an article in AEON by Nick Romeo and Ian Tewksbury [brought to us by Arts & Letters Daily]
Individualism is not a sufficient foundation for social life: the image of the body politic reminds us that we are all one
After escaping an assassination attempt earlier that morning, Cicero entered the senate under armed guard. It was 7 November 63 BCE, and the Roman Republic hovered on the brink of revolution. Catiline, the aristocrat behind the assassination plot, stood opposite. Faced with the man who had tried to kill him, Cicero gave one of the most powerful orations in all of antiquity: ‘O tempora, o mores!’(‘Oh these times! Oh the ways of men.’)
Central to Cicero’s speech is a provocative metaphor. The republic is a body, and Catiline a plague. Reasoning within this metaphor, Cicero prescribed a cure: to remove the disease, exile Catiline.
Cicero was utilising perhaps the most fundamental metaphor of political discourse: it runs through Thucydides’ account of the Peloponnesian war, anchors the political philosophy of Aristotle and Plato, and animates the rhetoric of Roman statesmen and Stoics. It re-emerges in the major political philosophers of the European tradition. Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill and many others deploy the metaphor to support a diverse range of arguments about human societies. We still speak casually of ‘heads’ of state and the long ‘arm’ of the law, of ‘backbones’, ‘heartlands’ and even ‘armpits’ of countries. Schools rally the ‘student body’, recruiters persuade people to join the marine ‘corps’, the press ‘corps’ or ‘corporations’ (all from the Latin corpus, for ‘body’).
Continue reading
Friday, 1 March 2019
Factors affecting Modern Apprenticeship completion in Scotland
an article by Malcolm Greig (Skills Development Scotland; Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, UK) published in International Journal of Training and Development Volume 23 Issue 1 (March 2019)
Abstract
Completing an apprenticeship has been shown to be critical to an individual’s future employment, earnings and career development when compared with apprentices who do not complete.
International research, notably in England, Australia and Germany, has identified factors specific to the apprentice, employer and training provision that are associated with a higher chance of completion. However, to date, there has been no comparable research in Scotland, which operates its own distinct and well‐established apprenticeship system.
Based on the factors identified in other countries, logistic regression was conducted on records of apprenticeship leavers in Scotland, covering the period from 2007 to 2015. Data for a total of 78,952 leavers were analysed, consisting of 59,737 completers and 19,215 non‐completers.
It was found that women are more likely to complete an apprenticeship than men, while those from deprived areas are less likely to complete. Apprentices employed by a large employer, those receiving training from public sector organizations and those studying for selected technical subjects are more likely to complete, as are apprentices living in an area with a high local unemployment rate.
The paper considers the reasons why some apprentices are more likely to complete than others and discusses the implications for apprenticeship policy in Scotland and beyond.
Abstract
Completing an apprenticeship has been shown to be critical to an individual’s future employment, earnings and career development when compared with apprentices who do not complete.
International research, notably in England, Australia and Germany, has identified factors specific to the apprentice, employer and training provision that are associated with a higher chance of completion. However, to date, there has been no comparable research in Scotland, which operates its own distinct and well‐established apprenticeship system.
Based on the factors identified in other countries, logistic regression was conducted on records of apprenticeship leavers in Scotland, covering the period from 2007 to 2015. Data for a total of 78,952 leavers were analysed, consisting of 59,737 completers and 19,215 non‐completers.
It was found that women are more likely to complete an apprenticeship than men, while those from deprived areas are less likely to complete. Apprentices employed by a large employer, those receiving training from public sector organizations and those studying for selected technical subjects are more likely to complete, as are apprentices living in an area with a high local unemployment rate.
The paper considers the reasons why some apprentices are more likely to complete than others and discusses the implications for apprenticeship policy in Scotland and beyond.
The economic effects of density: A synthesis
a column by Gabriel Ahlfeldt and Elisabetta Pietrostefani for VIX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Most countries pursue policies that implicitly or explicitly aim at promoting ‘compact urban form’, but so far these policies have not been well-grounded in evidence.
This column summarises the state of knowledge on the economic effects of density on various economic outcomes.
It concludes that densification policies may lead to aggregate welfare gains, but there may be regressive distributional consequences.
Continue reading
Most countries pursue policies that implicitly or explicitly aim at promoting ‘compact urban form’, but so far these policies have not been well-grounded in evidence.
This column summarises the state of knowledge on the economic effects of density on various economic outcomes.
It concludes that densification policies may lead to aggregate welfare gains, but there may be regressive distributional consequences.
Continue reading
"Brain Training" Is Supported by Neuroscience
a post by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa for the World of Psychology blog
Online computer games promise to improve “memory, problem solving, concentration, speed of thinking, language, and visual-spatial recognition.” They further promise that they “work your social skills, social awareness, self-awareness, and self-control” while you’re having fun.
These are tempting offers, and this is a very lucrative and growing business in the United States as people age and many older adults seek out ways to maintain cognitive functioning.
“Brain training” grew from $600 million in annual revenues in 2009 to more than a $1 billion in 2012 and is projected to reach $4 to $10 billion by 2020, according to a 2016 promotional video by SharpBrains, a brain training enterprise. Brain training programs have many audiences. Some are aimed at aging populations, others at millennials, while others cater to young schoolchildren.
“Brain training” is different than educational gaming in that brain training programs usually claim to be backed by neuroscience. Brain training is also usually computer mediated and prides itself as being “playful,” “fun,” and “enjoyable”: “Brain Training: Fun and Simple Exercises to Train Your Brain to Immediately Get Sharper, Faster, and More Powerful” seems like attractive alternatives to the hard work of learning.
While it is correct to presume that learning does not have to be painful and can be enjoyable, brain training through commercial ventures is not necessarily the solution.
Continue reading
Online computer games promise to improve “memory, problem solving, concentration, speed of thinking, language, and visual-spatial recognition.” They further promise that they “work your social skills, social awareness, self-awareness, and self-control” while you’re having fun.
These are tempting offers, and this is a very lucrative and growing business in the United States as people age and many older adults seek out ways to maintain cognitive functioning.
“Brain training” grew from $600 million in annual revenues in 2009 to more than a $1 billion in 2012 and is projected to reach $4 to $10 billion by 2020, according to a 2016 promotional video by SharpBrains, a brain training enterprise. Brain training programs have many audiences. Some are aimed at aging populations, others at millennials, while others cater to young schoolchildren.
“Brain training” is different than educational gaming in that brain training programs usually claim to be backed by neuroscience. Brain training is also usually computer mediated and prides itself as being “playful,” “fun,” and “enjoyable”: “Brain Training: Fun and Simple Exercises to Train Your Brain to Immediately Get Sharper, Faster, and More Powerful” seems like attractive alternatives to the hard work of learning.
While it is correct to presume that learning does not have to be painful and can be enjoyable, brain training through commercial ventures is not necessarily the solution.
Continue reading
An experiment in blended learning: higher education without lectures?
an article by Kevin Anthony Jones (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) and Ravi S. Sharma (University of Canterbury, New Zealand) published in International Journal of Digital Enterprise Technology Volume 1 Number 3 (2019)
Abstract
This paper chronicles a 10-year introduction of blended learning in software engineering at a leading technological university, with a longstanding tradition of technology-enabled teaching and learning, and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Hence, both teachers and students were familiar with the idea of online courses.
Despite this the longitudinal experiment did not proceed as could be expected.
Though few technical problems, it required behavioural changes from teachers and learners, thus unearthing a host of sio-technical issues, challenges, and conundrums. Indeed, education is a changing journey, not a prescribed destination, where learners, teachers, and administrators must reinvent themselves to harness the positive in this disruptive innovation of blended learning - closely related to flipped classroom - which combines eLearning with face-to-face and peer, interactions in problem-based learning.
Blended learning does not necessarily lead to cheaper and better delivery outcomes, but it makes higher education more customisable to different learning styles and hence more accessible.
Abstract
This paper chronicles a 10-year introduction of blended learning in software engineering at a leading technological university, with a longstanding tradition of technology-enabled teaching and learning, and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Hence, both teachers and students were familiar with the idea of online courses.
Despite this the longitudinal experiment did not proceed as could be expected.
Though few technical problems, it required behavioural changes from teachers and learners, thus unearthing a host of sio-technical issues, challenges, and conundrums. Indeed, education is a changing journey, not a prescribed destination, where learners, teachers, and administrators must reinvent themselves to harness the positive in this disruptive innovation of blended learning - closely related to flipped classroom - which combines eLearning with face-to-face and peer, interactions in problem-based learning.
Blended learning does not necessarily lead to cheaper and better delivery outcomes, but it makes higher education more customisable to different learning styles and hence more accessible.
The UK government’s imaginative use of evidence to make policy
an article by Paul Cairney (University of Stirling, Scotland, UK) published in British Politics Volume 14 Issue 1 (March 2019)
Abstract
It is easy to show that the UK Government rarely conducts ‘evidence-based policymaking’, but not to describe a politically feasible use of evidence in Westminster politics. Rather, we need to understand developments from a policymaker’s perspective before we can offer advice to which they will pay attention.
‘Policy-based evidence’ (PBE) is a dramatic political slogan, not a way to promote pragmatic discussion. We need to do more than declare PBE if we seek to influence the relationship between evidence and policymaking.
To produce more meaningful categories we need clearer criteria which take into account the need to combine evidence, values, and political judgement. To that end, I synthesise policy theories to identify the limits to the use of evidence in policy, and case studies of ‘families policies’ to show how governments use evidence politically.
Full text (HTML)
Abstract
It is easy to show that the UK Government rarely conducts ‘evidence-based policymaking’, but not to describe a politically feasible use of evidence in Westminster politics. Rather, we need to understand developments from a policymaker’s perspective before we can offer advice to which they will pay attention.
‘Policy-based evidence’ (PBE) is a dramatic political slogan, not a way to promote pragmatic discussion. We need to do more than declare PBE if we seek to influence the relationship between evidence and policymaking.
To produce more meaningful categories we need clearer criteria which take into account the need to combine evidence, values, and political judgement. To that end, I synthesise policy theories to identify the limits to the use of evidence in policy, and case studies of ‘families policies’ to show how governments use evidence politically.
Full text (HTML)
The doctor who prescribed the meaning of life to his patients
a post by Scotty Hendricks for the Big Think blog
Anxious? Dr. Frankl suggested you take a different view of things.
Many people struggle with the question of what the meaning of life their life is. The dread that can accompany meaninglessness is well known, but where to turn when you can't find purpose often remains obscure.
Then, there is Viktor Frankl, and his school of psychology based around finding the meaning of your life.
Continue reading
Anxious? Dr. Frankl suggested you take a different view of things.
- Not having a meaningful life can be dreadful, and one psychologist thought it was the root cause of many neuroses.
- His ideas became Logotherapy, which focuses on the need for a meaningful life and has shown success in many areas.
- Many studies agree that leading a meaningful life has tangible benefits and lacking meaning can lead to problems.
Many people struggle with the question of what the meaning of life their life is. The dread that can accompany meaninglessness is well known, but where to turn when you can't find purpose often remains obscure.
Then, there is Viktor Frankl, and his school of psychology based around finding the meaning of your life.
Continue reading
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
