I am empathetic when speaking with new teachers. During the induction stage of teaching, the rookies want to figure out how to balance the mechanics of the classroom, have fun with the students, and think about creative ways to produce good student outcomes. Teachers at this stage often struggle with an issue called cognitive entrenchment: a state of mind in which you believe you have gained so much knowledge in an area that you begin to take for granted norms that should be questioned. On one hand, this helps the new teacher build comfort, stability, efficiency, and a sense of expertise. Conversely, creating a cozy status quo which reinforces its own truths deters the teacher from notions of innovation by challenging assumptions that would benefit the student. A particular moment in my own teaching illustrates this idea.

While teaching in the 1990s at a high school, I read that long tests tend to benefit certain students and cause others to feel helpless, frustrated, and negative. The research I read showed that more authentic exercises with greater student engagement were both less stressful for students and more reliable for building student confidence in the topic being assessed. My students were relieved to avoid 45-minute tests on an entire unit of material, and they embraced shorter projects, quizzes, and oral reports to demonstrate knowledge. At the time, I considered the change in assessment a liberation from my own Jewish day school wounds and a more empathetic approach to the students. I even included bonus points for answers that demonstrated wit and comedy to encourage a lighter feeling while under duress. When I encountered other testing methods, I measured them using my methods as the standard. 

With my developed cognitive entrenchment, I sought out minor improvements to my constructs, since I believed that I had vetted my constructs and found them strong. I was unwilling to consider adapting too much to a new situation or a different group of students. I showed a disinclination to other viewpoints and shied away from seeking new knowledge that felt uncomfortable. 

However, my previous students shook me from this cocoon state. I spoke with former students regularly to discover what worked well and what worked less well in the classroom. I discovered that even with my “enlightened” way of teaching and evaluation, some students left my year of classes lacking passion for the topics. Some who earned good grades only succeeded for success’ sake while others just gave up. With this information in hand, I could either accept their reports while congratulating myself on my expertise - a strategy which would blame the failed students for their own apathy or lack of resilience - or, I could become curious as to what caused the failures in my system, holding the system, rather than the student, culpable. By taking student feedback seriously and sharpening my empathy and interest in student development, these revelations motivated me to leave a situated course of action and challenge my assumptions in teaching and assessing.

Cognitive entrenchment comprises both benefits and detriments. On one hand, developing personal truths and effective methods makes a teacher feel confident about the art of teaching. On the other hand, being immune to professional development and growth stunts a teacher’s capacity. So, in order to see if the situation needs to change, consider the following: Once every six months, find a partner who is a good listener and explain your core theory of classroom dynamics. Clarify how your values lead to the methods you use in the classroom both to create a learning environment and assess the transformation in the students from the beginning of the year. At the end, see if this schema serves both student and teacher goals. It worked for me; when I realized my schema was out of alignment, it was, indeed, a moment of growth.