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Open-mindedness refers to being able to go into conversation with curiosity, and without prejudice. To connect with people, and learn from them, one must be able to recognize and appreciate different value systems. This requires a persistent desire to seek information regardless of prevailing dogmas, passions or authority.
This skill fosters the ability to let go of (personal) assumptions, beliefs and/or widely-held values in an attempt to come closer to whatever is being researched or discussed. In this sense, open-mindedness is a precondition for other skills, like self-reflection, empathy, and positionality.
Students should be able to learn from cultural diversity, without stigmatizing others. Therefore, the qualities of respect and humility are important components of open-mindedness as a skill. Both are inherent to an attitude of permanent learning with the aim of fulfilling one’s potential while contributing to society in a meaningful way. Fostering open-mindedness is key but caution and circumspection are essential during implementation in educational settings.
Tips & tricks
With these tips & tricks, you can introduce students to the skill in an accessible way.
During class, the teacher can confront students with controversial statements, playing ‘the Devil’s Advocate’ by choosing the opposing side. Rather than agreeing with what the student is saying, the teacher can bring forward contradicting arguments to make the student aware of existing debates and opposing opinions.
The risk of upsetting students is to be taken very seriously and should be anticipated. Educators can mitigate the risks, for example by informing students about possible pitfalls and by explaining the importance of familiarising participants with divergent or marginalized voices on the academic or societal spectrum. This can foster better understanding of how others in society think about specific topics and provide stronger foundation for further debate. Being confronted with opposing views can make students reconsider or reinforce their own opinion, but it is likely to give their assumptions more solid ground.
Hiring actors to interact with students in role plays can be another insightful learning experience and it can help lowering barriers. In any case, it is important to coach students in developing the intermediate ability of exposing themselves to contrary views without getting upset.
When assigning readings, consider choosing readings (or any audiovisual resources) that present different and contradictory perspectives on the topic being discussed. Providing there is sufficient safe space among participants, students can be encouraged to discuss resources that strongly oppose the group consensus.
Another option can be to engage with a work or text that departs from a radically different epistemic framework to open participants' minds to other possible ways of knowing.
This will make students more aware of the various perspectives in ongoing debates and it will better equip them to engage with dissident views. The ensuing broader picture will enable students to articulate their own opinion more carefully in the future, and to be more open towards other, unknown, opinions and thoughts.
Particular attention is required to anticipate (further) polarisation, for example by collectively debriefing and evaluating group dynamics at the end of the session.
Teaching activities
With these teaching activities, you can enable students to apply the skill concretely within your educational practice.
To encourage open-mindedness in students, it is important that they get to know social environments that differ from their own. This will give them the chance to learn from others' experiences and broaden their worldviews. Educators can support this by creating connections with social communities in their environment, such as with prayer halls, urban forestry groups, disability centres, or community homes. By visiting such places and getting the opportunity to talk to people and ask questions, students extend the boundaries of their own life; they will witness customs and practices that differ from what they are used to.
It is important to acknowledge that community connection can include practices towards understanding differences within the groups/environments that students think they know, and (perhaps more importantly) working towards co-creating a social learning environment where differences and diversity are acknowledged and valued. Practices of conviviality and collective care (i.e. meeting in different home settings, preparing food and eating together) are well-known enablers of open-mindedness and curious connection within diverse (student) communities.
Incorporating field visits into course curricula can provide openings for students to connect with the society they live in and encourage them to keep on doing so themselves. Furthermore, the change of pace that a field visit will bring will keep students more engaged with the course material and see how theory can function in practice. This broadens their view not only socially, but also academically. Afterwards, students can be asked to reflect on their experiences, or to write a paper integrating perspectives of the people they met during a field trip.
In this learning activity students spend a significant amount of time (whole semester, year etc.) reading a single (classic in the field) work ‘cover to cover’ and discuss contents during small-scale plenary sessions. Close reading works best with complex and pivotal primary resources.
What sets this activity apart is that instead of reading a single chapter or excerpt from a major text, students get to take the time to read a complex primary resource in its totality. Dividing the reading over a longer period allows for enough time to read in detail, let ideas settle, reflect on what has been read, and position oneself in relation to the material.
A crucial component of close reading trajectories are regular sessions where students, accompanied by a tutor, read sections of the book and collectively discuss the material and their interpretations. This can be accompanied with assessment formats where students answer questions about the book contents, or student-led tutorials where contents of the book are brought into practice.
Close reading sessions have shown that an additional benefit comes from the “slow learning” aspect, where students convene over a longer period and bring in their divergent experiences in their discussions on the material they read. Furthermore, close reading does not have to focus on academic/theoretical/scientific texts; literary fiction, poetry, letters, (TV)series, diaries, etc. are also potentially great mind-openers (as are musical lyrics; indigenous stories; spiritual texts, etc.).
Best practice
These examples provide insight into how students and lecturers have successfully applied or can apply the skill in practice.
Reflective Dialogue
Close Reading Bell Hooks (EUC-HUM310)
The Reflective Dialogue entails an essay written in dialogue form. In pairs, students discuss a particular passage or chapter from academic literature, and have a conversation about how they are connected to the topic at hand. The goal is to understand each other’s experiences and ways of looking at the world, thus creating a more openminded view of what different lived realities look like.
- Curzer, H. J., & Gottlieb, J. (2019). Making the Classroom Safe for Open‐Mindedness. Educational Theory, 69(4), 383-402.
- Jirout, J. J., & Matthews, S. E. (2022). Developing Intellectual Character: An Educational Perspective on How Uncertainty-Driven Curiosity Can Support Learning. In Uncertainty: A Catalyst for Creativity, Learning and Development (pp. 253-268). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
- Kotzee, B. (2018). Dewey as virtue epistemologist: Open-mindedness and the training of thought in democracy and education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 52(2), 359-373.
- Tucker, L. (2023). Open-mindedness: A double-edged sword in education. Theory and Research in Education, 21(3), 241-263.
- Biesta, G. (2022). World-centred education: A view for the present. Routledge.
- https://transitionmakers.nl/tool/positive-gossiping/#tabpanel-overview&…;