In Year 7 Human Technologies, we have been exploring our own “thinking” by looking at the two modes of thinking: System 1 thinking and System 2 thinking.

Originally proposed by psychologist and Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman, in his work of “Thinking Fast and Slow”, these systems represent different ways of processing information. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and automatic, allowing for quick judgments and responses, while System 2 is slow, deliberate, and analytical, requiring more effort and concentration.

Students began the unit by taking part in a series of activities, which were designed to encourage our brains to pay attention to things we do not normally pay attention to. These included writing with our “wrong” hands, drawing while wearing “upside-down goggles”, and mindful eating - where students were given chocolates with varying cocoa percentages and asked to attune their attention to the present moment by engaging all of their senses.

“What is the point of all of this?”, one may ask. Well, as Kahneman points out, while System 1 thinking has its advantages, such as producing quick responses in time-sensitive situations without needing to put in a conscious effort to think, System 2 thinking can help us overcome the impulses of System 1 thinking, introducing a level of self-control and self-regulation.

This can be extremely useful to us as humans living in complex societies. By recognising when we are operating in System 1 versus System 2, we are able to make more informed decisions, as this awareness helps us evaluate situations critically, and prevents us from making assumptions/falling into patterned expectations. For example, System 2 thinking, with sustained effort and practice, can help us regulate our emotions and not react impulsively when we feel angry at something, or indeed, someone.

Having an awareness of these 2 modes of thinking can help us feel more comfortable with our own thought processes - this can in turn help reduce our anxiety during tasks or situations that we find more challenging, such as in assessments, allowing us to focus on the problem at hand.

By “thinking about thinking”, we begin to recognise where our strengths and weaknesses lie, especially as a learner, and as a result, we may begin to adjust our learning styles and strategies as needed, and grow as learners.

It is, however, important to recognise that it would be unsustainable to simply engage in System 2 thinking all the time - it would take up too much of our energy, and also may be too “slow” in certain situations. As Kahnman describes, “Constantly questioning our own thinking would be impossibly tedious, and System 2 is much too slow and inefficient to serve as a substitute for System 1 in making routine decisions. The best we can do is a compromise: learn to recognize situations in which mistakes are likely and try harder to avoid significant mistakes when the stakes are high.”