Researchers conducted IQ tests on all students in an elementary school. At the conclusion of the test, the teachers were told that a handful of students across various grades were much more advanced than their peers. The students, however, were not informed of the results.
The researchers wanted to come back and study how those special students progressed over the year, particularly compared to the rest of the “average” students.
The teachers were instructed not to change their teaching style nor to give any preferential treatment to the “gifted” students. And to be sure that was the case, the teachers were told they’d be monitored to ensure none of their teaching methods and student interactions had changed.
At the end of the year, the same IQ test was given to all students.
No surprise, the advanced students showed off-the-chart abilities. In fact, the difference between them and the rest of the students increased even further. These students were truly something extraordinary.
Except they weren’t.
The researchers fooled the teachers.