Fact/Inference Confusion

As teachers, it's imperative for us to be able to recognize these barriers, not only in ourselves, but in those with whom we have stewardship, our students. They both perpetuate and are victims of these barriers. We see it every day in classroom and playground behavior, those who bully and ignore, and those who are bullied and isolated. Here is our chance to step in, engage and teach how both can bring down the barriers and improve relationships.

Fact/inference confusion is basing evaluations on assumptions. My inferences with the man in my story were the staggering and the brown paper bag, associated with a racial stereotype. The facts were that his gate was impaired by braces on his legs and the bag contained motor oil, not alcohol. Shame on me.

Shame on us when we infer a characteristic about someone based on assumption. Inference is the staple of intensional orientation. When an assumption about a student's reputation travels the gossip superhighway among peers, its influence of personal destruction seems unsurmountable. It's as carcinogenic as sexting, but much older and better entrenched. When young people feel they've failed in acceptance, or when the data around them conspires against them, hopelessness is a common default response.

The cure to this confusion is the temporal context, it's time. Observing over a period of time allows the assessor to gather more accurate data and separate assumptions from the reality of the context. The cure in student contexts is to teach avoiding assumption and stopping rumor.