Web 2.0 and the Fragile Mind

Last fall, Jarik Conrad came to the International School of Bangkok and discussed emotional intelligence and its impact on student learning. One question his novel, "The Fragile Mind: How It Has Produced and Unwittingly Perpetuates America's Tragic Disparities," explores is: Why do some people born into difficult circumstances succeed in life where others fail?

Allow me to to take this question one step further: Why do some students succeed in school where others fail?



Conrad sites a a table by Dr. Ruby Payne that lays out the hidden rules among classes. Conrad states, "The fact that people from different groups can almost predictably fall into these patterns right down to their attire is no coincidence; it has all to do with genetics and experience" (Conrad 87). As educators we can apply a very similar table to our students today.

See below:

Hidden Rules of Student Achievement (adapted by D.S. Watts)

	Low-End Achiever	Average Student	High-End Achiever
Knowledge	To be regurgitated.	To be managed.	To be consumed.
Language	Language is about survival.	Language is about negotiation.	Language is about networking.
Homework	Key question: Did you do it? Quantity important.	Key question: Did you complete the assignment? Quality important.	Key question: Did you present it well? Presentation important.
Popularity	Popularity and acceptance conditional, based upon whether individual is liked.	Popularity and acceptance conditional and based largely upon achievement.	Popularity and acceptance conditional and related to social standing and connections.
Time	Present most important. Decisions made for moment based on feelings or survival.	Future most important. Decisions made against future ramifications.	Traditions and history most important. Decisions made partially on basis of tradition or decorum.
Education/ School	Is forced.	Is expected.	Is for the future.
World View	Sees world in terms of local view.	Sees world in terms of national view.	Sees world in terms of international view.
View of Higher Education	Valued and revered as abstract but not as reality.	Crucial for climbing success ladder and making money.	Necessary tradition for making and maintaining connections.
Driving Forces	Survival, relationships, entertainment.	Work, achievement.	Financial, political, social connections.
Destiny	Believes in fate. Cannot do much to mitigate chance.	Believes in choice. Can affect future with good choices now.	Believes in change. Can contribute to future by action.

Adapted from A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne, 2005, Highlands, TX


If students fall into these predictable patterns of behavior, web 2.0 has the possibility to begin to dissolve these patterns and open up the rich experience of education to students of different socio-economic backgrounds and learning levels.



Pure intellect does not account for each student's success. With web 2.0, the emotional intelligence of a student can prosper at a rate we have yet to really see materialize in this generation. This technology can help students feel as if they are in control of their success despite their environment. Only the future can prove to academia and society if the future of technology can help fuse the needs of a growing and diverse population through Personal Learning Networks (PLN).



Web 2.0 in the classroom could bridge the racial disparities in education, or exacerbate those disparities if we do not approach the future carefully. As educators we need to recognize not only how technology will change the landscape of academia, but also how it may help alleviate the racial disparities that exist in education and throughout the world. To read more about the fragile mind check out http://www.thefragilemind/.