OLDaily

Decolonisation isn’t as simple as plenty of people suggest
Sunny Dhillon, Wonkhe, 2020/02/21

I agree with this: "Real decolonisation would involve us... to lose a number of Eurocentric and liberal privileges. It is unlikely that the contemporary neoliberal university is either suited to, or indeed interested in, such a task – it is too implicated in the legacy of colonisation to do so. To echo Andrews, what is required is using university forums to encourage community organisation and education in settings outside of the establishment." This is true not only for decolonization initiatives (which IMO would need to be reasonably well defined, because I do not want to see it resulting in one group of poor people being pitted against another) but for egalitarian initiatives in general.

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How Hands-On Projects Can Deepen Math Learning for Teens
Kara Newhouse, Mind/Shift, 2020/02/21

I really like this point that's raised in the article: "Avoid group grades. Many adults and kids can recall working on a class project where some people pulled more of the weight than others. Although project-based learning often involves teamwork, the SLA math teachers said they do not assign group grades." I've been on both sides of that equation - the kid who did all the work, and the kid who did none (though to be fair to myself, I refused to accept a full share of credit when I did none of the work, hence pushing up my partner's score).

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The misshapen pieces of Google’s disinformation magazine
Mathew Ingram, Columbia Journalism Review, 2020/02/21

Google has just launched a digital magazine called The Current, which aims to “explore today’s digital threats and solutions.” This review gives it a thumbs down. "In all, The Current has the feeling of something Google’s marketing department cooked up in a hurry. If it were a presentation for ninth-grade civics class, it would get high marks. But for something produced by a $900 billion company that purports to have high-minded goals, it’s pretty weak tea. It deserves a C+ at best."

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The ‘Missing Middle’ at Ivy-Plus Colleges
Madeline St. Amour, Inside Higher Ed, 2020/02/21

According to this article, "students whose parents' incomes are in the middle attended Ivy-plus colleges at rates much lower than the average, between 4.4 percent and 4.7 percent. This means that middle-class students are underrepresented at elite colleges, and the report refers to them as the 'missing middle.'" Obviously the problem is the large number of people at the lowest income level. At least, that's the interpretation you get if you read between the lines: "middle-class students attend elite institutions at rates lower than students from the lowest income quintile."

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