"Color Blind or Color Brave?" ~ Mellody Hobson

Finance executive Mellody Hobson strongly advocates and encourages racial equality as a prominent and relevant subject in everyday life. I recently watched a speech she gave revealing the topic of race being a “conversational third rail.” Sadly, I suddenly realized how true her statement was.

To develop her claim and spark a change in the audience's actions, Hobson explains how the first steps to solving any problem include facing it head on and taking action by spreading awareness. She uses anecdotal evidence and hypothetical situations to get her point across. When she was going to a editorial board lunch, Hobson was mistaken for a kitchen worker when she arrived. The misconception was not so surprising to her after some thought. The speaker tells the audience two scenarios to compare, “If there was a committee full of black males, that would seem weird, but if there was a committee of white males, it would seem normal.” Hobson was talking about how it is strange to see minorities in power, but it is “typical” to see white men holding power. This message opened my mind and made me realize how true the statement is. Most people would look into a board meeting and see all the white men seated around the table as “fitting” but would see all the minorities seated around the table as “strange.” I thought that although the speaker is black, she does a great job of making her argument objective and relatable to all audiences.

Further, the validity of her argument increases when she mentions “Even though white men make up just 30% of the US population, they hold 70% of all corporate board seats.” Relating to the first stand-out moment, this statement is very strong and educational because it is a statistic instead of an opinion. Statistics are more objective and factual than opinions are, so more people are inclined to believe this data. I felt shocked at first, but then I realized how accurate this data is in my close family friend’s life. A mostly white board runs both of her parents’ companies with very few minorities. This talk made me recognize that most people ignore their problems until it goes away; however, if we all learn to embrace diversity and take “race” out of the uncomfortable zone of discussion, we will move forward as one unanimous society.

- Sarah

Psychology PreK-12 Teachers Should Know

I have always thought about the importance of teachers understanding the psychology essential to effective education, so I Googled what that would encompass. In 2015, the American Psychological Association, Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education published Top 20 principles from psychology for preK–12 teaching and learning.The text was extensive as it discussed each principle thoroughly, so I will talk about a few of the most interesting principles I read about.

"Students’ beliefs or perceptions about intelligence and ability affect their cognitive functioning and learning," (6). There are those who see intelligence as something malleable, and those who hold intelligence to be a fixed trait. The students who hold the first view are more likely to take on challenges and respond to criticism and feedback constructively. The students who hold the latter view are more defensive in their work and feel the need to prove their ability and intelligence rather than expand their knowledge. This is important for teachers to know because they can promote their students to approach education with an open and ambitious mindset rather than defensive mindset. As soon as people believe that they can be top students and that their capability is not predetermined, they will be able to reach their highest potential. 



"Student creativity can be fostered," (14). Creative approaches to teaching motivates students to have thoughts of their own which is beneficial in personal growth, workforce success, and solving real life issues. The ability to identify and solve problems is of great importance as the 21st century is bringing many rising issues into consideration. Only so much can be done to progress the world knowing formulas and facts. The world needs creativity to create solutions to stop global warming, make advancements in the medical and technical fields, educate the upcoming generations more effectively, etc. Teachers can promote creativity by showing and letting students have a wide range of approaches to problem solving. Educators should encourage diverse thought rather than enforce conformity.

"Students tend to enjoy learning and perform better when they are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated to achieve," (16). Students work effectively on things that they are personally motivated to accomplish. Their goals are set for the purpose of satisfying themselves rather than those around them. Teachers should take this into consideration to promote a student's feeling of autonomy and competence in school. This principle has especially affected me in the midst of junior year. Distinguishing my personal goals from the expectations of my peers and family has been a major turning point in how I approach any task I decide to put my time and effort into. As soon as I establish a personal motive for any assignment I must complete, the quality and significance of my work boosts up. Most of the time, these personal motives revolve around the assignment making me either a more educated member of society or a more understanding member of the world.

Psychology about education is crucial for teachers to be cognizant of. The minds of the future generations are shaped by the educators of the world, so it is only appropriate for them to understand the inner-workings of these minds.

- Sarah

Driverless Cars

  

"Virtually every major automaker — along with an assortment of industry suppliers and some non-traditional players like Google parent Alphabet — are racing to put not only autonomous, but even fully driverless, vehicles on the road," Paul A. Einstein of NBC News reports. The fantasies of the future are coming faster than many had anticipated. 

The drastic change that may soon be seen in our streets comes with a wave of hesitance. Many do not want to put their life in the hands of technology. Truthfully, technology is much more trustworthy than humans when it comes to driving, for 90% of car accidents are due to human errors such as drunk driving or simply running through a stop sign. Also, autonomous features already exist in cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated the electronic stability control, which is an autonomous feature that was made mandatory for cars to have in 2011, saved over 2,200 lives between 2008-2010. Driverless cars are not going to just appear on one day making everyone have to adjust to this novel way of living. It is a gradual change that includes several phases. Our current phase is when the driver has full control, but there are automated systems. The next phase, partial autonomy, is where the car can steer and accelerate, but the driver must be ready to take control at any moment. The third phase is high autonomy, so the driver can take control when needed, but the car mainly controls itself. Finally, the last phase is full autonomy.

Aside from drastically decreasing the percentage of car accidents, these driverless vehicles may join the effort in decreasing pollution. It may be mandated that all driverless cars must be electric. Since cars are the leading cause of air pollution, this will immensely benefit our world. A future with driverless cars is nearing, and we are in for quite the ride.

- Sarah

Take some steps to improve Creativity

Stanford studies show that when walking, one's creative output is increased by an average of 60 percent.

It seems that physical activity is not only beneficial for the body, but for the mind as well. In the study, the act of walking, not the environment, was the main factor in people's boost in creativity levels. This study was conducted in 2014, but there does not seem to be extensive research since then about why the physical act of walking is linked to physiological alterations to the cognitive control of imagination.

Nonetheless, this was an intriguing discovery I recently read about, that could be very beneficial in many people's lives. I, myself, sometimes lack fresh ideas for artwork, essays, or solutions to hardships I face. I look forward to testing this out the next time I need to get my creative juices flowing. I'll keep an eye out for any new studies related to the link between walking and creativity! For now, I hope this post influences you to also take a stroll when you need inventive ideas.

- Sarah