. When people think dialectically, a healthy dialogue is able to occur where each side is examined and understood objectively, and it actually leads to consistently functional, healthy results!

            

Image from here.

The consequences of not thinking dialectically are worse than simply not accomplishing things, however...

Why It Matters

The psychological term for the way someone processes information when they are not able or willing to think dialectically is confirmation bias. This refers to mankind's natural tendency to filter out information they are exposed to through a process that weeds out/ignores facts, evidence and ideas that may be at odds with their own, and to emphasize information that supports their own viewpoints. If we are not aware of and put effort into avoiding these tendencies, we are no longer capable of seeing the objective world around us, instead inhabiting a self-supportive fantasy world where everything works the way we want it to work. When confirmation bias rules our perception, instead of arguing opposing views in order to reach a workable well-rounded compromise, arguing opposing views becomes an exercise in futility and an act of aggression.

Image from here.

This will in turn push people apart and create a feeling of otherness, lending towards dehumanizing the "others," and as any student of history may tell you, these are the first steps which have been taken towards any meaningless conflict in history!

Explosion of Communication

Image from here.

We are entering an age of unparalleled facilitation of communication, and like any technological revolution, it brings with it a higher level of opportunity for amazing advances, as well as much more painful consequences for failure. With the click of a mouse (or tap on my phone) I can be exposed to an astoundingly wide variety of ideas, and then (with a considerable amount of dedicated effort) use an understanding of those in figuring out what the best solution for any problem might be. In contrast, much more easily, I can learn about these other ways of thinking just enough to decide that I disagree with them and strengthen my own convictions that my worldview is absolutely right, and maybe even that I should do whatever is in my power to get others to conform to it.

Importance Of Literacy

Image from here.

If we are not capable of interpreting and understanding information and ideas objectively, then we will feel constantly threatened by alternative ideas. Instead of advancing and progressing, we will remain stuck or even regress. Instead, let's emulate the examples of our founding fathers; when they worked on the Constitution together they debated endlessly and passionately on topics which they held of the utmost importance such as federalism, limits of government, and the design of checks & balances. Yet in the end, even though many of heir opinions were directly in opposition, they were willing to give value and credence enough to their peer's concerns to recognize that they were valid, and thus they penned one document which was adequate enough at compromising between all parties that it was signed into law and has served as the backbone of this country ever since.

Image from here.

Critical thinking is difficult and takes a lot of attention and effort, but I believe that the progress we are capable of making both as individuals and as a society at large will be well worth the sacrifice!

Building Literacy in a New Age: Skills and Suggestions

There is an enormous amount of information available today, with a nearly unfathomable additions every day. It is impossible for an individual to sift through this information, causing us to rely on synthesized data from other sources. Taking information in second-hand, however, leads to problems, and to be able to use and understand information (to be literate) in such an environment, we need some tools. For a brief overview of this information, pursue this visual summary:

A quick video introducing everything is also below.

For more details, read on.

Amateurs in the Political World

They didn't give me a sticker for voting tonight, and I wanted one, so I made myself one!

Whew, caucusing is hard work guys! Standing in line for 3 hours to put your little drop in the bucket is not an incredibly enticing prospect, but boy was it a valuable experience.


By the nature of this being the first presidential election I was not on my mission during, this is the first opportunity I have had to be really politically engaged during a major election cycle, and I have been learning so much.


Here's the thing about my voting experience, though: the learning has been difficult. I'm not talking about learning about the candidates, I'm just talking about learning how to vote! Searching as thoroughly as I could, I found little-to-vague information on how exactly I can register to vote, how exactly a caucus works, where it would be, or how long it would go, let alone how to make it a good experience.


If information like this is largely unavailable, how can our citizens feel prepared to participate? I had many friends who did not go because they misunderstood the requirements for attending! There are so many roadblocks in the way of the average citizen (essentially the equivalent of an amateur, as discussed in class) being civilly active as it is, this seems like a fairly simple thing we could develop a solution for - a simple, thorough guide on what to expect from the experience, and how it works.

My brother and I at the Democratic Caucus! 3/22/16

So, this is what I have resolved to do: I am going to borrow a page from the success of amateurs in the 21st century and collaborate with my other fellow amateurs to create something that will be useful in helping us all become a little more skilled like the professionals (after all, isn't that what politics in the US is supposed to be all about, putting the power in the people's hands?). I am going to become active as a volunteer with the local political organizations, and help them with just what the name for that group implies they should be - being well organized. Along with volunteering locally, I am going to interview other who went to caucuses and then create a blog post that walks through my caucus experience, borrowing from added info from others who were there, and explains what to expect and how to be prepared.


My hope is that my post will be helpful and insightful enough that it assists at least a few to be more involved next time this comes around!

Building New Literacy in a new way: proposed videoscript

We have previously posted the brief summary of our group project on 21st Century Literacy. We actually condensed a larger script down, and felt that we should post the full script below, with some extra visuals. Enjoy! 

Building New Literacy in a New Age: Proposed Format

In periods of transition, many people naturally try to solve new problems in old ways.

They usually fail.

Literacy, in its traditional sense, is viewed as an important indicator of how well someone can function in society. Likewise, in the Age of Information, new literacy skills need to be developed. 

In our section of a larger class project, not only do we wish to show the need for these skills, but we also want to further develop them in ourselves. Multi-media platforms are an excellent way to spread information.

Consider the above video from YouTube channel SciShow.  

Dialectical Thinking - Video Claim

So I have not got specific feedback on my video yet besides "likes," but I have been sharing my last blog post and getting lots of feedback! I have not had anyone directly disagree with my argument yet unfortunately, but I have had people talk about how the idea I am proposing has limits and exceptions, which I feel makes it discussable and interesting enough that I feel I can keep moving forward with it.

Everyone so far that I've talked to in person has stated that they find the topic interesting and thought-provoking. So far the groups I have consulted I would categorize as "homies" and "peers." I want to strengthen the "punch" of my argument by better outlining consequences of success or failure.

Dialectical Thinking - Modern Literacy (Rev 2)

A Bit About Me!

First I want to relate why the concept of dialectical thinking is personally relevant to me. As both a Mormon and an intersectional Feminist, I tend to get into a lot of deep discussions on a wide variety of issues. The people I am discussing with usually have some very incorrect preconceptions about what I believe, which manifest quickly in conversation. Now, I don't see this as a problem, but an opportunity for us to get to understand each other better! However, all too often I find that as I try to respectfully explore and clear up misconceptions that we both might have, my peer is rarely interested in hearing it; rather, they stick to their beliefs like a sailor to the last remnants of a sinking ship, and seem interested only in proving themselves correct.

Image from here.

Does this situation sound familiar at all to you? My guess is that it does...

Project Log: Jason Peterson

I am Jason Peterson, and I will be using this log to track my progress on both my group and individual project.

Dialectical Thinking - Modern Literacy

A Bit About Me!

First I want to relate why the concept of dialectical thinking is personally relevant to me. As both a Mormon and a Feminist, I tend to get into a lot of deep discussions on a wide variety of issues. The people I am discussing with usually have some very incorrect notions about what I believe, which manifest quickly. Now I don't see this as a problem, but an opportunity for us to get to understand each other better! However, all too often I find that as I try to respectfully explore and clear up misconceptions that we both might have, my peer is rarely interested in hearing it; rather, they stick to their beliefs like a sailor to the last remnants of a sinking ship, and seem interested only in proving themselves correct.

Image from here.

Sound familiar at all to you? My guess is that it does...

Engaging Humanity - SLAM Poetry (Spoken Word)

Spoken Word Poetry is all about engaging humanity at it's deepest level... both the poet and the audience. Their goal is always to be FELT so deeply that is changes who you are in some fundamental way - and is not positive change the purpose behind everything we do as scientists and scholars? As communicators?

We may not be composing poems, but there is much we can learn and potentially apply to not only how we construct our presentation, but from where we approach it as well.

Interestingly, this Spoken Word poem actually starts out a TED talk! Listen until 3:45.

Dialectical Thinking and Society

My name is Jason Peterson. I am a BYU student studying psychology, and have been married for 2 years. I am an intersectional feminist, and want to make the world a better place! Today I would like to outline one way we might be able to accomplish this together.