Disequilibrium - A great article by: Tera Castile

Hello Friends!

I wanted to share with you an excerpt that shares the meaning of a teacher term called “disequilibrium,” one that I think is relevant to Southside as we do the work we have ahead:

“According to Piaget, reorganization to higher levels of thinking is not accomplished easily. The child must "rethink" his or her view of the world. An important step in the process is the experience of cognitive conflict. In other words, the child becomes aware that he or she holds two contradictory views about a situation and they both cannot be true. This step is referred to as disequilibrium. According to Piaget, learning cannot occur without disequilibrium.”


Disequilibrium is the name for the place between old understanding and new learning. It is an often uncomfortable place for students to be, but a necessary one if they are to grow. It is a place that teachers strive to put their students in, in order for them to do the hard work of discovering new learning. However, it is also the most difficult time to be a teacher. When students are in a state of disequilibrium they often want to know the answer because they are too frustrated and tired to work through their confusion, or simply too lazy to even try. As a teacher, I often want to show them or tell them the answer myself because it seems easier or less time consuming. However, I am learning, that if you guide students by asking the right questions and offering some support without telling them the answer, they will come to the new understanding with much more depth of knowledge and excitement for having come through the tough parts.


God is the master teacher. He knows how to lead his children into disequilbrium and then patiently guide and question to bring them to a place with greater understanding and passion than before. I think that this is where we are at Southside. We are on the cusp of something really great, we just don’t know what it is yet. We wish our teacher would just tell us already, but we must let him guide us to greater understanding. It’s an exciting place to be! I will be praying as to what my role is in his plan for Southside, as I know you are too.

-Tera