LESSON PLAN: A Nobel Prize Winning Cognitive Framework to Help Students Focus - Thinking Fast and Slow

Lesson Plan Summary: Thinking, Fast and Slow

This 50-minute lesson introduces high school and early college students to cognitive thinking, focusing on Daniel Kahneman’s System 1 and System 2 thinking. It helps students recognize how their brains process information and how cognitive biases affect decision-making.

Lesson Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Differentiate between System 1 (fast, intuitive) and System 2 (slow, deliberate) thinking.
• Identify common cognitive biases (e.g., anchoring, confirmation, overconfidence).
• Apply strategies to improve logical decision-making.
• Reflect on their own decision-making habits.

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction (10 min): Students share examples of fast and slow thinking; the instructor introduces Kahneman’s concepts.
2. Understanding System 1 vs. System 2 (15 min): Discussion and sorting activity with real-world examples.
3. Recognizing Cognitive Biases (15 min): Explanation of biases and an interactive scenario-based activity.
4. Improving Decision-Making (5 min): Techniques to engage System 2 thinking (e.g., pausing, considering multiple perspectives).
5. Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 min): Key takeaways and a short writing task analyzing past decisions.

Assessment:
Includes a quiz testing knowledge of System 1 and 2 thinking and biases, along with discussion questions prompting students to reflect on their experiences with cognitive biases.

Resources:
A YouTube playlist provides supplemental materials for teachers.