If you knew you were going to change a lot but you didn’t know in what way(s), how would you make decisions about your future? A thought-provoking animation presents research that shows our expectations about the future continuing the present don’t line up with realities. Learners then apply new information to their understanding of history, and to their own lives, as well.

Concepts

self-awareness, character development, human development, aging, future planning, making predictions

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• To extend the lesson, ask learners how the “End of History” illusion might affect legislators, heads of companies, and others who have to act with the future firmly in mind 
• Ask the class to discuss if they will change their personal decision-making processes in light of the video and if so, how
• Divide the class into six groups and assign each of them one of the additional resources in the Dig Deeper section, having each group review their resource and present key points to the class

Classroom Considerations

• Video assumes that high schoolers understand an experiment in human psychology with a very complex design
  

Pros

• A lesson that contributes to learners’ self-understanding about why choices they make are not as satisfactory in the future as they thought they would be
• Considering that people underestimate change may lead learners to recast their views about management and government 

Cons

• None