Digest # 144: Talking to Kids about Race

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June 19, 2020

Two Words: Free Labor

Housework can also become a form of play, and depending on how well or poorly your children do it, may be some help. In the 19th century, Hodgkinson said, “children were seen as not necessarily a burden on the household, but a welcome labor force.” Employ them.

“The thing to remember is that kids want to help, so try to get them in the habit of doing some of those things,” Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence, said. “A 3-year-old separating laundry is quite possible and also quite fun. Six-year-olds can be making breakfast.” So, yes, children can cook, they can clean. If you can take a few extra minutes to gamify the chore — Mary Poppins’s “Spoonful of Sugar” approach — they may even enjoy it.

Muddle Through

A pandemic isn’t forever. Probably. So if it’s easier, leave historical practice aside, give guilt the vacation that you can’t take and get through it. “Don’t think that there’s something wrong with you or that you haven’t been the perfect camp counselor and made it a fun and exciting and rewarding summer for everyone,” Skenazy said. “I mean, just give yourself a break.”

If that break involves a lot of screens, remember that new entertainment forms and technologies — from the written word on — have always attracted suspicion that they will pulp or corrupt young minds. And most of us have turned out OK, no matter how many “Smurfs” episodes we may have once absorbed. Video games provide an opportunity to socialize, a streamed musical is still a musical, a virtual tour of a gallery or museum isn’t the same as wandering the halls yourself, but take what you can get.

In general, find out what your children like to do and encourage them to do it. Or go with the obverse: When you have time available, make them do stuff that you like. In my case, that means playing board games and watching toy theater videos on YouTube, plus the occasional Hayao Miyazaki movie. Or the more than occasional one.

“Just let them watch a lot of films,” Hodgkinson said. “It’s temporary, it’s not forever. We really shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves.”

The Class of 2021 Could Change College Admissions Forever

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June 19, 2020

This week, we are publishing the work of all the winners and runners-up in the high school and middle school categories of our Seventh Annual Student Editorial Contest. You can find them all in this column.

“The Class of 2021 Could Change College Admissions Forever”
By Erin Tan, age 16, Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Technologies, Edison, N.J.

Junior year of high school is notorious for being the most stressful, acne-inducing year of a teenager’s life. With college applications fast approaching, students scramble to bump up their course rigor and boost their grade point averages. On top of that, they have to find time to prepare, and pay, for the SAT, ACT, subject tests and Advanced Placement exams.

By mid-March, I was starting to feel the heat: It seemed like I had two tests every day and four projects a week. If this kept up for three more months I would implode from stress. Then a global pandemic shut schools down indefinitely.

The high school class of 2021 just lucked out hard. In the busiest part of our hardest year of high school, we get to have school from home and abridged open note A.P. exams. Because of all these changes, our college admissions are going to be much more complex. Maybe that’s a good thing.

Ahead of the fall of 2021 college application period, many universities across the nation have announced modifications to their application requirements, specifically for standardized testing. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, will not consider SAT subject tests. Dozens of other colleges and universities have dropped the SAT and ACT altogether, with some schools even amending their admissions requirements beyond fall of 2021. If this precedent catches on, the landscape of college admissions, as well as the overall high school experience, will change drastically.

Colleges claim to value a student’s character in the admissions process. “It’s not enough just to be smart at top schools,” says Angela Dunnham, former assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College. “Students must also show that they’ll be good classmates and community builders.” If this were truly the case, then an applicant’s essay and extracurriculars would hold equal or more weight than a test score or G.P.A. After all, there’s nothing about a multiple choice test that showcases a student’s creativity or versatility.

Placing less emphasis on standardized testing will remove an added stressor that students face during high school. Students have accustomed themselves to the reality that if they are poor test takers, they will automatically disqualify themselves from admission at most top-tier colleges. Additionally, the high costs of taking and preparing for these tests have made standardized testing a catalyst for socioeconomic privilege.

The Plastic Straw Straw Man

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June 19, 2020

But can our bid to save the turtles simply be validated by the aftertaste of soggy cardboard?

Unfortunately, the solace that we find in using paper straws is largely imagined, as plastic straws only represent a tiny fraction of the plastic littered across Earth’s beaches. According to National Geographic, just 0.025 percent of all annual plastic waste is made up of straws, meaning that even if we eradicated every single turtle-impaler on the planet, we would still be left with 7,998,000 tons of plastic flowing into our oceans every year. At that rate, we will have more plastic waste than fish in the seas by 2050, rendering the efforts of even the strictest plastic straw abstainers largely unsuccessful.

This is not to say that environmentally-conscious consumer decisions are futile. As the refrain goes, small changes can eventually go on to make a big difference. However, in a world where rapid declines in marine biodiversity and consistently rising plastic waste production show no signs of slowing down anytime soon, we cannot afford the luxury of gradual change. We have lost sight of the forest for the trees, and it is time to expand our focus to the biggest polluters: environmentally irresponsible corporations.

While the world has largely focused on tackling the plastic straw straw man, a convenient scapegoat to blame for our environmental woes, issues such as the fishing industry’s disposal of fishing gear that make up 46 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch have lost the attention they deserve, according to The New York Times. In our fight against ocean pollution, merely shunning single-use plastics will not be the solution. We need active voices to call for increased governmental regulations to keep industries in check and reduce plastic waste by more than just a mere 0.025 percent.

Mother Nature is growing impatient, and it is time to not only make individual lifestyle changes, but also hold governments and large corporations accountable for environmental destruction. Only then can we take a moment to sit back and enjoy a celebratory toast. Sipping straight from the cup, of course.

Works Cited

Gibbens, Sarah. “A Brief History of How Plastic Straws Took over the World.” National Geographic, 2 Jan. 2019.

Kaplan, Sarah. “By 2050, There Will Be More Plastic than Fish in the World’s Oceans, Study Says.” The Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2016.

Lee, Jane J. “How Did Sea Turtle Get a Straw Up Its Nose?” National Geographic, 17 Aug. 2015.

McKeough, Tim. “A Sea Change for Plastic.” The New York Times, 20 Nov. 2019.

No Love of Milton if Not for Loving Frivolous Fiction

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June 19, 2020

No Love of Milton if Not for Loving Frivolous Fiction

When I displayed my more modest personal bookshelf, featuring shiny-foiled fantasy and colorful young adult novels, he bemoaned, “My dad won’t let me read anything un-classic. He thinks it’s a waste of time.”

I was immediately indignant over his dad’s attitude. How could you own so many books, yet deride almost every genre? But how would I, a high schooler, have more valid tastes than a scholar and elevated press editor?

Most of the books in my house are bright and sparkly, characterizing my reader origins: Rainbow Magic, Candy Apple, Dork Diaries, Popularity Papers. Motifs include magical creatures, “distracting” font choices, unrealistic high school drama, crushes, mean girls. Also present is a subsection of young adult, with the same elements. I devoured these wastes of time.

But today, I whittle away at classics, fully appreciative of their cultural significance and artistry. My recent leisure reads include Austen, Beckett, Hugo and Neruda. Next to heist fantasy “Six of Crows,” social media teen romance “Tweet Cute,” and graphic novel “Pumpkinheads,” of course. Such “frivolous” genre reads can be meaningful in their own right, offering breaks from the density of both classics and real life. Most importantly, they’re fuel for the reading habit that’s significantly linked to success and well-being.

This habit is created, as described by editor Pamela Paul, by experiencing reading not as “spinach,” but as “chocolate cake”— not necessarily full of nutrients, but deliciously addictive. (Perhaps the spinach becomes chocolate cake: Homer’s “Odyssey” after reading “Goddess Girls,” “Pygmalion” after “Princess Diaries,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” after “Her Evil Twin.”)

Spotify Is Killing Beethoven … Here’s How You Can Save Him!

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June 19, 2020

Spotify Is Killing Beethoven … Here’s How You Can Save Him!

Since the start of this century, the popularity of all traditional classical music platforms has been plummeting. The percentage of adults attending classical music performances declined from 11.6 percent to 8.6 percent between 2002 and 2017, whereas participation in all other genres rose by as high as 15.7 percent. In the year 2012 alone, classical album sales decreased by 21 percent. The ingenuity of Beethoven is becoming increasingly impotent against the ferocious attraction of pop music.

In this age of the internet, one can easily avoid the blame of such tragedy by claiming that classical pieces moved online. However, it is precisely metadata — the algorithm based on the album, song and artist that popular music streaming platforms use — that has been impeding their digital growth. How can Spotify accurately place into its categories the second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 played by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel? As a result, classical music presently constitutes less than one percent of all streaming services, lagging behind its 2.5 percent of American album sales.

Ultimately, society’s abandonment of classical music stems from modern cultural changes. Since the mid-20th century, Western society has developed a countercultural attitude that readily questions established authority, the classical canons included. Encountering a myriad new adrenaline-charged music styles, people eschew the slow-paced, less immediately accessible classical music. Plagued by modern populism, those in search of easy numbness dub classical music “elitist,” using it as a convenient excuse to turn away from the elusive genre.

In rejecting classical music, we neglect its unique and timeless emotional depth. It is an abstract representation of the composers’ meditations on the world, expressing complexities when words are inadequate. Cambridge composer John Borstlap asserts that classical music offers an “alternative to the modern world” instead of the “reflection” or escape from reality that people seek in pop lyrics about sex or drugs. From Brahms’s melancholic tunes, to Schumann’s rhythmic introversions, to Tchaikovsky’s impressive harmonies, classical pieces preserve our inner peace to balance out the external bombardment of indigestible information from society. Such is the perennial virtue of classical music.

Despite the current waning of classical music, its future remains hopeful as long as we embrace its fruits and pass on its legacy. Go to a local concert. Pick up an instrument. Advocate for classical music education in schools, starting from childhood. Download apps like Idagio and Primephonic — streaming platforms devoted to classical music, search for a serenade, and feel how your soul soars with every chord.

Works Cited

Borstlap, John. “The Relevance of Classical Music.” The Imaginative Conservative, 29 April 2017.

Sisario, Ben. “In Streaming Age, Classical Music Gets Lost in the Metadata.” The New York Times, 23 June 2019.

“U.S. Trends in Arts Attendance and Literary Reading: 2002-2017.” National Endowment for the Arts, Sept. 2018.

Top 25 online courses in Oman – June 2020

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June 19, 2020

Top 25 online courses in Oman – June 2020

Oman has been one of the forerunners of e-learning in the Middle East. With a significant emphasis on IT and education, many people in the country are taking online courses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way the world works. We are all having to adapt to a new situation, at least until some long-term solutions are found. We launched our COVID-19 course back in March, and it’s been one of our most popular ever since. It gives you everything you need to know about the virus and how it spreads, as well as what we need to do to combat it.

There are many English teaching opportunities in Oman. It’s a language that’s in high demand across the world. And, with the ever-improving technology at our disposal, online teaching is also becoming popular. With this course, you’ll learn how to transfer your teaching skills to an online environment. You’ll also develop strategies to be an effective online teacher.

English remains among the most popular languages spoken in the world. More than 1.2 billion speak it, making it a valuable tool in a professional capacity. But the language of the workplace is different from everyday English. This course helps you build your vocabulary and grammar centred around a workplace environment. It’s developed by the British Council and has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.

In the last few months, many teachers have been grappling with how to transfer their teaching methods to a virtual classroom. Even the most experienced practitioners have faced challenges. With this course, we’ve outlined some of the practical steps you can take towards teaching online and supporting your students. It focuses on how to adapt your practice and describes techniques for keeping your students engaged with their work.

The IELTS is one of the most popular English assessments in the world, and Oman is home to 12 different test centres, located around the country. The test itself can be challenging, comprising four sections. This program from the British Council has a course each on reading, writing, speaking and listening. It can help you prepare for what to expect from each exam, as well as how to maximise your performance in each.

Antibiotic resistance is a major global threat. Antibiotics have long been used as a panacea, resulting in the rise of drug-resistant bacteria and superbugs. This course looks at how genome sequencing can help to identify and track these bacteria. You’ll learn about some of the technologies involved, as well as the mechanisms of transmission and resistance.

The IELTS speaking test is among the trickier of the four assessment areas. Although it only lasts around 14 minutes, you’ll have to work on your comprehension, listening and speaking abilities. This British Council course gives you the opportunity to fully prepare for what to expect during the exam. You’ll also develop strategies that can help you reach your full potential.

There are two tasks you’ll need to complete during the IELTS writing test. Over 60 minutes, you’ll need to write two essays, one describing some visual information, and the other responding to an argument or point of view. There are some tried and tested approaches to this section of the exam, and this course covers them in detail.

Data is used across just about every industry to inform decisions and drive productivity. However, it’s also a bit of a buzzword that people throw around without really knowing what it means. On this course, you’ll look at examples of how organisations use data to drive value. You’ll also learn how to identify some of the opportunities within your own organisation.

Over 15,000 students from Oman study at universities and institutions overseas. Many of these go to English-speaking countries for their studies. However, academic writing is often quite different from everyday forms of English. With this course from the University of Reading, you’ll learn some of the vocabulary and grammar you’ll need, as well as how to write in an academic style.

As teachers, continuing professional development (CPD) plays an important role in your career. There are several areas you can focus on for CPD, and for English language teachers, the landscape frequently changes. With this British Council course, you’ll look at four essential areas, including understanding learners and using inclusive practices. You’ll hear from experienced teachers working in classrooms around the world.

The works of William Shakespeare are taught in schools across the world. They’re an important part of the English language and can be used as a tool for improving your skills in the language. With this course from the British Council, you’ll look at the life and works of the playwright. It focuses on five of his most famous plays and includes input from actors and experts from around the world.

All successful businesses need a good HR team. They’re essential to protecting the people that make organisations effective. This course looks at some of the fundamentals that HR professionals need in their career. You’ll learn about HR teams and their role within the business, as well as the basics of planning, recruitment and retention. The course has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars from our learners.

Online learning has many benefits. It brings flexibility, freedom, and convenience to your learning journey. However, it can take some adjusting if you’re new to it. You’ll need to develop a study skill set to be effective, and this course can help you develop one. You’ll look at your own learning style, as well as some of the teaching methods you might encounter during your studies.

Research projects present the perfect opportunity for you to show your academic curiosity and creativity. Undertaking such a project gives you the chance to explore your interests in a variety of different subjects. With this course, you’ll learn how to harness your curiosity and apply your creativity in a structured way. You’ll find out about every step of the research process, helping you craft your own successful project.

Planning is what makes a lesson successful. Even the very best teachers rely on a solid structure to make their lessons engaging and accessible to all. Teaching English is no different – you’ll need to thoroughly prepare for your classes to hit home. This course explores some of the key components of lesson planning. It gives you all of the components you’ll need to engage with your students and support their learning journey.

The IELTS listening test takes up 30 minutes of the IELTS exam. During this time, you’ll listen to four recordings and then answer a series of questions. The recordings include monologues and conversations, covering a range of topics. In this British Council course, you’ll explore everything you need to know in preparation for the exam. You’ll develop strategies to approach any listening situation you might face in the exam.

Arabic is the official language of Oman. However, English also plays an important role, especially in business and education. Children in Omani school are taught it from an early age, showing how useful knowledge of the language can be. On this popular course, rated 4.8 out of 5 stars, you’ll learn some English for use in everyday situations. It helps work on your basic listening, speaking, and writing skills.

For those who have already mastered the basics of the English language, a step up is needed. This course is also highly rated and gives learners the chance to build confidence in their English abilities. You’ll expand your range of knowledge, working on your abilities to understand and speak basic English. This includes describing where you live, talking about your routines, and preparing for university.

Learning is a lifelong pursuit, even for teachers. As teaching methods and theory develops, it’s important that you take care of your professional development. Although it can be difficult to work on your skills with a busy schedule, this course aims to help. It helps you gradually work on your professional development, improving your teaching abilities across the board.

Many professions now require at least some digital skills. However, there is often a shortage of skilled new starters in many industries. This course is aimed at trainers and teachers who hope to develop other learners’ digital skills. It examines what skills are needed, as well as how you can teach these to people within your organisation.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have been working remotely. It’s a convenient way of staying productive during these uncertain times. However, working from home and remotely brings its own challenges. This course addresses the issue of maintaining communication and collaboration while working away from the office. It explores some of the tools and technologies that can help keep things ticking over.

Digital learning is the next frontier of the classroom. Although it’s becoming more popular, things like educational apps are produced by non-educators. Thankfully, there are platforms that give a user-friendly way of developing apps. This course explores some of the options available, as well as what you need to take a more hands-on role in creating an app for the classroom.

Oman has seen over 24,000 coronavirus cases at the time of writing. Like much of the world, healthcare professionals are doing all they can to understand and combat the virus. Yet nursing in times of crisis is a long-established concept. This course looks at some of the lessons we can learn from nurses working in difficult conditions, and how they can be applied to care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For healthcare workers in Oman and abroad, English can be a useful language to have. However, the language of healthcare is often complex and different from that used in everyday situations. This course helps you understand some of the vocabulary and terminology needed to communicate in a healthcare setting. It can help give you the confidence to use your English language skills in such environments.

Top 25 online courses in Qatar – June 2020

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June 19, 2020

Top 25 online courses in Qatar – June 2020

As internet speeds continue to increase, the global e-learning industry continues to grow. Learning online brings all kinds of benefits, allowing you to learn no matter where in the world you are.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are the top 25 online courses in Qatar. They cover a broad range of topics, so there’s something for everyone!

The IELTS test is becoming increasingly popular in Qatar, with five different test centres in Doha. The English language proficiency exam assesses learners’ reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. This program consists of four courses, one focusing on each of these areas. You’ll learn how each test is structured, as well as what you’ll need to do in order to perform to the best of your abilities.

There have been nearly 80,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Qatar. As in many countries, the news and media are dominated by the virus. This course on COVID-19 launched back in March and consistently ranks among our most popular learning experiences. It examines what we currently know about the virus and how it spreads, as well as what we need to do to address the situation.

English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world and frequently used in business. Having knowledge and understanding of business English can help you launch your career or change jobs. This course from the British Council looks at skills specifically for employability and workplace contexts. You’ll learn functional vocabulary and grammar for business settings, allowing you to have more confidence in your skills.

Although Arabic is the official language of Qatar, English is commonly used as a second language. It’s also one of the key languages of commerce and trade in the country, as well as in the education and medical sectors. Given its widespread use, teaching the younger generations English as a second language can bring many benefits. This course focuses on giving parents and teachers the knowledge to develop their children’s English language knowledge.

Although the shortest part of the IELTS exam, the speaking section can be a tricky one. During an interview with an examiner (lasting around 14 minutes), you’ll have to answer a variety of questions about yourself and have a discussion. The British Council’s Understanding IELTS courses examine everything you need to know about acing the test.

Fashion and business often go hand-in-hand. Although it’s often a creative and expressive endeavour, it’s also a huge industry that helps shape our culture. With this course from the Institut Français de la mode, you’ll hear from industry experts including company CEOs and top fashion designers. You’ll explore topics of modernity, society, language and consumption.

The IELTS reading test is the second part of the exam, taking 60 minutes to complete. In total, you’ll have to answer 40 questions related to three or four reading passages. Although your English language knowledge is important here, your test strategy and understanding can help massively. With this course, you’ll learn exactly how the test is structured, as well as strategies for how to deal with any text you encounter.

Teaching children vocabulary can help develop their speaking, reading and writing abilities. With this course, you’ll learn some of the fundamentals of effective vocabulary teaching. As well as exploring some of the research in this field, you’ll also develop the skills you need to teach confidently. This course has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 from over 270 learners.

At the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, around 1.2 billion students worldwide were out of school. In countries such as Qatar, this has meant an increase in digital learning. For teachers, this means transitioning to a whole new way of teaching. With this course, we’ve outlined some practical advice for bringing your skills to the digital classroom.

Pre-teaching is a strategy that can equip students with basic concepts and skills before they have a lesson on the subject. From a teaching point of view, it can make your lessons more effective and engaging. This course looks at some of the research in the field of pre-teaching, as well as how you can use it to support your pupils.

Communication defines so much of our personal and professional lives. The ability to effectively communicate concepts and ideas is a highly sought-after skill in just about every industry. With this course from the University of Leeds, you’ll take a look at various forms of communication and how to improve your skills in these areas.

William Shakespeare was one of the most influential playwrights of all time. His works transformed the English language and are still relevant over 400 years after he wrote them. The British Council created this course for those looking to explore the life and works of Shakespeare. It covers five of his most well-known plays and includes content from experts from around the world.

Project management is a skill that has applications in both your personal and professional life. The concepts of planning, creating outlines, utilising resources and minimising risks are almost universally useful. This course gives you the chance to learn some of the key principles of planning and delivering a project, improving your skills as a project manager.

It’s been over 90 years since we discovered penicillin, but no new classes of antibiotics have been discovered since the 1980s. Worryingly, in recent years, scientists have seen an increase in harmful bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. This course examines how genome sequencing is used to identify and track these drug-resistant bacteria. It’s accredited by both the Royal College of Pathologists and the Royal College of Nursing.

Assessment is a crucial part of second language education. It helps both students and teachers gain an understanding of progress and ability in the key areas of language. Along with exploring the principles of language assessment, this course also looks at the specifics of assessing speaking, writing, reading and listening. In addition, it helps educators use these skills in the classroom.

The student-teacher relationship is a delicate balance, particularly when it comes to effective teaching. This CPD-certified course from the National STEM Learning Centre helps teachers develop techniques for managing behaviour in the classroom. It encourages you to reflect on your current classroom practice and utilise new ways of engaging with students. The course has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 from over 300 learners.

Although the concept of play is something we associate primarily with children, it’s actually something that’s present throughout our lives. It’s also an important personal and cultural phenomenon. This course, accredited by the CPD Certification Service, looks at how the nature of play changes. It explores whether all forms of play are good and whether it can prepare young people to thrive in the adult world.

There is a common misconception that a leader is someone in a role of authority or management. Although many managers and authority figures are good leaders, the first doesn’t automatically result in the second. In reality, leadership is a complex concept that draws on many different elements. This course explores some of these factors, as well as how different people see personal power and leadership.

Many management professionals aspire to become a Chartered Manager. It’s the highest status you can achieve in the profession. This program consists of two courses that are focused on developing your management and leadership skills. Over the duration of the program, you’ll learn how to lead people and manage change. Upon completing and passing the assessment course, you’ll also earn a CMI Level 5 Award.

Qatar is a multicultural society where many different languages are spoken. Alongside Arabic, English is one of the most commonly used languages in the country. For younger generations, it can be advantageous to develop English as a second language from a young age. This course gives parents and teachers the skills necessary to facilitate this learning in their children and pupils.

There are all kinds of communication skills needed by those wishing to thrive in the world of business. One such skill is the ability to build and manage relationships, particularly when it comes to contracts. The University of Southampton developed this course on contract management in association with the Crown Commercial Service, UK Cabinet Office, Civil Service Learning and the International Association of Contract & Commercial Management (IACCM).

It’s always fascinating to learn about another culture, particularly if you’re learning the primary language spoken there. This course on English language looks at some of the cultural aspects of the UK. Across a series of videos from native speakers, you’ll learn about such topics as music, the countryside, literature, and the different parts of the UK.

If you’re interested in aerodynamics or are considering a career as a pilot or aerospace engineer, this course is for you. It explores the basics of flight, such as the mechanics behind lift, drag and propulsion. You’ll learn about how planes take off and stay airborne, as well as how the laws of physics apply to aeroplanes. The course was developed by aerospace engineering experts ISAE-SUPAERO.

The food we eat has a significant impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. So much so that poor diet and poor mental health are the leading causes of mortality worldwide. In this course from Deakin University, you’ll explore the relationship between diet and mental health, as well as the principles of dietary change.

An International health elective (IHE) is a student-organised placement related to the health and healthcare industries. It can be a valuable experience for medical students, allowing them to take charge of their own learning in an unfamiliar context. This course from St George’s University of London gives students the opportunity to learn how to get the most out of their IHEs.

Top 25 online courses in Malaysia – June 2020

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June 19, 2020

Top 25 online courses in Malaysia – June 2020

Over the last couple of years, the Malaysian government has worked to improve ICT in the country and start to digitise education.

As such, the e-learning industry revenue is expected to reach over $2 billion by 2023. Learners in Malaysia enjoy a wide range of FutureLearn courses, and we take a look at the top 25 most popular.

It’s estimated that over 1.5 billion people across the world are learning English. As such, there is a huge demand for English teachers, especially in countries like Malaysia. With the rise of technologies helping us connect, teaching online has become more popular than ever. This course helps you transfer your existing teaching skills to an online context. You’ll learn how to plan and deliver online language and skill lessons.

Every corner of the world has been impacted by the coronavirus. Although it’s had global implications, humanity’s brightest minds have worked to understand and combat the virus. In this course, one of our most globally popular at the moment, you’ll learn about how COVID-19 emerged and what we currently know about it. Experts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine also discuss what we need to address the disease going forward.

For many students, the coronavirus pandemic has meant at-home learning. Although a convenient replacement while schools are closed, one essential aspect for teachers is that their students remain engaged with the work. This course helps practitioners prepare for teaching in the digital classroom. It has tips on adapting your teaching, keeping students on track, and reviewing and evaluating your performance.

The world of fashion is diverse and multifaceted. As well as being a creative and expressive medium, it’s also a global industry. This course examines how the business of fashion works and its impacts on culture. Experts from both the business and creative side give their insight on a range of different topics, including fashion and society, and fashion and consumption.

The IELTS is perhaps the most popular test of English abilities for second language learners. It focuses around speaking, listening, reading and writing, giving a comprehensive review of your skills. This program consists of four courses, one dedicated to each of the areas of assessment. It can help you prepare for the tests and develop strategies to perform to the best of your abilities.

English is a popular language in Malaysia. In 2017, the country was ranked the second-best in Asia for proficiency in the language. This course helps learners improve their English language skills with a focus on British culture. Over a series of short videos, you’ll see what life in the UK is like, as well as how native speakers use the language.

Every language learning journey has to start somewhere. It takes time and effort to master some of the basics, but it can be a rewarding process. This course helps learners with some of the fundamentals of English. It focuses on language use in everyday situations, helping to develop both speaking and listening skills. Our learners have given the course a rating of 4.8 stars out of 5.

Around 290 million people globally speak Malay. And, given how multicultural Malaysia is, there’s little surprise that there’s a demand for learning the language. This course gives you everything you need to get started on your learning journey. You’ll learn basic grammar, as well as words and phrases that are useful for everyday life. In addition, you’ll get to learn about the culture of Malaysia.

English is one of the global languages of business. No matter where in the world you live and work, it can be a useful addition to your repertoire. This course is focused specifically on developing English language skills for employability and workplace contexts. You’ll learn about things like applications, interviews, and starting a new role.

Communication skills are essential for success in the workplace. Yet one area that is often overlooked is that of emotional intelligence – the ability to recognise and act on emotions in yourself and others. It’s a skill that brings many benefits in both professional and personal settings. This course explores some of the fundamentals of emotional intelligence and how to measure it.

Python is a programming language that’s popular among all kinds of coders. It’s also a relatively easy first language to master and implement, used by companies such as Google and Spotify. If you’ve always wanted to get into coding and programming, this course is for you. It introduces the fundamentals, focused on Python, and gives you the chance to write your very first program.

Business managers need a variety of skills to succeed. However, it takes time and effort to develop these abilities. With this course from King’s College London, you can start learning the fundamentals. It covers how to identify your own skills, why business management is important, and how you can work on collaboration, feedback and negotiation.

Many of the top courses in Malaysia are focused around business skills, and this one is no exception. Effective communication is a cornerstone of any successful business. This course helps to develop your existing skills, teaching how to communicate effectively across written and spoken mediums. It also gives you the tools to deliver a strong presentation and conduct a productive meeting.

Learning a second language is a lifelong effort. Yet, generally speaking, the younger you are, the easier the skills develop. During early childhood can be the ideal time to build the foundations of a second language, and this course helps teachers and parents develop those skills. The British Council created this course to cover some of the key areas related to language learning.

Our diets play a huge role in our physical and mental wellbeing. Food can be used as a preventative tool, as well as an aid to managing certain chronic diseases. Monash University developed this course, which is certified by the Association for Nutrition, to explore the complexities of nutrition and its role in health. Over a period of three weeks, you’ll cover how food relates to the gut, brain, weight, and more.

Learning is a lifelong undertaking. Whether you’re still in formal education or returning to study for the first time in years, you’ll need to utilise many different skills. For those with research-based projects, there are all kinds of topics you’ll need knowledge of. This course looks at what you’ll need to develop and write a successful research project.

In a workplace environment, you’ll usually have to work and collaborate with a wide range of people. Two essential elements to success in this area are communication and interpersonal skills. Not only are these vital to the workplace, but they’re also beneficial in everyday life. With this course, you’ll explore your own communication style, and how you can tailor your approach to different situations.

Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world and has the second most native speakers. With this in mind, it’s clear to see why learning Spanish is such a popular pastime. Doing so can connect you with people all over the world. With this course, you’ll start with the fundamentals of the language. You’ll learn how to greet people and talk about where you live and where you’re from.

In the IELTS academic writing test, you’ll have two tasks to complete with a 60-minute time limit. In the first, you’ll be given some visual information that you have to describe and explain. In the second, you’ll be presented with a point of view that you have to respond to. With the right preparation, such as this course, you can know what to expect and how to answer any question you encounter.

The movie industry is a fascinating one. For many of us, we look to the creative endeavours, the cinematography, and the end result. However, like any business, money plays a key part at all stages. This course was created in conjunction with Pinewood Studios and examines the role of business in the film industry. It examines topics such as development, production, finance and distribution.

There is a high interest among Malaysian students when it comes to studying abroad. For those who hope to study in an English-speaking country, some preparation can go a long way. Coventry University developed this course to help prepare students for what’s to come. It covers key concepts and vocabulary relevant to university situations.

The environment is a pressing issue at the moment. Climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and deforestation are having a devastating impact. Not only do these all affect the environment, but there are also social and political implications. This course examines the principles of environmental justice, examining local struggles and practical techniques to empower communities.

We now live in a data-driven society. Just about every area of our lives is informed by a wealth of information. Although this data can be used for things like marketing and convenience, it can also be used to solve problems. The University of Leeds developed this course to look at some key data concepts. You’ll learn about the ethics of using people’s data, and how you can use it to find solutions.

Project management plays a central role in just about every business. As such, those who can successfully plan and manage projects are in high demand. In this course, you’ll learn some of the essential skills any good project manager needs. This includes everything from the planning stage to the execution of a successful project.

Successful managers require all kinds of skills and traits. One of the most essential ones is leadership. The Open University Business School developed this course in conjunction with the Chartered Management Institute. It goes into detail on how you can build, grow and support a successful team. Our learners have rated this course with 4.8 stars out of 5.

Businesses still need eCommerce skills after India’s Unlock 1.0

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June 19, 2020