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In the end they titled their paper “The Weirdest People in the World?” (pdf) By “weird” they meant both unusual and Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. It is not just our Western habits and cultural preferences that are different from the rest of the world, it appears. The very way we think about ourselves and others—and even the way we perceive reality—makes us distinct from other humans on the planet, not to mention from the vast majority of our ancestors. Among Westerners, the data showed that Americans were often the most unusual, leading the researchers to conclude that “American participants are exceptional even within the unusual population of Westerners—outliers among outliers.”

the “weird” Western mind is the most self-aggrandizing and egotistical on the planet: we are more likely to promote ourselves as individuals versus advancing as a group. WEIRD minds are also more analytic, possessing the tendency to telescope in on an object of interest rather than understanding that object in the context of what is around it. The WEIRD mind also appears to be unique in terms of how it comes to understand and interact with the natural world. Studies show that Western urban children grow up so closed off in man-made environments that their brains never form a deep or complex connection to the natural world.

metaphysical questions: Is my thinking so strange that I have little hope of understanding people from other cultures? Can I mold my own psyche or the psyches of my children to be less WEIRD and more able to think like the rest of the world? If I did, would I be happier?

Discussions are led by the students where outside content is brought in and expanded.  These discussions typically reach higher orders of critical thinking.Collaborative work is fluid with students shifting between various simultaneous discussions depending on their needs and interests.Content is given context as it relates to real-world scenarios.Students challenge one another during class on content.Student-led tutoring and collaborative learning forms spontaneously.  Students take ownership of the material and use their knowledge to lead one another without prompting from the teacher.Students ask exploratory questions and have the freedom to delve beyond core curriculum.Students are actively engaged in problem solving and critical thinking that reaches beyond the traditional scope of the course.Students are transforming from passive listeners to active learners.