Teacher Thoughts #3

What is the Ikea effect and are you letting this bias derail your instruction?

We (teachers) spend so much time creating and designing lessons and the classroom environment that it’s somewhat inevitable we will be somewhat emotionally attached to their use in the classroom. This makes many of us a little biased when it comes to the actual value of the tool or handout or presentation or bulletin board. I mean, I’m a professional and I took the time to create this activity…it must be good and anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t understand teaching or learning.

Sound maybe a little familiar?

Well, this sort of thinking leads to a cognitive bias called the Ikea effect: placing a higher value on something you had a hand in creating. As you probably expected, its name comes from people more greatly valuing the furniture they assembled themselves (from some Swedish manufacturer) than furniture they did not assemble.

I have also noticed this outside the classroom in my own life. Most of the time, my wife makes our dinner, but occasionally the job falls to dad. I know that when I prepare the meal, I somehow feel like it is just a smidge better because I know the time and effort that went into it and I did it. And no one should criticize this obviously Michelin star level dish.

Unfortunately, the same thing happens in the classroom with teachers.