“What’s the next big idea? Neo-Aristotelianism.”
October 28, 2021
Originally posted in our October 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. Following on from our discussion of virtues and character development, we move into a discussion of ethics. An exciting resurgence of Aristotle’s ethics, Neo-Aristotelianism, provides a deeper understanding of how we develop ethics. Much has been written about Aristotle’s good and virtuous life. And, there is a movement among policymakers, psychologists, and philosophers towards these teachings again. The goal of eudaimonia, or the highest form of…
Read more“A Framework for Character Education in Schools”
Originally posted in our October 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. As we think about how we structure our work in established organizations and more autonomous settings, the idea of character often comes to mind. Sometimes seen as a polarizing subject, studies have linked character development to the culture around an individual. Furthermore, if we want individuals and societies to flourish, we need to examine how we intentionally or unintentionally develop characters and virtues in our students.…
Read more“Why Do We Work Too Much?”
October 27, 2021
Originally posted in our October 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. As the ambiguity of COVID-19 continues to impact our health and our work, it is fitting to reflect on how and why we work the way we do. In this recent New Yorker piece, the author presents us with an interesting trend in the post-industrial economy much of the Western world finds itself in. That is a seemingly infinite amount of opportunity and the cultural shift…
Read more“Why Business Schools Need to Teach Experimentation”
September 29, 2021
Originally posted in our September 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. To close out our thoughts on re-evaluating learning, we turn to high education. Specifically, in business school, we are finding much evidence that a new type of learning is essential: Experimentation. A concept often thought of as something for scientists or theorists, experimenting (read, trying lots of things, and learning from what does or, more importantly, doesn’t work) is increasingly relevant to business training. Experiments create…
Read more“What almost 150 studies say about how to motivate students”
Originally posted in our September 2021 Top of Mind Newsletter. We need to focus on a few key factors as we think about how we structure motivational learning environments. In a meta-analysis comprising almost 150 studies on student motivation, we see two observations that impact how we motivate learners. The first observation is that, while parents have a role in motivating students, teachers have much more control over how engaged a student will be in the…
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