Education Archives | Shortform Books

Children and Technology: How to Limit Screen Time

Do you find it difficult to limit your children’s screen time? Why is it better to allow your child to set their own limits? Children and technology are a bad mix because oftentimes, children don’t understand why too much screen time is bad for them. That’s why Indistractable author Nir Eyal suggests educating your child on the importance of limiting screen time then allowing them to set their own limits. Learn why educating your children is better than setting arbitrary rules.

Distraction in Children: Tips for Parents

Do you want to raise indistractible children in a world full of distractions? What are Nir Eyal’s four steps to reduce distraction in children? In his book Indistractable, Nir Eyal gives parenting advice on how to reduce distractions in children. The four steps are: reducing internal triggers, building a schedule, teaching them about external triggers, and improving their self-control. Continue reading to learn how to raise indistractable children.

The Long-Term Impacts of Systemic Racism in Schools

Is there still systemic racism in schools? How does systemic racism occur? What are the possible long-term impacts of the situation? Although schools are no longer legally segregated, that does not mean that school systems unbiased. Systemic racism in schools is very real and the repercussions affect the students long after they graduate. Learn how and why systemic racism in schools occurs and the long-term impacts on society and individuals.

The 4 Ways to Reduce Unconscious Bias in Schools

What are the best ways to reduce unconscious bias in schools? Why is practicing “colorblindness” a poor approach to reducing bias? According to racism expert Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt, there are four powerful ways to reduce unconscious bias in schools. They are: using empathy-focused teacher training sessions, teaching accurate history, building trust and respect among students and teachers, and using “wise feedback” to give criticism. Continue reading to learn more about the four methods for reducing unconscious bias in schools and why the “colorblind” approach doesn’t work.

A Theory of Fun: What Are Games?

What are games according to Raph Koster? Why are there so many differing opinions on what games are? In his book about the theory of fun, Koster provides his own definition of what a game is along with the definitions of others. He concludes that, in general, games are puzzles designed to teach your brain new patterns. Here is what Raph Koster has to say about what games are.

Bias Training in the Workplace: Does It Work?

Is bias training a good solution to workplace bias? What incident forced Starbucks to reevaluate how they handle racism? How is moral credentialing a threat to racism progression? In her book Biased, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt discusses bias training at work and uses the 2018 Starbucks incident as a case study. Many companies used biased training as a crutch because they don’t know how else to deal with racism but it may not be the perfect solution. Here’s some background on the Starbucks incident and a discussion on whether bias training is effective or not.

Evaluating Science: How to Fight Doubt-Mongering

Are you skilled in evaluating science? How do you know what’s true and what’s false? In the book Merchants of Doubt, Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway take on people and organizations who create the impression that scientific findings that threaten their agenda or ideology are unsettled—or flat-out wrong. The authors look at some of the issues that merchants of doubt are tackling today and share keys to evaluating science so that you can protect yourself from being taken in. Read on to start developing the skill of evaluating science.

What Are Game Mechanics? Raph Koster Explains

What are game mechanics? What are the most common gameplay paradigms? How do you innovate a game? A Theory of Fun for Game Design author, Raph Koster, explains that the holy grail of game mechanics should provide never-ending challenges, require a varied skill set, and have a difficulty curve that adjusts to your skill level. Unfortunately, a lot of games fall back on cliched game mechanics. Keep reading for Raph Koster’s explanation of game mechanics.

The Shooting of Terence Crutcher: Case Study

What can we learn about police brutality by studying the shooting of Terence Crutcher? Is using case studies a helpful approach to police brutality? In her book Biased, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt discusses police brutality by examining the shooting of Terence Crutcher. She breaks down the incident into five parts and examines what went wrong and what should have been done differently. Then we discuss whether using individual case studies is an effective approach to ending police brutality. Here is Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt’s breakdown of the shooting of Terence Crutcher.

Raph Koster: What Are the Benefits of Playing Games?

What are the benefits of playing games? Can games teach you skills for the modern day? Despite the fact that many people think games (especially video games) are a negative influence and distract you from the real world, Raph Koster asserts that games are actually beneficial in many ways. Koster says that games can teach you a number of skills including teamwork, lateral thinking, and can even teach you self-insight. Below are the benefits of playing games according to A Theory of Fun for Game Design author Raph Koster.

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