The psychological phenomenon of priming affects a number of mental processes. Priming is like an advanced notification system, however a person is receiving notifications that affect what they think and how they feel. Priming is done through the words we hear and see, and the messages we are surrounded by. It is ubiquitous and natural and students can benefit from the messages they are primed with.
Priming can impact decision-making, and so at the points in which students are asked to make decisions, the messages they receive are critically important. When students choose electives or extracurricular activities, the messages they receive about trying something different may occasion a learning opportunity otherwise missed. When thinking about colleges, the many message students receives provide a positive influence on their college-oriented thinking.
Another way that this phenomenon can work is through creating experiences for students which will mirror future experiences that might anticipate. Such role-playing opportunities allow students a chance to make good and bad decisions and reflect on them. They will be better prepared for situations in the future insofar as understanding the implications of the decisions that they make.
One potential pitfall with this aspect of unconscious messages is the ways in which social issues and current events are treated. As students become more aware of the world they live in, the tone taken in an examination of a current event can help to shape the way in which a student will see the world. Political and social values will be created in classroom and learning experiences, and the way these ideas are framed will have an impact.
As students work their way through the transitions that school calls for – moving from elementary to middle to high school – offers many opportunities for students to make decisions that will impact their future. At each point, it is important to remember that the people and environment guiding those decisions will have a strong impact.
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