Frames, Paradigms, and Paradigm Shifts

After reading the article “Frames, Paradigms, & Paradigm Shifts”, I have once again refreshed my mind with the definition of a paradigm since last semester when I first encountered this same topic. A paradigm is defined by this article as the right and only proper way that one individual thinks of what is right and true. Every human being has there own paradigms or in other words ultimate view of what is correct. Having a paradigm isn’t necessarily a good thing because this thought process can hinder a person from moving forward to being more open minded to new ways of thinking that can help a that person grow and move forward. Another term which is closely related or even sometimes confused and thought of to be the same thing is a framework. A framework is basically a web that your mind forms in order to connect certain thoughts and similarities together to basically form a connection and a way of thinking which in turn eventually leads later on into a paradigm which is when some of these put together thoughts happen and prove to the person that the way they were thinking is the only correct way. People form paradigms in many different areas and based on many dissimilar experiences which most of time only happen with one person. Paradigms are sometimes formed by religion, race, sex, and even culture. A paradigm shift is something that happens when a person has an experience that doesn’t fit into that person’s already created paradigm. That person then realizes that their way of thinking must not be true and then changes their paradigm to find that new experience which didn’t find into it before. Personally I don’t think that I’ve had a paradigm shift as of right now in my life. Or maybe I have had a shift and I’m not aware of it. I think that it is important for teachers to experience a paradigm shift because just as every other person, teachers also need to remember that their ways of thinking are not the only right and true ways to approach things. As a teacher which is passing on knowledge onto other students and younger generations, it is good to be able to explain to them that they should look for more alternatives and more than one straight line of thinking in order to decide what’s the right thing.