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What Students Are Saying About Living in Political Bubbles, Annual College Lists and Being Productive

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What Students Are Saying About Living in Political Bubbles, Annual College Lists and Being Productive

I do not live in a political bubble. I have a 58% republican area, so I see a fair share of both parties in my neighborhood. I was surprised by how even it was though, because I do not really see a lot of Biden signs, and Trump flags seem to be everywhere. I think this map made me realize how lucky I am to be in a blended environment like I am, and I think that being in a political bubble can divide people, and bring them into a mob mentality.

— Jack, Michigan

To say we live in a political bubble is an understatement. With the rapid expanse of social media and the rapid decline of unbiased information, it is very easy to surround yourself with one-sided ideas and ideologies without even knowing the opposition’s stance. A new concept provided by many social media is recommending similar content with the same opinion, and never showing the opposition, some examples being YouTube and Instagram. This can give people very slanted information, which can lead to a very biased position and a dangerous falsehood of being correct. Being a very argument-oriented person, I know that not knowing where the other side comes from is a very big weakness … Please educate yourself on both sides of a topic before you make a claim, political or not.

— Pablo, New York

I live in a political bubble. 75% of my neighbors are Democrats, and all of my family and extended family is Democratic. I have never once spoken to someone who has voted for Trump. I have only spoken to a Republican 5 years ago who said at the time that Trump did not represent the Republican Party, which has now changed of course. I have never spoken to anyone who chose to support Trump. I have heard “Trump bad,” “Hillary bad,” “Biden bad,” and I have also heard “Us Americans are more alike than we are different in our politics.” If that is true, then according to the article, social forces seem to be incentivized to create division within our society (the economic incentives of media outlets seem to benefit from this as well), and that has helped contribute to the giant political mess we are in right now where both voters and politicians cannot speak across the aisle.

Part of the problem might also be misinformation as well, where due to new media and social media being incredibly partisan, American voters can live in alternate realities online induced by political affiliations, group identity, and discrete online communities (The Social Dilemma) that can potentially lead to people fervently believing in crazy stuff like white supremacy or communism. I think that in order to combat political polarization, I need to understand the lives and stories of Republicans through great investigative journaling, nonpartisan social media, or just engaging with people in my community.

— Anirudh, Redmond, Washington

I feel that we should be very concerned about our growing political bubbles. The riot at the capitol on January 6 should be direct evidence that we have an issue. People are becoming polarized because they are in a bubble, both physically and socially. Most cities and rural areas are in bubbles, and when you go online, these bubbles stay. Social media sites purposely recommend and highlight posts from accounts that are politically aligned with you. This isolation prevents people from seeing those with different opinions than them in any way but negatively. And this is perfectly justifiable; when all you see is people who think like you, people who see differently just seem to be stupid. How could they possibly think that when everything you’ve seen shows that they are wrong?

— Michael, Michigan

My town is incredibly diverse when it comes to political viewpoints, yet people still tend to live in a bubble. Part of my town is majority conservative, while other parts are mainly liberal. This political diversity should help people living in my area break outside their bubble, but it does the opposite. Despite the diversity, my town divides itself into bubbles and people separate themselves based on politics. I, too, am sometimes guilty of this. For me, politics is more than just red and blue. I am a person of color and an immigrant, so a political debate can sometimes feel like a debate on my identity. My strong viewpoints often make me reluctant to break my bubble.

However, these bubbles only deepen the divide instead of encouraging unity and will only further the polarization that is plaguing our country. In order to effectively make change, we must be able to have meaningful discourse with people from different parties. One of the main problems preventing people from popping their bubbles, is that it feels hard to converse with someone whose ideals do not morally align with theirs. However, I’ve learned that popping your bubble doesn’t mean disregarding your moral values. It just requires you to open-mindedly listen to another viewpoint. By simply listening to others, we can bring forth unity rather than furthering the divide. That is why I am working towards popping my bubble, and encourage others to as well.

— Hetvi, New Jersey

Word of the Day: quintessence

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Word of the Day: quintessence

1. the most typical example or representative of a type

2. the purest and most concentrated essence of something

3. (in ancient philosophy) the fifth and highest element after air and earth and fire and water; was believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies

_________

The word quintessence has appeared in 10 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 5 in “France Battles Over Whether to Cancel or Celebrate Napoleon” by Roger Cohen:

By paying his respects to Napoleon, Mr. Macron will please a restive French right dreaming of lost glory and of a moment when, under its turbulent emperor, France stood at the center of the world. The French obsession with the romantic epic of Napoleon’s rise and fall is undying, as countless magazine covers and talk shows have underscored in recent weeks.

This general by his 20s, this “Robespierre on horseback” bearing the anticlerical message of the 1789 revolution across Europe, this mastermind of the battles of Marengo and Austerlitz, represents a quintessence of French audacity and genius to a France that must now satisfy itself with being a medium-sized power.

Can you correctly use the word quintessence in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how quintessence can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

If you enjoy this daily challenge, try using multiple Words of the Day in a 50-word story that you submit to our Monthly Vocabulary Challenge.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day has been provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

Weekly News Quiz for Students: Presidential Photo, Colombia Protests, China Rocket

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Weekly News Quiz for Students: Presidential Photo, Colombia Protests, China Rocket

Protests in Colombia against poverty and inequality over the past week have been met with a powerful crackdown by the government, which has left at least 24 people dead, most of them demonstrators, and at least 87 missing.

Which country shown above is Colombia?

Lesson of the Day: ‘Colombia Police Respond to Protests With Bullets, and Death Toll Mounts’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Colombia Police Respond to Protests With Bullets, and Death Toll Mounts’

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1.

Featured Article: “Colombia Police Respond to Protests With Bullets, and Death Toll Mounts” by Julie Turkewitz and Sofía Villamil

“Colombians demonstrating over the past week against the poverty and inequality that have worsened the lives of millions since the Covid-19 pandemic began have been met with a powerful crackdown by their government,” Julie Turkewitz and Sofía Villamil write. As of May 8, at least 26 were dead and more than 900 injured, ABC News reported.

In this lesson, you will learn more about the reasons behind the protests and why experts say they could “presage unrest across Latin America.” Then, you will read about the conditions that spurred the protest movement and how they have upended the lives of people across the country.

Have you ever participated in a protest, march or demonstration? What sparked the movement? What were some of the deeper reasons people were protesting? What was it like for you to participate?

Think about protest movements you have been part of or those you know from history, and make a list of reasons that people protest.

Then, reflect on your own or with a partner: What are some of the common root causes of protests? What are the feelings that often drive people to demonstrate? Can you relate to any of these reasons or feelings? Do you think protests can bring about meaningful change?

Read the article, then answer the following questions:

1. What picture do the authors paint of the protests in Colombia in the opening two paragraphs? Which words or lines stand out to you and why? Why do you think the authors begin this way?

2. What event sparked the protests? Why are many Colombians opposed to this measure?

3. What are some of the underlying reasons that people in Colombia are frustrated and angry? Cite at least one quote from a person interviewed in the article to support your response.

4. The recent protests in Colombia are part of a larger story about Latin America. What events in the region over the past three years have led to the unrest? Why do experts say this explosion of frustration in Colombia “could presage unrest across Latin America”?

5. How has the Colombian government responded to the protests? Why might this response be a significant factor in next year’s presidential election?

6. Why do you think the authors end with the story of Santiago Murillo? What does Mr. Murillo’s story tell us about the protests as a whole? What does it reveal about the effect of the violence on individuals and families?

7. What is your main takeaway from the article? What is one quotation, image or story that stuck with you? What is your reaction to the events in Colombia? What else do you want to know?

Note to Teachers: Please read the Going Further article linked below to make sure it is appropriate for your class.

In “In Latin America, the Pandemic Threatens Equality Like Never Before,” an article from July 2020, reporters Julie Turkewitz and Sofía Villamil traveled 1,000 miles across Colombia to document the way the pandemic was changing the course of people’s lives. They write:

Not long ago, Colombia — and Latin America more broadly — were in the middle of a history-making transformation: The scourge of inequality was shrinking like never before. Over the past 20 years, millions of families had marched out of poverty in one of the most unequal regions on earth. The gap between rich and poor in Latin America fell to its lowest point on record.

Now, the pandemic is threatening to reverse those gains like nothing else in recent history, economists say, potentially upending politics and entire societies for years to come.

They interviewed people in four cities: Bogotá, Medellín, Bucaramanga and Cúcuta. Choose one of those cities to read about and view the photos. (If you are in a classroom context, you might do this as a jigsaw activity, assigning small groups of students to read about each city.)

Then, in writing or a small group conversation, discuss the following questions:

  • Choose one of the people interviewed in this section. How has the pandemic changed life for him or her? How might these changes affect the course of this person’s life and the lives of his or her family? What does this person’s story foretell about the ways Colombian society might be transformed in the years to come?

  • What is one quotation or photo that stands out to you in this section? Why? How does it relate to the larger theme of inequality explored in the article?

  • What connections can you make between the individuals you read about in this article and the recent protests in Colombia? How does learning more about these people’s stories change or deepen your understanding of the protests? What do you think needs to be done to support those who are struggling?

About Lesson of the Day

• Find all our Lessons of the Day in this column.
• Teachers, watch our on-demand webinar to learn how to use this feature in your classroom.

Hybrid Workplace – Will ILT become a relic?

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Hybrid Workplace – Will ILT become a relic?

Before diving into this topic and then seeing all the folks rant on LinkedIn about how ILT is great, will survive, e-learning is awful, and the moon is definitely made of cheese, I wanted to let folks know (who are not aware), that I have a podcast! Oh, the delight. It is called the “Amazing E-Learning Roadshow” and you can listen in on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Anchor.fm, Spotify, and many other places.

The Roadshow usually will cover blog posts that I have written with updates along the way, such as what I did regarding the Top 10 for 2021 – and the latest surrounding them.

Other podcasts, will be on topics not presented on the blog.

And now back to our regular scheduled post.

If you haven’t heard the term “hybrid workplace” before, well, here you go. It will become the standard model in business by the end of 2021, and then onwards into the future.

A hybrid workplace refers to a workplace where employees will come into the office two or three days a week, and then work from home the rest of the time.

Some companies will leave the “when do you come in” entirely up to the employees and their managers, others will have a specified schedule.

There are exceptions for sure, Facebook has stated they want everyone back in the office (who were in the office pre-pandemic).

Others though are not so clear – in the financial sector, Chase and Goldman Sachs both have said they want employees back in their offices, whether or not that comes to 100% fruition is another matter.

Target, Ford, Google, and Microsoft (just a small sample here, there are plenty more) are all going hybrid workplaces.

In a study conducted in late 2020 by PWC, 80% of the companies they surveyed (133) said they would go with the hybrid workplace model.

On top of everything else, two key points that many folks are forgetting about, are either in play now or will come into fruition before the end of the year.

Point A

During the worst of the pandemic, a lot of employees including management and upper management moved away from the locale of where any office is located. Some will be required to jump on a plane and come into the office for X days, others won’t.

Point B

With the current state of the economy here in the U.S. at least, companies are finding it hard to get workers, and one can expect employees to jump to other companies who are more flexible in terms of having to come into the office.

What about productivity, it has to have suffered during the pandemic right?

Actually, no. A study conducted by Great Place to Work, (F500 companies and over 800,000 employees in the survey) reported the same or even higher productivity, remotely (i.e. at home) compared to being in the office.

All of the above is worth noting because as it relates to the conversation ahead, it screams that ILT, the old ILT of training and learning since the Middle Ages of Workplaces, is on the precipice of falling off the cliff.

I refer to ILT, as instructor-led training in a physical location – a classroom, your boardroom, a class being held at the company’s location or off-site by the company somewhere else. I am not referring to you attending a trade show, where folks are presenting, that’s not really ILT (well, I never met anyone in training or L&D that sees a trade show seminar as ILT).

ILT in a learning system is noted by what is referred to as classroom management. If you have ever heard a vendor say the term “classroom management” it is directly tied to ILT. If a vendor says you can schedule seminars (they are referring to ILT). If you ask, do you have resource or facilities management in your system, if they do, it will be under what they refer to as classroom management.

ILT has supporters, and there are plenty who would rather be burned at the stake, than ever say WBT i.e. e-learning is as good, if not better than ILT. There are those, who even jumping into e-learning (online learning) refuse to move away from ILT. They see “blended” whereas the blend includes ILT as an essential part of their training and learning (employees and customers).

There are training companies out there today, who are still leverage quite a bit around ILT. They moved over to vILT (virtual ILT), not by choice, rather by circumstances. If they could offer a combo, boy oh boy, they will do it.

ILT had its time in the sun, the spotlight if you will, but one of the key reasons WBT (Web-Based Training) came into existence was because ILT was not as effective as one might think. Retention, Comprehension, and Synthesis require someone to attend not just one ILT session, but multiple and even then, there is still no guarantee that it will keep.

Other minuses around ILT, which do exist even today – and again, a reason why WBT and thus e-learning come into play:

  • There is no effective way to validate what someone has learned and retained following one ILT session – if they want to go back, they have to attend another ILT session (which if external is not free).
  • The learner cannot go on their own pace, everything is driven by the instructor (and yes, I agree this still exists in vILT and is something that needs to be corrected – which is doable)
  • There are plenty of people who are afraid to ask any questions in an ILT session, this includes their sole focus is thinking “don’t pick me, don’t pick me” to “if I ask and it is wrong, people will think I am..”
  • ILT is not 24-7, WBT is. And for vILT naysayers, once it is recorded, people can view it 24/7.
  • ILT relies on the same method of learning, that has existed for centuries. Name me one learning method that has been around that long, besides books?

All of these are items to remember, for the impact of ILT in a hybrid workplace, and how challenging and difficult it will be to maintain even a bit of ILT to any level of success or perceived success.

EdTech has Shown the Way

If there was any doubt that a dual approach of ILT (with students in the classroom) and students (remote with via web conferencing) at the same time (thus the teacher has to present a lesson, etc. looking at students in one mode, and then turning around and looking at students on a computer screen), this is the case study of failure.

I talk to teachers who have to do this route, and no one has said to me, “This is great. Works! A must!” Rather they all say, it is awful, ineffective, and difficult, not just for them, but also the student.

Think how hard it is to keep the attention of an adult, with all the wonderful technologies at their disposal why they are attending a physical ILT, and then factor in, folks on a webcam at the same time. With an instructor in the middle of it all.

It’s not working in EdTech, and it won’t work in a hybrid workplace, because what is occurring above, will occur in this new work model.

Granted, for those workers in the warehouse, on the plant floor, at a retail location (i.e. they have to be on-site all the time), ILT will seem to be the easy way to do things. And yet, each of what I stated above, can go e-learning here. OJT has always had a mixed record, another factor on why digital coaching and mentoring has a real good shot at success for retention and synthesis.

OJT of course follows the ILT approach with the company taking a top-tier employee (typically an A-star talent) and connecting them with a new employee (on-boarding!). It can either go well or sideways quickly. I’ll admit, I was never a fan of it, and thus never went with it, at any place I worked out (I experienced it on the onboarding side myself, and while the person I connected with was great, I found reading a book a tad boring, while they actually did their own work).

Now, look at OJT in a hybrid office. How is that going to work? Especially since there will be employees who NEVER go into the office.

I should have mentioned that yes, while a chunk of companies will go hybrid, there will be plenty of others who stay solely remote workforce, never requiring their employees to come into the office.

How exactly will OJT work for those employees?

Onboarding your employees

Onboarding will be a huge challenge, first because of the companies who rely a lot on OJT, and second for those who spend way too much effort and time, with physical ILT as part of the onboarding experience.

While these companies will simply move over to vILT as the answer to “what will we do now, as a result of the hybrid model?”, the same challenges will stick to exist. vILT is just as the name implies, another ILT mode, except its virtual. The only plus if there is one, is that it can go on-demand, people can see the questions being asked by others (even if it is only chat), and if the L&D or Training person wants to – tie it to an online course or virtual lab (which I would do).

Here’s the thing – the moment they bounce over to vILT, it signals that ILT, is in trouble. Remember physical locations with everyone in the same room and the trainer too? Yeah, that’s not there anymore.

Nor will it be in a hybrid model.

Other items to recognize

Management training. A favorite for ILT. Well, even if you dive into vILT for your management training (I wouldn’t recommend it, rather go online courses (content)), you will need to create sessions around manager bias – because there will be some managers who will favor those in the office versus those who won’t be. It likely will be subconscious but will be there.

Bounce around the net, take a look at articles around management training and hybrid workplaces, and you will find universally, that managers will need to be trained a lot around this new office model.

Leadership skills will take a hit, and instead of just saying – go to an ILT session – that isn’t going to work. Again, a virtual lab around soft skills can work (and you can create this in your online course via scenario-based modalities).

There will be plenty more of course, but besides the need of 3rd party content to be established for hybrid workplaces (at the moment, I haven’t found one course that does this), there will be those companies who do a lot around Leadership (it’s a popular topic for classroom training) and ILT will be those who try to go blended.

If they believe blended still includes a physical location, then they must change.

Bottom Line

ILT, as we in the training and L&D communities see it, as very close, to be a way to train and learn as a relic of the past. (Business-wise).

In 15 years from now, employees will be surprised that ILT was even a “thing”.

But don’t fret ILT supporters.

Because just as there were people who believed the Internet was a fad, there will be plenty of others out there, who believe a hybrid workplace and vILT are just fads.

The problem of that of course is that

They are

Wrong.

E-Learning 24/7

Coursera Conference 2021: Highlights and Takeaways

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Coursera Conference 2021: Highlights and Takeaways

By Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer

I was honored to host our ninth annual Coursera Conference. This year’s virtual format enabled something extraordinary: thousands of people from around the world came together with one common goal: building a more just world together through education. We had more than 100 speakers from 60 institutions and 18 countries on our virtual stage. 

Where do I even begin with programming highlights? From the spirited discussion of the Visionary Panel—which provided insights into how we can bridge the skill gap in a post-COVID world—to Dr. Jason Wingard’s thought-provoking explanation of the forces transforming the world of work, every single session was memorable. 

Our opening keynote speaker, Dr. Tererai Trent, delivered an address that was both personal and powerful as she spoke on the importance of coming together to create opportunity through education. Born in the village of Zvipani in Zimbabwe, Dr. Trent recalled the economic and gender-based inequalities that kept her from getting the education she dreamed of and shared how the encouragement of her mother inspired her to pursue her goals of going to America and earning a bachelor’s degree—then a master’s, and ultimately, a PhD. Perhaps her most important goal, however, was to return to her community in Zimbabwe and improve the lives of women and girls through education. “Education is everything,” said Dr. Trent. “Education liberates. Education empowers communities. It creates economic growth. We need education. And it must be universal.” 

We couldn’t agree more. What an incredible way to kick off the conference!

Coursera’s CEO, Jeff Maggioncalda, contributed a memorable pair of sessions to the conference experience with his keynote and subsequent fireside chat. He described how Coursera is uniquely positioned to see emerging trends by collaborating with governments, businesses, and campuses all over the world—and spoke about how we can use our insights to create more opportunities and careers for learners from all walks of life. Jeff shared details about the different programs Coursera launched as COVID-19 swept across the globe, including the Coursera Campus Recovery Initiative, which helped universities quickly transition to online learning with free access to Coursera for Campus; the Workforce Recovery Initiative, which gave unemployed workers free access to content on Coursera through government partnerships; and ongoing social impact programs that coordinated with nonprofits and NGOs to serve populations who could otherwise not afford access to high-quality education. To summarize in Jeff’s own words: “This is the kind of impact that institutional collaboration can create. This is what inclusive recovery at scale looks like.”

The Coursera Product Innovation session was another conference favorite, as we shared learner stories and offered a glimpse into some of the key innovations we worked on over the past year to support learners, educators, and institutions:

  • Individual learners now benefit from personalized course recommendations, hands-on projects, improved accessibility options, and AI-powered support to help motivate and encourage them on their learning journey. 
  • Educators and instructors can import videos, quizzes, and other assets to re-use across courses. They can also connect Coursera to their institution’s learning management system and repackage content to create new, stackable credentials such as Specializations and Professional Certificates. 
  • Businesses, governments, and universities can help employees and learners develop in-demand skills to stay competitive in the workplace with smart solutions like SkillSets and Academies, which are designed to offer targeted skills development in every part of an organization.

For a more in-depth look at key product innovations from this past year, you can watch the session online. 

We were honored to present a terrific lineup of expert speakers at Coursera Conference 2021. Among these was Ericsson’s CLO, Vidya Krishnan, who shared her insights into preparing your company for the skills of the future. In her session with Coursera’s Kyle Clark, she outlined the equal importance of learning and unlearning—noting that all of us hold preconceived notions of shame that can inhibit our growth, and making clear that we must be willing and ready to decouple that shame from failure. Vidya stressed that this willingness to unlearn also plays a critical role in upskilling people across an organization. To ensure competitiveness, productivity, and inclusivity in the workplace, everyone must embrace the need for change, including the acceptance of new and different ideologies.

Change was an ever-present theme throughout the conference. In a discussion with Coursera’s VP of Data Science, Emily Glassberg Sands, Orange’s SVP of Data and AI, Steve Jarrett, talked about digital transformation and the challenges of upskilling in digital organizations. He specifically described how the need for skills, training, and cultural change led Orange to provide its employees with access to high-quality education. In doing so, the company was able to enhance its data and AI expertise and successfully implement the business’s transformation initiatives.

Of course, one of the crowning highlights of the conference was the Outstanding Achievement Award Ceremony, hosted by Andrew Ng. This year we presented five awards, recognizing innovation, campus transformation, talent transformation, career transformation, and putting learners first. Each of these winners exemplifies our shared vision of a world where anyone, anywhere, has the power to transform their life through learning. You can read more about the Outstanding Achievement Awards from Andrew Ng here. 

Even as we celebrate these accomplishments, we know there is still so much more to be done. According to the World Economic Forum [WEF], more than one billion people in the world need to reskill or upskill. The WEF’s objective is to do that by 2030. Let’s not forget that the world and the skills needed in 2030 will be different from those we know how to teach today. One billion is a lot of people. In order to help these learners acquire new skills, speed and scale are crucial. 

It is through collaboration between governments, businesses, and campuses all over the world, and the combined insights and efforts of leaders like those in attendance at Coursera Conference 2021, that we can achieve this essential speed and scale. 

Many of the 55+ conference sessions ran simultaneously. Any session you may have missed is available on-demand on the Coursera Conference website (login required).

Thank you to our presenters, panelists, and attendees for taking the time to participate in Coursera Conference 2021. I look forward to seeing you next year—for our ten-year celebration of Coursera Conference! 

 

Why You Should Choose Anti-Racism and How You Can Get Started

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Why You Should Choose Anti-Racism and How You Can Get Started

By Jennifer Ho, Director of the Center for Humanities & the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder and instructor of Anti-Racism I.

The day after the March 16, 2021, Atlanta shooting that killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women, I wrote about what it means to be an Asian woman in America for CNN. I was able to write this piece so quickly because I have been living this reality my whole life and thinking about all the ways that being an Asian American woman in the US means that I do not get recognized for who I am: a fully enfranchised human being. That I do not get to experience reality as a fully enfranchised human being has much to do with how I navigate the intersectional oppressions of both racism and sexism, which makes me not just exhausted but angry. Inequity makes me angry, and I want things to be fair. This is the ethos I’ve had since I was ten when I complained to my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Edwards. I told her it wasn’t fair that the boys, who ran faster than most of the girls, got the best tetherballs, and she said, “Life’s not fair Jennifer, get used to it.”

Thankfully, I never did.

The analogy above is an apt one to talk about the inequities of race—in the US as I have experienced it, and around the world.  Some have demonstrated this by literalizing racial disparities into an actual race between White and Black runners, showing how White people have had advantages simply because of their racial identity. Another way to say this is that White people experience disadvantages, such as poverty, illness, lack of access to education or stable employment, but their disadvantage rarely occurs because of their whiteness. Whiteness was not a liability codified into US law. The same cannot be said for non-White people. Dispossessed American Indians were forcibly removed from their land. People from Africa were bought and enslaved, working in the US without recourse to their freedom until the 13th Amendment was passed. Immigrants from Asia deemed a threat to white working men were first barred from further entry then denied the right to naturalize as US citizens. After the Mexican-American war, Mexican citizens woke up one morning to find that they were now in US territory and thus subject to having their property stripped from them, despite provisions saying otherwise. 

Though these examples are from the past, our present realities are sadly full of the legacies of these systemic racial inequities. To use the race analogy again, American Indians, African Americans, Asian Americans, and people of Latin American descent in the US have been unable to run the race unencumbered by restrictive housing covenants, unequal access to education and health care, and a wealth gap that has only increased over time. 

All of this is unfair. But we can do something—all of us. We can choose anti-racism. 

Anti-racism is not the same as not engaging in racism. Not engaging in racism means you are being a decent human being. But anti-racism is a choice. It is also not an identity—choosing anti-racism is something anyone and everyone can do, regardless of their racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual identities. However, choosing anti-racism requires people to act. 

If you are new to anti-racism work, here’s how you can start:

  1. Educate yourself. In the wake of George Floyd’s death, curated reading and viewing lists have proliferated on the internet to help the general public understand the long history of race and racism in the United States. Coursera has several classes on its platform to help, including a free three-week self-paced class that I co-developed, Anti-Racism I. Shawn O’Neal will be releasing Anti-Racism II shortly, and we’ll both be working on Anti-Racism III this summer.
  2. Talk about what you’ve learned. This can be lonely work, so it’s important to find people you can talk with—to ask questions, to discuss things that you’re confused about, to work through the difficult history of race and racism in the United States and around the world. If you find yourself alone, try starting a or joining a book group dedicated to anti-racism work. And try not to ask your co-workers who are Black, Indigenous, Asian American, and Latino/a/x to answer questions for you or to be the spokespeople for “the” Black, Indigenous, Asian American, Latino/a/x community. Just as there is no singular “White” community there is no singular Black, Indigenous, Asian American, and Latino/a/x community. 
  3. Do something. This can be difficult—reading and talking can keep you in the relative safety of your social bubble. Doing something—acting as an anti-racism advocate, can be scary. You might be afraid that you will say something wrong. You might worry that you will be called racist. But the fear of being called racist should not prevent people from doing anti-racism work. And it is work. It is labor. It requires exercise. So just like you wouldn’t run the Boston marathon without training and taking small steps, similarly in doing anti-racism work, you need to exercise that anti-racism muscle. And if you’ve never exercised that muscle before, it will hurt. You will strain it. You will feel exhausted—because the work of anti-racism is exhausting. But eventually you will get stronger. You will find others who can help you train. And you will be able to become an active bystander who intervenes when you see people saying and doing racist things. Hollaback offers free active bystander trainings—they’re a great first step in exercising your anti-racism muscle.
  4. Repeat. This is not work that is ever finished—because racism as a systemic social evil has been around for centuries. You have to keep reading and learning and talking and doing because race and racism mutate and morph over time. You will make mistakes. I still make mistakes. But we learn from our mistakes because it’s part of how we grow as anti-racism advocates. 

If you truly want to intervene to make society a fair and just place for all people, then there’s really no other choice than to choose anti-racism.

About the author: The daughter of a refugee father from China and an immigrant mother from Jamaica, whose own parents were, themselves, immigrants from Hong Kong, Jennifer Ho is the director of the Center for Humanities & the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she also holds an appointment as Professor of Ethnic Studies. She is the president of the Association for Asian American Studies and the author of three scholarly monographs, several academic articles and book chapters, and public-facing pieces addressing the intersections of race, sex, and class in Asian America. In addition to her academic work, Ho is active in community engagement around issues of race and intersectionality, leading workshops on anti-racism and how to talk about race in our current social and cultural climate. You can follow her on Twitter @drjenho.

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Color Love | Black, White & Pink

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Color Love | Black, White & Pink

Nothing says timeless like black and white with a touch of pink. Though it sounds simple, the minimalistic color palette communicates class and sophistication unlike any other, and on the web, the striking combination allows your content to really shine. It’s no wonder power brands like Kate Spade, Pottery Barn, and J. Crew so often enlist the high-contrast duo to make a splash in their designs. At the same time, gorgeous on its own, an accent of pink brings a European and feminine flair to the color scheme.

Black, White & Pink Color Palette

Below a simple mood board featuring today’s color combination. It is in perfect Pinterest format, so feel free to pin it for later. You will be surprised how classy pink can be when combined with white or black.

Black, White & Pink Color Palette

These colors also make for a stunning blog design.

Below you will find a sample of pink designs from our WordPress Theme shop.

See our collection of other gorgeous color palettes by visiting our color palette section.

What do you think about our black, white & pink color palette? Do you like this combination? Where would you use it? We would love to hear your thoughts, so make sure to share them in the comments below.

Lastly, learn about the power of color in blog design in our blog post to see how important colors are in all the projects you create.

GUEST POST: The Mind’s CEO: Executive Function

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GUEST POST: The Mind’s CEO: Executive Function

Response Suppression

We all know how difficult it is for some people to suppress the urge to respond in certain situations. Below are several examples of response suppression, categorized by the domains in which they were found:

Popular Culture: Response suppression failure has made its way into movies (e.g., Roger Rabbit cannot contain himself when faced with the old “shave and a haircut trick“) and games. In a previous post on Ironic Processing, we talked about the frustration inherit in the game of Taboo!.

Psychology: We also see examples of response suppression in the materials used in cognitive psychology. The Stroop task is a classic example because, in one variant of the task (i.e., when the color of ink and word conflict), you must suppress the urge to read the word and name the color of ink.

Neuroscience: The frontal lobe (i.e., the seat of executive functioning), is responsible for response suppression. There is a really interesting example from neuroscience where Phineas Gage had his fontal lobe damaged. After his accident, he became something of a jerk. His behavior strongly suggested that he could not suppress his urges.

Classroom: Response suppression in the classroom is very real, and it can take on many different forms. Behaviorally, little kids (eventually) learn that they must raise their hand before blurting out the answer to the teacher’s question.

A more cognitive example can be found in the world’s shortest IQ test:

  1. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? _____ cents

When confronted with a question like this, you may feel the need to suppress your intuitive answer (10 cents) and apply your knowledge of algebra to determine the answer ((b+100) + b = 110). In this case, the fast answer isn’t the right answer [2].

Attentional Focus 

In a previous post, we talked about the “myth of multitasking.” Most people think they can do multiple things at once, but there are severe limitations. You might be able to walk, talk, and chew gum, but you won’t be able to listen to a lecture, deeply process the contents, and simultaneously take notes. People are serial processors (as opposed to “parallel processors”). A useful metaphor for attention is that it is a spotlight, and it can only shine on one thing at at time.

As serial processors, we need to make decisions about which stimuli to pay attention to. This is where executive functioning comes into play. When an alert goes off on our phone, we have to decide to pay attention to it (or not). Unfortunately, that “decision” isn’t really a decision anymore. Over time, we become conditioned to immediately abandon what we were thinking about and look at our phone. In other words, we have trained our attentional system to give our phone primary status. Ideally, we would structure our learning environment so that it removes unnecessary distractions. Keeping cellphones on “Do not disturb” mode and out of view is the best way to prevent our attention from being captured.

Attentional distraction can also be internally generated. For example, if you are a minority, and you are reminded of your minority status, perhaps because of an off-hand comment or some other feature in the environment (i.e., you are the only one of your group), then those distracting thoughts can pull attention away from the task at hand. This phenomenon is called stereotype threat, and it has pernicious effects on performance [1].

The final example of attentional focus is on information within a task. Suppose you are asked to solve the following problem:

Derek has 4 action-adventure video games and 9 board games. Desi has 3 role-playing video games and 2 lawn games. If they combine their games, how many video games do Derek and Desi have?

Notice that this problem has some very tempting, but completely irrelevant, information. One skill that students need to learn is to ignore the distracting information as they solve the problem. Some teachers might recommend highlighting the relevant information (or crossing out the irrelevant information). The goal is to help the attentional system stay focused on the relevant bits.

How can we structure the classroom environment to support the development of executive functioning? Here are a few recommendations:  

  1. We should strive to limit the number of distractions in the classroom. Put smartphones away and out of sight.

  2. If the mode of instruction is primarily a lecture, then tell your students not to take notes during the lecture [2]. Instead, ask that they listen to what you are saying. After class is over, students should then be given a chance to write down everything they remember. I assume this is a controversial recommendation, so expect students to push back.

  3. Response suppression and attentional focus are both skills that can be learned. One way to develop these skills is mindfulness training, which is starting to gain some empirical support [4].

In summary, executive function is a critical component to higher-order thinking and reasoning. In other words, it definitely deserves the corner office! 

Share and Enjoy!

Dr. Bob

[1] This “game” is a test of executive function because you have to hold in working memory the symbol-to-match. The stimuli were created to be highly confusable; therefore, you must suppress certain responses (e.g., the “d” with only a single dot above it, or a “d” with two dots below it). I heavily borrowed the design from the “d2” test of executive function: Lyons, E. M., Simms, N., Begolli, K. N., & Richland, L. E. (2018). Stereotype threat effects on learning from a cognitively demanding mathematics lesson. Cognitive science, 42(2), 678-690.

[2] The “intuitive” versus “algebraic” answer is a good example of the distinction Daniel Kahneman makes in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow. 

[3] I was fortunate enough to take a course from Herbert A. Simon. He didn’t let us take notes during his lectures precisely because we are serial processors. In other words, he applied the findings from cognitive science (a field he helped start!) to his own class. 

[4] Bellinger, D. B., DeCaro, M. S., & Ralston, P. A. (2015). Mindfulness, anxiety, and high-stakes mathematics performance in the laboratory and classroom. Consciousness and cognition, 37, 123-132.

Small Towns

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Small Towns

Students in U.S. high schools can get free digital access to The New York Times until Sept. 1, 2021.

Right now, there are small cities and towns all over the United States that are offering incentives like cash or housing to attract remote workers. Bentonville, Ark., pictured above, is one of them. For the town or city, it’s an effort to build communities with high skill sets to attract start-ups and larger companies in the future. For the migrating workers, it’s a chance to try out an up-and-coming place alongside other newcomers.

If you were out of school and had a job you could do remotely, do you think you would you be tempted? Do you think life in one of these places — whether Bentonville, Tulsa, Okla., or Savannah, Ga. — might be more rewarding for you than life in a big city, or in the place where you already live? Why or why not? Would you enjoy building a new community in a place you’d never lived?

Where do you want to live, ideally, when you’re finished with school and on your own?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more.

About Picture Prompts

• Find all our Picture Prompts in this column.
• Have an idea for a Picture Prompt? Tell us about it.
• Teachers, discover more ways to teach with our Picture Prompts and learn how to use our free daily writing prompts for remote learning.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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