1 . When it comes to entrepreneurship (企业家), it seems like a lot of us are fond of the idea of NOT getting more education. Sure, we’ve all heard how Bill Gates and Steve Jobs dropped out of college to found Microsoft and Apple, respectively. A lot of would-be solopreneurs (独立创业者) think this means they should take the same course, putting education by the wayside to chase their business goals.

Now, I’m not saying that you need a college degree to be a successful entrepreneur. But all too often, people take these famous examples a step too far and decide they don’t need to further their education in any way.

The thing is, college isn’t the only place you can get an education. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs learned a lot outside their classroom settings to turn their companies into the global successes they are today. When it comes to entrepreneurship, the most successful people are generally the ones who develop a lifelong love of learning. It’s an feature worth imitating.

When we think of “exercise,” most of us think of sweaty people at the gym running on treadmills and lifting weights. We don’t think of hitting the books. But the brain is actually a muscle too. And just like you need those physical workouts so you don’t start getting saggy (松驰的) around the middle, you need to give your brain regular “workouts” that keep it active and healthy.

Contrary to popular belief, your brain doesn’t stop growing after adolescence. One recent study found that the brain continues to produce new neurons associated with learning, emotion and memory throughout adulthood. Of course, the outcomes of this ongoing development depend in part on your own efforts.

If you’re not feeling motivated to work out your brain, it might be helpful to consider the costs of not continuing to learn. Quite simply, the problems you have now-whether in business or other areas of your life—are going to continue to exist if you don’t find new ways to approach them. The things you learn will help you discover new solutions and think more creatively. When done right, training your brain can become a lifelong habit—just like going for a morning run or hitting the gym at the end of the work day.

3 . To encourage all students to get an education, even if their parents can’t afford it, a primary school in the Indian state of Chahattisgarh is asking parents to simply plant saplings (树苗) instead of paying school fees. The parents have to take care of the sapling and plant a new one if it dies. Compared with the cost of traditional school fees, it’s a small price to pay. And it comes with the added bonus of helping improve local air quality.

The school is Shiksha Kuteer in the city of Ambikapur in the east of the country. It is reported that at least 35 students between the ages of five and six are studying there. The initiative was set up by a group of local professionals and business owners in response to India’s rapidly increasing education fees. “Shiksha Kuteer has opened in the village for students who have no money to pay fees,” local villager Sevak Das said.

The government now spends just 3.9 percent of its budget on education, which means parents are left to pay for high school fees, as well as paying for books and other school things. A national survey made last year showed that between 2011 and 2017, private expenditure (支出) increased by 175 percent to $100 per student each year. That might not sound like a lot, but for many families, particularly in poor areas, it’s not affordable, especially at the primary school level. The lack of government spending is damaging the education system, too. The 2017 Annual Status of Education report found that nearly 20 percent of Grade 2 students, aged seven to eight, didn’t recognize the numbers between one and nine.

But by offering such a way to get students into schools, Shiksha Kuteer is encouraging education in everyone. 700 saplings have been planted across the village over the last year and more and more people in other areas would like to adopt such an approach.

4 . Two and a half millennia ago, Socrates complained that writing would harm students. With a way to store ideas permanently and externally, they would no longer need to memorize. However, studies today have found that writing on paper can improve everything from recalling a random series of words to better understanding complex concepts.

For learning material by repetition, the benefits of using a pen or pencil lie in how the motor and sensory memory of putting words on paper reinforces that material. The scribbling (涂鸦) on a page feeds into visual memory: people might remember a word they wrote down in French class as being at the bottom-left on a page.

One of the best-demonstrated advantages of writing by hand seems to be in note-taking. Students typing on computers wrote down almost twice as many words directly from lectures, suggesting they were not understanding so much as rapidly copying the material. However, handwriting forces note-takers to process and organize ideas into their own words. This aids conceptual understanding at the moment of writing, resulting in better performance on tests.

Many studies have confirmed handwriting’s benefits, and policymakers have taken note. Though America’s curriculum from 2010 does not require handwriting instruction past first grade (roughly age six), about half the states since then have required more teaching of it. In Sweden there is a push for more handwriting and printed books and fewer devices. England’s national curriculum already includes the teaching of basic cursive writing (连写体) skills by age seven.

However, several school systems in America have gone so far as to ban most laptops. This is too extreme. Some students have disabilities that make handwriting especially hard. Nearly all will eventually need typing skills. Virginia Berninger, professor of psychology at the University of Washington, is a longtime advocate of handwriting. But she is not a purist; she says there are research tested benefits for “manuscript” print-style writing but also for typing.

Socrates may or may not have had a point about the downsides of writing. But no one would remember, much less care, if his student Plato had not noted it down for the benefit of future generations.

6 . Despite all the efforts students make to graduate with a science major, research has shown that most college science courses provide students with only a fragmented (碎片化的) understanding of fundamental scientific concepts. The teaching method improves memorization of separate facts, proceeding from one textbook chapter to the next without necessarily making connections between them, instead of learning how to use the information and connect those facts meaningfully.

With that in mind, we developed a series of cross-disciplinary (跨学科的) activities. In our most recent study, we investigated how well college students could use their chemistry knowledge to explain real-world biological phenomena. To begin with, we interviewed 28 first-year college students majoring in sciences or engineering. All had taken both introductory chemistry and biology courses. We asked them to identify connections between the content of these courses and what they believed to be the take-home messages from each course. The students responded with extensive lists of topics, concepts, and skills that they’d learned in class.

Following that, a set of cross-disciplinary activities were designed to guide students in the use of core chemistry ideas and knowledge to help explain real-world biological phenomena. One activity explored the impacts of ocean acidification on seashells. Here, the students were asked to use basic chemistry ideas to explain how the increasing level of carbon dioxide in sea water is affecting shell-building marine animals such as corals, clams and oysters.

Overall, the students felt confident of their chemistry knowledge. However, they had a harder time applying the same chemistry knowledge to explaining the biological phenomena. These findings highlight that a big gap remains between what students learn in their science courses and how well prepared they are to apply that information.

The students in our study also reported that these activities helped them see links between the two disciplines that they wouldn’t have perceived otherwise. The ability to make these connections is important beyond the classroom as well, because it’s the basis of science literacy (科学素养). So we also came away with evidence that our chemistry students at least would like to have the ability to have a deeper understanding of science and how to apply it.

8 . As children returned to school in Sweden last month, many of their teachers were putting a new importance on some traditional skills. These included reading printed books, quiet reading time and handwriting practice. Teachers were spending less time on digital products, online research and typing skills.

The return to traditional ways of learning might be the answer to questions raised by experts. They have questioned the country’s dependence on electronic technology in education. For example, schools in Sweden have introduced tablets (平板电脑) in preschools.

Lotta Edholm, Swedish Minister for Schools, was one of the biggest critics (反对者) of the level of technology in schools. “Sweden’s students need more textbooks,” Edholm said. “Physical books are important for student learning.” Edholm said last month that the government wants to reverse the decision made by the National Agency for Education to make digital products required in preschools. The ministry plans to stop digital learning for children under the age of six.

Sweden’s students score above the European average (平均分) for reading ability. But an international test of fourth grade reading levels showed Sweden’s children had lost ground between 2016 and 2021. “An overuse of electronic products during school lessons may cause kids to fall behind,” education experts said.

Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, a medical school centered on research, said in a statement last month, “It has been proved that digital tools harm rather than benefit student learning.” It added that schools should instead center on teaching using printed textbooks.

Not all experts think Sweden’s move away from digital technology is only about what is best for students. “It ignores the fact that technology improves learning,” said Neil Selwyn, a professor of education.

9 . The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in educational technology (EdTech) has brought incomparable convenience and efficiency to classrooms worldwide. However, despite these advancements, it is crucial to recognize the challenges these AI-driven tools pose to the autonomy and professional judgment of instructors.

One of its primary concerns is the depersonalization of instruction. These tools often rely on pre-packaged digital content and standardized solutions, leaving insufficient room for instructors to tailor their teaching methods. Each student possesses unique characteristics. Instructors, armed with their wealth of experience and knowledge, are best positioned to tailor their approaches to these individual needs. However, AI-driven tools restrict their ability to do so effectively, resulting in a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to inspire students to reach their maximum potential.

EdTech companies offer step-by-step solutions to textbook problems. These are intended to act as study aids. However, some students employ this feature as a means to merely copy solutions without comprehending concepts. Consequently, instances of cheating on assignments and exams become widespread. While these tools may offer convenience, students may use external resources or cooperate with others during quizzes, affecting the honesty of their learning outcomes.

The implications of this depersonalization and the increase in academic dishonesty are far-reaching. By decreasing the role of instructors as facilitators of meaningful educational interactions, we run the risk of preventing the growth of critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students. Education should not only focus on knowledge acquisition, but should also develop the ability to analyze, evaluate, and apply that knowledge in real-world contexts. It should help one’s mind grow, not simply memorize information. Through dynamic classroom discussions, cooperative projects, and hands-on activities, instructors play a crucial role in developing these essential skills.

While AI-driven EdTech tools undeniably have their virtues, we must not lose sight of the importance of preserving instructor autonomy and educational experience. Instead of relying only on pre-packaged content and standardized solutions, these tools should be designed to empower instructors to adapt and customize their approaches while taking full advantage of the benefits of technology.