Even the title seems moronic and absurd. Why would anyone choose less over full? But then again, why would anyone choose to act in the often quoted bon mot that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?” This quote is in itself a form of mindless education. It has been attributed to Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin but I can not find a definitive source. So I too engage in mindless education because repetition of single exposure has made that quote my definition of insanity. Ellen Langer has written of the mindlessness of education and the benefits of being mindful. She says mindlessness as two ways of coming about and they are (1) repetition and single exposure, (2) processing information without questioning alternative ways the information could be understood. To understand how to process information differently, she offers three differing perspectives of why the American Civil War began. Being mindful means we are aware of perspective and individual attributes when engaging in pedagogical practices. For me, this is so ever true in coaching high school athletes. No two people are the same. You must consider the teenagers ability to process the new information, their physical strengths, and their ability to train their bodies to move in specific ways. You must adapt coaching techniques and language so every athlete can improve and reach their potential. This is the same in education and training of the mind. You must present information that is not biased and in a manner that best facilitates knowledge learning. This is not easy but the use of new technologies can be of great assistance. Be mindful though, not all your students may have identical knowledge and skill sets to use the technology. Mindful practices are not easy but the better way than the cookie cutter systems employed today.
Mindful vs Mindless: A no brainer
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PSCI/IS student, dad, and Security Studies Guy 
I really like your analogy to physical education – the results and progress of athletes seem to be more easily measured than that of scholars. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that not everyone will run a mile in the same amount of time because body types and ability vary. This is a great way to think of students’ abilities in the classroom. There is one common denominator though: the progress of both athletes and scholars is dependent upon their own desire to succeed, as well as their mentors’. Thanks for sharing!
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I appreciate how you connected this to coaching athletes, as someone who has played several sports and had some terrible coaches who could not understand how some player picked up stuff quicker than others. I know there are some people I used to play with that had their potential cut short because of poor approaches to coaching, the same way that some students aren’t able to reach their potential within education due to the education system not able to adapt to their needs.
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Cool post. Yeah the randomness of our knowledge definitely comes to forefront more often than naught. We have to understand that people learn differently, people think in different ways and have different learning styles. I know I have a stupidly complicated random learning style I remember things I shouldn’t, forget things that I shouldn’t and many times I find myself at a loss for words. I am just glad my professors are mindful of this and they do not judge or attack my style of learning. I am rambling, so yeah adaptation is key in teaching and learning.
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Robert, you bring up some good points. Do read Ashley’s post (https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/gedimusings/2018/02/04/mindful-learning-myths-of-learning/) cause she definitely shares your concerns. Jack also brings up a point that there is the syllabus and the time pressure and the standardized tests….so then what’s going to change? Something has to give…what do you think that should be?
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Is the “less is more” thing still in vogue? I agree with your points, though. Maybe what students are mindful of is the constant pressure of expectations they impose on themselves in an educational setting. Teachers are aware of these pressures, but still have a syllabus they’re responsible for covering.
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