Posts Tagged ‘Education’

Get Smart: How to Think About Thinking with Chris Stewart

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

chris-stewart.jpg W. Christopher Stewart is a philosophy professor at Houghton College in Houghton, NY, where he teaches courses on aesthetics, the history of philosophy, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, philosophy of science, and business ethics. He is the author of, among other things, an essay on magic and technology forthcoming in The Hobbit and Philosophy,and earlier co-authored an essay on magic, science, and the ethics of technology for Harry Potter and Philosophy. He has served as a consultant for Pfizer, where he advised a team of marketing experts on the relationship between clinical research, consumer behavior, and Pascal’s wager.

TILE: What exactly is philosophy?
Chris: Philosophy explores fundamental assumptions about the world and what it means to be a human being. Alasdair MacIntyre (a philosopher from the University of Notre Dame) called it “the discipline in which you learn to think about what you’re doing in other disciplines.” I like that because it highlights the fact that philosophers are interested in everything, but at a very deep level. They’re interested in the underlying assumptions that inform other activities and disciplines, from science to business to sports to anything else you can imagine.

TILE: We can’t all be Aristotle. Philosophy, like finance, often scares people away. Is it even possible for the average person to philosophize like a pro?
Chris: Aristotle himself said that philosophy begins with wonder. We look around and see the way things are, and then begin to ask questions.

Philosophizing is a natural human response to experience. The evidence for that is the most common question on the lips of every small child: “Why?” Somewhere along the way, many of us lose our natural sense of wonder, and philosophizing starts to seem like something unfamiliar or strange.

Also, philosophizing isn’t just about expressing opinions, which is the easy part. It’s knowing why we believe what we believe, and being able to provide reasons to anyone who asks us for them.

That’s not easy, but anyone can do it. Just keep asking “Why?”

TILE: What’s one of your top takeaways from a favorite philosopher?
Chris: Plato said that, although mandatory physical exercise does no harm to the body, mandatory learning “never sticks to the mind.” I’ve thought about that quite a bit as a teacher, but I think it applies pretty well in any context. Any time you’re doing something simply because you think you have to, not because you want to, it’s probably not doing anyone much good, including yourself.

TILE: What’s the best advice you would give to your teenage self?
Chris: Be yourself. It sounds trite, but I really do think the impulse to conform to what everyone else is doing limits your potential. Socrates was big on “the examined life.” (Read Plato’s “Apology” to see Socrates in action.) So don’t just run with the pack. Constantly ask yourself “Why am I doing this? Where is it leading me?”

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Teaching and Learning in the South Bronx

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

evan-piekara.jpg Evan Piekara is an alumnus of Teach For America, a national organization that works to ensure educational opportunities for students of all backgrounds. During his 4 years as a corps member, he taught 6th and 7th grade in the South Bronx. He’s also worked as an Institute Staff Member, helping to train the 2008 and 2009 corps. As a result of his classroom experiences, he developed some interesting views on education in America and the importance of gaining financial understanding at a young age.

TILE: What inspired you to become involved with Teach for America?
Evan: I was inspired by its mission that all children deserve an excellent education, and the fact that TFA works tirelessly to ensure that your income level or where you grew up does not determine your future.One thing that has always impressed me about TFA is that it is constantly looking to improve and become more effective. It has both a short-term strategy of getting people involved in education who may not have entered in the first place with a long-term mission of them using these experiences whether as teachers, business leaders, lawyers, doctors, politicians, or advocates to continue to support the mission and improve education for all.

TILE: What qualities do you look for in teachers who become part of your organization?
Evan: TFA places a huge emphasis on leadership, teamwork, resilience, and achievement. These are all qualities that are utilized in the classroom and help you to work towards becoming a successful teacher who will move students forward.

TILE: What are some important things you have learned while working for Teach for America?
Evan: It’s helped me learn a great deal about myself, grow as an individual and as a professional, and it’s really helped me to become much more analytical, reflective, and use out-of-the-box thinking to find a solution to any number of problems or obstacles.

TILE: What kinds of core knowledge, skills and values do you hope to instill in students?
Evan: I want to instill in them a sense that they can succeed on every level and although things might not always be easy, through hard-work, determination, and using their education they can be successful in whatever they aspire to do. A lot of our discussions center around goal-setting, mutual respect, using strong communication skills, independence as well as working in a team, and being a leader.

TILE: Why might it be important to help students obtain financial literacy?
Evan: It is important because it can help them to avoid the pitfalls that many people struggle with, and also to open doors for them in the future. For example, they might realize that college is a viable option through managing scholarships and student loans that they can pay-off once they start their professional careers.

TILE: What advice would you offer to your teenage self (financial or otherwise)?
Evan: Education is so important and each day in class and outside is an opportunity to learn and grow.For me, I was fortunate to have parents who instilled those values in me, and who financially stretched money, made me work for money, and taught me the value of a dollar.

>> TILE brings you exclusive opinions, explanations, and interviews from experts in every industry. To read more, click on Ask the Experts in the TILE Library.

Have a burning question or an expert you’d like to see interviewed? Just Ask TILE!

Strategies for Change, Part 4: Education

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011


Welcome to our new series, showing you how the changes you want to see in the world actually happen!

Check out our other SfC shorts:

Strategies for Change: Introduction
Strategies for Change, Part 1: Activism
Strategies for Change, Part 2: Advocacy
Strategies for Change, Part 3: Direct Service

Today’s Episode of “Personal Finance for Preschoolers”

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

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(photo credit: popofatticus)

Seems like the rash of recent economic disasters have woken America up to the fact that education in personal finance is practically non-existent in this country.

So financial educators are starting to pay more attention to the kids. (See, for example, SPEND.GROW.GIVE.) But there’s one little problem… For most kids, personal finance is, well, boring and irrelevant.

Sure, you can talk about it in an Elmo voice, but is that really going to make money matter to young children? And should personal finance education really start in preschool? Starting young probably can’t hurt, but you’ve also got to be smart about how you approach the topic.

What would be the best way for you to learn about personal finance?

What do you think you should know by now? Do you at least know where the money goes?

It’s the Enthusiastic Youngsters Who Will Be Fired First

Friday, May 13th, 2011

teachers-union.jpeg
(credit: kevindooley)

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg just announced a budget that will require 4,100 public school teachers to be laid off. That’s pretty tough news for a city with a challenging (to say the least) public school system. But what’s even tougher is the way those unlucky teachers will be chosen.

We’ve written about the last-in-first-out rule before (LIFO). In New York, the law says that teachers must be fired in reverse order of when they were hired. That means that an idealistic 24-year old with enough energy to start her career in an overcrowded, underfunded public school in the Bronx is more likely to be fired than an underperforming veteran.

What’s interesting is that many of the young teachers who are set to be laid off are actually participants in programs (like Teach for America and NYC Teaching Fellows) designed to bring new energy and drive INTO the public schools.

Well, there goes that idea. How do you think the public education system can be improved?

Is education a favorite cause of yours? Do you know what is? Visit Your Causes to start figuring it out!

Student Loan Debt Exceeds Credit Card Debt for the First Time in History

Friday, April 29th, 2011


(credit: scui3asteveo)

Q. What’s the difference between defaulting on your student loans and defaulting on your credit card debt?

A. If you fall into a hopeless debt spiral because you can’t pay back your credit card company or your mortgage, you can declare bankruptcy and get a clean credit slate after a few years. If you default on your student loans, you can never escape. Ever.

Unfortunately, it looks like a lot of college grads are about to find themselves with a black mark on their permanent records. Your credit history, unlike that mythical permanent record your teachers threatened you with in 4th grade, can really affect your opportunities in life. It can determine whether or not you get a credit card, a school or car loan, or a mortgage on a new home. Some employers even check credit reports to get the dirt on potential new hires.

Check out this article on good.is for more fun details and a glance at the ever-increasing Student Loan Debt Clock!

See also: this depressing article on “mal-employed” college grads.

Also see also: this list of the “20 most useless college majors,” which shows the limited mid-career earning potential for chemistry majors, among other obvious low-paying career tracks (hello, art history scholars!) Of course, being “useless” financially doesn’t mean your degree of choice won’t make your heart soar like an eagle. We recommend you use your own criteria for success when making major career choices. And don’t default on your student loans.

North Carolina Schools Attempt to Modernize Educational Integration

Friday, March 4th, 2011

little-rock-school-integration.jpg
(photo credit: The U.S. Army)

The Wake County school system has led the nation in fighting educational inequality for forty years. But a series of challenges have forced leaders to be creative when it comes to integration that pleases parents.

  • The system’s race-based attempt at integration was deemed unconstitutional in 2001, so it switched to school assignment based on socioeconomic status (wealth and income). But keeping schools balanced between high- and low-income families meant students were frequently bumped from school to school.
  • In 2009, a new conservative school board decided that students should be sent to the schools closest to their homes, ensuring that the racial and economic barriers in the broader community would be repeated at school. The decision sparked outrage throughout the country.
  • As a compromise (and a nod to the results-oriented business community), a new proposal suggests that students be permanently assigned to schools based on achievement. That way, no student is forced into a low-achieving school simply because of their race, class, or location, and school shuffling will be kept to a minimum.

Facts & Figures

  • Under the current integration plan, each school has 40% of students qualifying for free lunch and 60% who do not qualify
  • Under the new proposal, each school would have 70% of students at grade level or higher, and 30% performing below their grade level

Best Quote

“What’s the use of living in a gated community if my kids go to school and get poor all over them?” – Stephen Colbert, Fake News Reporter

What do you think?

How will students be labeled as high or low-achieving? And what happens if a low-achieving first-grader becomes a highly successful third grader?

Get to it!

Does educational inequality get you riled up? Make a statement.

Your parents aren’t going to be happy about this…

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

Ouch. According to a new study, college students are spending four (or more) years and thousands of dollars on higher education, but they’re not actually learning anything.


(photo credit: peanutian)

Here’s the short story:

Students are slacking off, colleges are more focused on enrolling and keeping new students than they are on making sure each student gets a quality education, and professors are having trouble keeping up with their increasingly large class sizes as more and more people attend college.

Here are the fun facts:

  • 45 percent of students “did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning” during the first two years of college.
  • 36 percent of students “did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning” over four years of college.
  • Students who study by themselves for more hours each week gain more knowledge — while those who spend more time studying in peer groups see diminishing gains.
  • Students whose classes reflect high expectations (more than 40 pages of reading a week and more than 20 pages of writing a semester) gained more than other students.
  • Students who spend more time in fraternities and sororities show smaller gains than other students.

Read the whole story here.

The New Philanthropy: Google Goes After Education In India

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

“NEW DELHI – Internet giant Google Inc. said Monday it will give $5 million to upgrade and support 50 elementary schools run by India’s Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic unit of Bharti Enterprises Ltd.”

What do you think?

Can an enormous business-based philanthropic venture like Google fulfill its mission to save the world?

More Competitive Than Harvard! 1.6 Million Chinese Grads Consider Applying To McDonald’s Hamburger University

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

“There’s a coffee machine in the corridor. There’s no cafeteria, although students and staff can order food delivered to the office pantry one floor down.

‘I’m thrilled and proud to attend Hamburger University,’ said Zhou, who in 2007 started as a management trainee in the central Chinese city of Changsha, a job for which she and seven others were among 1,000 applicants. That’s a selection rate of less than 1 percent, lower than Harvard University’s record low acceptance rate last year of about 7 percent, according to the school’s official newspaper.”

Best Quote

“Now my father has stopped trying to persuade me to work in banking.” – Sun Ying, McDonald’s Shanghai Store Manager

What do you think?

With college graduates fighting to get into Hamburger University, can a Chinese obesity crisis be far behind?