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Castle on a Hill

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Castle on a Hill

What story does this image inspire for you?

Does it make you think of armored knights and mythical creatures? Is it home to a tormented princess, a rich king or someone else? Is it haunted? Use your imagination to write the opening to a short story about the castle or the kingdom, and what kind of characters live there.

Post it in the comments, then read the related article to learn more about this castle and where in the world it can be found.

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

Word + Quiz: exigency

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Word + Quiz: exigency

1. a pressing or urgent situation

2. a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action

_________

The word exigency has appeared in 16 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 7 in “National Emergency Powers and Trump’s Border Wall, Explained” by Charlie Savage:

The president has the authority to declare a national emergency, which activates enhancements to his executive powers by essentially creating exceptions to rules that normally constrain him. The idea is to enable the government to respond quickly to a crisis.

Although presidents have sometimes claimed that the Constitution gives them inherent powers to act beyond ordinary legal limits in an exigency, those claims tend to fare poorly when challenged in court.

_________

Should We Feel Guilty When We Travel?

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Should We Feel Guilty When We Travel?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Recent events, including the activist Greta Thunberg’s impassioned speech to the United Nations and the global strike on September 20, have kept the climate crisis prominently in the spotlight.

For some who wrestle with the impact that their carbon footprint has on the planet, climate change has turned the notion of vacation travel into a moral quandary.

Have you ever traveled with family to faraway places? Do you have dreams of one day exploring the world? Do you feel guilty about traveling? Should we feel guilty when we travel?

In “If Seeing the World Helps Ruin It, Should We Stay Home?” Andy Newman writes about the rise of tourism and travel around the world and attempts to show, in concrete terms, the cost of certain choices.

It is hard to think about climate change in relation to our own behavior. We are small, our effects are microscopically incremental and we mean no harm. The effects of climate change are inconceivably enormous and awful — and for the most part still unrealized. You can’t see the face of the unnamed future person whose coastal village you will have helped submerge.

But it turns out there are ways to quantify your impact on the planet, at least roughly. In 2016, two climatologists published a paper in the prestigious journal Science showing a direct relationship between carbon emissions and the melting of Arctic sea ice.

Each additional metric ton of carbon dioxide or its equivalent — your share of the emissions on a cross-country flight one-way from New York to Los Angeles — shrinks the summer sea ice cover by 3 square meters, or 32 square feet, the authors, Dirk Notz and Julienne Stroeve, found.

The article continues:

And what of my vacation’s impact on my fellow man? Actually, academics have attempted to calculate that, too. Philosophers, not climatologists. But still.

In 2005, a Dartmouth professor, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, wrote in a journal article provocatively titled “It’s Not My Fault: Global Warming and Individual Moral Obligations” that he was under no moral obligation to refrain from taking a gas-guzzling S.U.V. for a Sunday afternoon joy ride if he felt like doing so.

“No storms or floods or droughts or heat waves can be traced to my individual act of driving,” he wrote. Conversely, “If I refrain from driving for fun on this one Sunday, there is no individual who will be helped in the least.”

Other philosophers questioned his reasoning.

Professor John Nolt of the University of Tennessee took a stab at measuring the damage done by one average American’s lifetime emissions. (The average American generates about 16 metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent a year, more than triple the global average.)

Noting that carbon stays in the atmosphere for centuries, at least, and that a United Nations panel found in 2007 that climate change is “likely to adversely affect hundreds of millions of people through increased coastal flooding, reductions in water supplies, increased malnutrition and increased health impacts” in the next 100 years, Professor Nolt did a lot of division and multiplication and arrived at a stark conclusion:

“The average American causes through his/her greenhouse gas emissions the serious suffering and/or deaths of two future people.”

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Is it fair, or even realistic, to ask people to give up long-distance travel to preserve the environment? Do you think it would make much of a difference? What moral obligation do humans have to preserve the planet — and is that duty the same for everyone?

  • Does learning about the consequence of your travel choices impact any future plans you may have to see the world? Would you ever feel guilty about flying to visit friends or relatives, or to explore an exciting part of the world?

  • What do you do in your everyday life to be “greener”? Do you see those actions as sacrifices? What would you be willing to give up if you believed it would benefit the planet?

  • Do you believe the actions of individuals can make a difference in an issue as enormous as climate change? Or is collective action and government policy the only real solutions?

Students 13 and older 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.

Forest in a Stadium

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Forest in a Stadium

A curator recently installed 299 trees in a soccer stadium in Austria for an art installation. When you look at it, what does it make you think?

What statement do you think the curator is trying to make with this project? What do you think it says about people, society, the world or life in general? What is your opinion of its message?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to find out more about the installation and the reaction to it.

Find many more ways to use our Picture Prompt feature in this lesson plan. You can find all our Picture Prompts in this column.

Lesson of the Day: ‘Trump Throws Middle East Policy Into Turmoil Over Syria’

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Lesson of the Day: ‘Trump Throws Middle East Policy Into Turmoil Over Syria’

6. Do you support Mr. Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from the Syrian border and greenlight Turkey’s military operation? Why or why not?

What role, if any, do you think the United States should play in Syria?

In a related news analysis, David E. Sanger explains Mr. Trump’s vision for national security and how that contrasts with the United States’ traditional position as “the world’s policeman”:

He is demonstrating that in his pursuit of ending America’s “endless wars,” no American troop presence abroad is too small to escape his desire to terminate it. In this case, the mission has been to prevent Islamic State forces from reconstituting, and to keep another conflict at bay — a Turkish attack on Kurdish forces, including on those that have been America’s staunchest allies in the fight against ISIS.

To the Pentagon and the State Department, that is a traditional role for American troops, honed over 75 years of global leadership. But if there is a Trump doctrine around the world after 32 months of chaotic policymaking, it may have been expressed in its purest form when the president vented on Twitter on Monday morning: “Time for us to get out.” …

Long before he was elected, Mr. Trump had sounded a recurrent theme about Syria — as well as about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the American presence in Japan and South Korea, and other global deployments. Acting as the world’s policeman was too expensive, he complained. Allies played us for “suckers.” Both in the campaign and today, Mr. Trump sensed that many Americans share his view — and polls show he is right, even among some who loathe Mr. Trump himself.

He continues:

“Like some of those who are running to replace him, President Trump has conflated ‘forever wars’ with an open-ended presence,” said Richard N. Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior George W. Bush administration official as America went into two wars between 2001 and 2003.

“We’ve had 70 years of open-ended presence in Germany, Japan, South Korea,” he noted. “It’s part of an alliance. And it keeps countries from doing things you don’t want them to do,” like building their own nuclear weapons.

The Syria presence, Mr. Mattis had argued, was in that vein — low risk, low casualty, high returns for America’s security. It was a tripwire to keep the Islamic State from rising again, and Turkey from starting a war. Mr. Trump’s Sunday night tweet, saying everyone in the region was going to have to work things out themselves, announced an abdication of that role.

What do you think? Should the United States maintain a presence in Syria or other places around the world where it perceives a threat to national security? Or should it “get out”? What are the potential national and global consequences for each position?

Note to teachers: If you are doing this in a classroom context, you might divide students to debate the president’s decision and its implications. For more context, invite students to listen to a recent episode of “The Daily” podcast on the question, “Is the U.S. Betraying Its Kurdish Allies?”

Should Stay-at-Home Parents Be Paid?

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Should Stay-at-Home Parents Be Paid?

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

Have you ever had a parent or guardian stay at home to care for you or the other children in your family? If so, what kinds of chores and responsibilities were involved? Do you think it was difficult, valuable work?

Today, stay-at-home moms and dads account for about one in five U.S. parents, with over 80 percent of them mothers.

Do you think that the economic value of domestic labor should be recognized?

In “Stay-at-Home Parents Work Hard. Should They Be Paid?” Claire Cain Miller writes:

It’s not uncommon in the United States for two parents to spend long hours working hard — but the one who works outside the home is paid for it, while the one who does housework and child care is paid nothing.

Now, several Democratic presidential candidates are proposing that parents who stay home to care for children are paid, too. It’s a twist on typical family policies — like paid leave, subsidized child care or the right to work part-time — all of which make it easier for parents to have jobs outside the home. Instead, this proposal would make it easier for them not to.

It’s an idea that blurs partisan lines. On the left, there have long been calls to recognize the economic value of unpaid domestic labor by paying for it. At the same time, many on the left fear that paying at-home parents — who are most often women — would reinforce unequal gender roles and set women back in the labor force.

On the right, proponents appreciate that the proposal supports traditional families and allows young children to be home with a parent. Yet many on the right resist the expansion of government benefits, especially without work requirements. …

Democratic presidential candidates have proposed some type of payment that would benefit at-home caregivers of young children and other relatives.

“The question is: What do we mean by work?” Andrew Yang said on The Daily last month, and gave as an example his wife, who stays home with their sons. “I know my wife is working harder than I am, and I’m running for president. And right now, the market values her work at zero. So we have to think bigger about what we mean by work and value.”

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

  • Did a parent or guardian ever stay at home, instead of working outside the home, to take care of you or your siblings? If so, how did that experience shape your views on this debate? If not, do you think your family could have benefited from a stay-at-home parent?

  • Some critics worry that policies to support stay-at-home parents might lead to greater gender inequality. Are you concerned, that however well-intentioned, proposals like the American Family Act of 2019 might end up hurting women?

  • The article concludes with a quote by a political scientist who has studied these policies: “It’s not just supporting working mothers,” she said, “but it’s about investing in children broadly.” Do you agree? How else could we invest in children?

  • In what ways do you think having a stay-at-home parent is desirable — for parents and for children? In what ways might it be problematic? In the future, do you think you would want to be a stay-at-home parent? Would the possibility of pay for the work affect your decision?

Students 13 and older 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.

EAIE and the role of online in student mobility initiatives

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EAIE and the role of online in student mobility initiatives

Author: Amy Shackleton, Senior Partnership Development Manager at FutureLearn

FutureLearn was pleased to send a delegate to the 31st conference of the European Association of International Education, which took place in Helsinki in late September. Attendance was at a record-breaking high – 6,200 delegates attended from over 90 countries.

EAIE’s annual conference is a huge event with a close and clear focus on networking and academic engagement. Started over 30 years ago, the Association works to bring educators together from all over the world to discuss international collaboration, student mobility and the future of teaching. However, online education did not appear to take precedence during discussions of what it means to embrace an “international” education focus. Of the 181 sessions and workshops planned over the 4 day event, only 19 used the word “online” or “digital” in their title or description. This raised the question – is this a network that chiefly focuses on physical student mobility? And if so, is there space for a digital conversation with the many thousands of EAIE members who put this event foremost in their calendar?

My conviction is a strong “yes”. Discussions with delegates would suggest this is a preoccupation of many, as budgets for traditional recruitment pathways are squeezed and visibility is a continuous issue for many university brands. 

FINLAND – UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WORKPLACE AND THE CLASSROOM

In this sense, Finland was an excellent choice for a host country, taking such pride as they do in their inclusive, transformative curriculum that extends well beyond formal schooling years. Many adults in Finland choose to continue their education independently of any national mandate; and it is a huge part of Finland’s strategic initiatives to support and celebrate this. 

The opening session, led by Anita Lehikoinen (Ministry of Education and Culture) was a remarkably frank assessment of Finland’s standing in international education metrics, and its priorities for the future. This is summarised in four goals – 

  1. To raise competence and qualification levels of the whole population in Finland.
  2. To reduce the equality gaps in Finnish society.
  3. To focus on continuous learning opportunities.
  4. To invest in Research, Development and Innovation, increasing social cohesion and competitiveness.

Finland’s EU membership has prompted upskilling and internationalisation programmes for the last 30 years. By 2030, they want a national improvement in educational attainment across their population. This ambition is huge, but realisable – Finland identifies as a reformer and experimenter and is investing seriously in the project.

Equally exciting, a parallel goal to their educational strategy is for Finland to be carbon neutral by 2035. 

UNIVERSITIES ARE GLOBAL COMMUNITIES – THEY SHOULD TEACH THIS

Despite a lack of focus on online opportunities, disruptive and global innovation was a running theme at EAIE 2019. As plenary speaker, Simon Anholt opened his address with the words, “I’m sick of talking. I don’t want to talk.” It was a striking beginning – a personal admission of his frustration at a lack of progress in global collaboration, and a resounding call to action. Known for his creation of the Good Country Index, Simon’s conviction was that universities’ activity as an international community allows them to foster what he chose to call, “The Good Generation” – the future of humanity as global citizens, geared towards considering their impact beyond borders, supported by a global compact. On his prompting, #goodgeneration picked up rapidly across Twitter, with many academics pledging their support. He even shared his email address – which promptly crashed with all the delegates rushing to offer ideas and ways forward. It was an energising and hopeful start to the conference and a clear sign of the total and crucial role of education.

I attended a dozen more sessions during the following days – on marketing, student recruitment, international student experience, inclusivity, accessibility, credential evaluation, and even Brexit. What came across strongly from all sessions – the common theme that linked them altogether – was that people buy from people. Simon Anholt was not wrong when he considered this group as a global community in its own right. The engagement was a levelling experience, with institutions of wildly different ages, sizes and experience working as a group to further individual projects with common aims. The way this levelling came about was through the individual tenacity and passion of each delegate – those presenting, and those in the audience. In my personal experience, it is rare to attend an event where an appetite for change and progress is so tangible. 

We’re looking forward to next year’s conference already. 

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Research insights

Educator spotlight: Connecting and inspiring teachers

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Educator spotlight: Connecting and inspiring teachers

Teachers are one of our biggest audiences on the FutureLearn platform and their ongoing commitment to developing their skills is an inspiration to us all. Helen Bilton trained as an early years teacher and worked as a teacher both in London and Reading before moving into teacher training. She is now Professor of Outdoor Learning at the University of Reading, Director of the Postgraduate Taught Programmes at the Institute of Education and the new Academic Partner in the University of Reading’s Online Courses team. She is also the Lead Educator on two very successful courses from the University of Reading: Supporting Successful Learning in Primary School and Supporting Successful Learning in Secondary School. We asked Helen about the value of online training for teachers and how she, as an educator, experiences the interaction with learners in a digital setting. Helen also shared some words of wisdom for academics who now embark on the journey of making their first online course.

“A good teacher will always love learning themselves and this is why they love FutureLearn and keep coming back to it as a source of learning, particularly as it is sharing up to date research which teachers can use either in the classroom or as part of their practice to improve the lives of young people.  The FutureLearn platform works particularly well for teachers because they are busy people and can often only devote small amounts of any spare time they have to their own studies. Learning through FutureLearn enables teachers to do this, working at their own pace and on very specific pieces of learning. I loved reading the discussions that the learners were having on the courses I helped create. I felt that sometimes the responses were more real and honest but still professional than in a face to face classroom setting where there are many students who are simply too shy to share some great thoughts they have. I also learnt from what some of the participants said and they made me really think and have to justify myself and my research. 

I think the most important lesson to learn is to listen to your online team colleagues. You may know you subject, be very passionate about your subject, you may even be a good teacher but this is a different way of getting your message across and in some ways involves more innovation in teaching than being in a room with the learners. This means you have to trust that those who live and breathe online courses, know what they are talking about when they suggest x,y, z! Go with their suggestions, listen to their advice, and be humble.”

 

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Research insights

Are you ready for the healthcare revolution?

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Are you ready for the healthcare revolution?

According to the World Health Organisation, the global life expectancy increased by 5.5 years (to 72 years) between 2000 and 2016.

As life expectancy increases, so too does the pressure on healthcare services and professionals.

Medical research advances and the technological revolution of healthcare means care has become more complex.

Unlimited gives you limitless access to a range of courses which can help you respond to healthcare changes and advances as you learn in your own time, from world-leading healthcare experts.

With Unlimited, you’re welcome to delve into pretty much any topic that makes you happy (from business to coding), but below are five of our top healthcare courses for professionals and enthusiasts looking to broaden their understanding of key healthcare issues ➡️

Digital devices are revolutionising healthcare as we know it.

Explore the impact of new technologies on healthcare professionals and patients. 

You’ll study different types of wearable devices and sensors, and learn how digital devices in healthcare are designed and regulated.

You’ll also consider the impact of the miniaturisation of implantable devices, and the challenges around devices’ use of big data on healthcare systems.

Join this course if: you want to understand digital medicine and the impact of medical technology on healthcare. 

In a rapidly changing world, the complexity of care is increasing and being able to respond to change is vital.

Explore the issue of change in healthcare environments, and learn how to improve your response to change at work. 

You’ll explore the reasons change is necessary and look at ways to empower others to manage change positively. 

Join this course if: to learn how to preserve and improve the quality of service provision, whilst adapting to change.

1 in every 100 people in the UK are on the autistic spectrum. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability affecting how a person communicates with and relates to others and the world. 

Explore the spectrum of Autism and discover shared difficulties and how the condition affects people in entirely different ways.

Consider the social communication skills, sensory sensitivities, repetitive behaviours and the co-occurring conditions which affect those living with Autism. 

Join this course if: you want to understand Autism through lived experiences of people on the spectrum.

Dementia is one of the foremost priorities in global health and is estimated to affect over 44 million people worldwide. This has a huge impact on individuals and society. 

Discover key issues in dementia care and research. You’ll explore four less common forms of dementia through the eyes of people affected. 

With world-leading experts at UCL, you’ll learn how research into the signs, stages, symptoms and causes of these forms can bring us closer to defeating dementia.

Join this course if: to gain insight into dementia through the stories, symptoms and science behind four less common diagnoses. 

Have you ever wondered how what you eat affects your health? Nutrition plays a key role in human health and disease prevention. 

Explore the food health crisis of modern times, and learn how nutrition can help humans experience longer and healthier lives.

You’ll explore the foundation of nutrition and metabolism in the human body, and learn how to assess a healthy nutrition plan for different ages and stages of life. 

Join this course if: you want to learn how food affects our physical and mental health. 

Healthcare is changing. Go Unlimited to learn how you can harness theses changes to look after yourself and others better.

Want to be the best in business?

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Want to be the best in business?

We’re 19 years into the 21st century. That’s 19 years since we faced the millennium bug, 19 years since Sony launched the Playstation 2, and 19 years since Nokia released their infamous mobile handset, the 3310. 

It’s safe to say that, these days, the world of business and technology is almost unrecognisable compared to the year 2000. 

With the emergence of AI, automation, and the internet of things among many others, keeping your professional skills ahead of the curve has never been more important.  

With Unlimited, you can earn certificates in as many emerging and established areas of the business landscape as you like, all in your own time.

Below are five of our favourite business and management courses for professionals looking to upskill and get ahead ➡️

We all negotiate on a daily basis. On a personal level, we negotiate with friends, family, landlords, and employers, but negotiation is also the key to business success.

Discover the four steps to successful negotiation, and practice strategies to negotiate better in your professional and personal life.

You’ll explore the use of power and psychological tools during negotiation, and learn how to apply your new skills to a business deal.

Join this course if: you want to negotiate strong business deals respectfully and successfully. 

The workplace of the future offers new challenges and opportunities, shaped by technological change and trends towards globalisation. 

Explore the key global changes impacting the world of work and learn what these changes may mean for future careers. 

You’ll discover the implications of radical new developments like 3D printing, the internet of things, cryptocurrencies and the circular economy, so you can identify and progress towards clearly defined career goals.

Join this course if: you’re ready to forge a career in the workplace of the future.

Virtually every organisation runs projects, either formally or informally. Learn what a project is, what it isn’t, and why that matters. You’ll explore why projects fail, how to measure success, and how to plan and develop a project plan so that your projects run more effectively. 

You’ll discover the language and frameworks for scoping projects, sequencing activities, utilizing resources, and minimizing risks.

Join this course if: you want to run projects efficiently and smoothly at work.

Nailing the technical aspects of your role doesn’t mean managing people comes easy. Line managers play a critical role in organisations, from the day-to-day management of people to the implementation of company policy. 

Learn about best practice processes in recruitment and induction, identify market trends that will impact your organisation, and explore different management styles.

You’ll discover how to develop teams and individuals so that they’ll be happier and more productive at work. 

Join this course if: you’re looking to find and develop your own management style.

So you’ve got a great business idea, now what? 

Learn how to use business model thinking and other business tools to develop your big ideas into big business opportunities. 

Probe your mission, vision and value proposition, as you assess the viability of your idea and the value it could add to your business. Discover how businesses of all sizes can add value in a global market, and make a social impact.

Join this course if: you want to make your big business idea a reality. 

Business is changing. Go Unlimited to stay ahead of the pack and make real career progression.

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