alfiekohn

alfiekohn , 4 days ago to random

1/2
Early anthropologists debunked the myth that it's "just human nature" to compete, especially in times of scarcity. Some cultures with limited resources are indeed competitive, but others are cooperative, the assumption apparently being that they can't afford to compete and must work together. Similarly, some cultures that enjoy abundance are cooperative while others are competitive.

alfiekohn , 9 days ago to random

Q. When Republicans are in charge, what becomes of academic freedom?
A. https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2024/06/14/florida-professors-speech-in-class-can-be-controlled-government-speech-stop-woke-ron-desantis/74074510007/

alfiekohn , 11 days ago to random

Fascinating study: Lower social-class university students (& other adults) do worse than their higher-class counterparts on a reasoning task only when they've been led to focus on outperforming others. Competition, in other words, exacerbates social inequality: https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2019-10560-001

alfiekohn , 14 days ago to random

The evidence fails to support the claim that homework is academically beneficial for students in any meaningful sense, as I showed in this chapter from my book The Homework Myth: https://www.alfiekohn.org/homework-improve-learning/.

Many HW defenders quickly pivot to claiming that it promotes self-discipline, responsibility, time management & study skills, etc. Yet over the last 20 years I've been unable to find a single study that supports this folk wisdom about HW's supposed nonacademic advantages.

alfiekohn , 1 month ago to random

I love my neighborhood

alfiekohn , 1 month ago to random

Research finds that putting children in competitive activities tends to reduce their generosity and empathy. (This makes perfect sense when you think about the mindset required to try to beat other people.) Someone nicely summarized this by saying that caring tends to atrophy when the point is to win a trophy.

alfiekohn , 1 month ago to random

Student protests reflect "outrage over the tens of thousands of civilians killed in Gaza...and yet much of the media coverage of the protests themselves has obscured this reality." Worth a read: https://newrepublic.com/article/181107/college-protests-israel-gaza-media-coverage-shameful