Great tools for curiosity: Discrepant Events

What is a Discrepant event?

Discrepant events, or a Conceptual Conflict, are situations or scenarios where what one observes does not match what one would expect to observe. It is a paradoxical event that clashes with what the observer knows to be true, essentially throwing a wrench in their cognitive gears. When this happens, the general reaction is a discomforting curiosity that leads the observer on a path to reach a kind of equilibrium or solace. In the case of its use in science education, the students (observers) were motivated to figure out the trick or understand why the event didn’t make sense. Students who were generally disengaged or unmotivated were also lured into the educational trap! Students just couldn’t stand not knowing how it all worked and this lead to a change in their mindset in the classroom. It lead to the mindset that so many teachers seek to instill in their students: wonder, curiosity, and a desire to overcome the challenge. Teachers who can present the right challenge to students in the right fashion can have profound effects on their students.

                I had a teacher like this once, an 8^th grade Biology teacher with a crazy personality and an even crazier taste in pants. I heard about this teacher within a week of starting classes in the school. It seemed like everyone knew him, liked him, and wanted desperately to be in his class. After I heard his name buzzing around for long enough, I walked over to his classroom to see what all the fuss was about. Sure enough, the lair of a mad scientist with a soft spot for critters, specifically snakes. I saw rabbits, several snakes, various rodents, and all manner of beakers, burners, and cool scientific stuff. It looked like a classroom I wanted to be in, but it wasn’t the pets or even all the cool gadgets littered throughout the room. It was him, Mr. Granderson. He had a reputation for blowing stuff up and doing crazy demonstrations in his classroom, a reputation I was lucky enough to confirm when I took his class the next year. He didn’t just blow things up, set them on fire, and entertain us until our hearts were content, he challenged us. Many of his little demonstrations were discrepant events, leaving us perplexed and itching to learn. This drive is the result of the application of discrepant events in the classroom.