MOOCs: The Best Way to Learn Anything? And They’re Cheap or Free!

Regular readers of this blog know that I believe that the most cost- and time-efficient way to learn is to read articles (largely emanating from Google searches) perhaps guided by a mentor. 

I view the course, let alone the degree, as overrated because courses teach masses of content, much of which you don’t need or will have forgotten when needed, at a level and pace defined by the teacher, not you.

That said, many people need the structure of school to stay motivated and/or want a piece of paper to show employers that they’ve taken X courses. For such people, I believe that  Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) may be a wise option. And that’s not just because they’re free or very low-cost. I make the seemingly unreasonable assertion that you may get a better education than you could have gotten for hundreds of thousands of dollars at a Harvard or Stanford. 

In my PsychologyToday.com article today, I make the case and offer links to sites where you can find the right MOOCs for you. HERE is the link.

When Both Your Parents are Gone: What’s your parents’ greatest legacy?

My mom died recently, my dad years earlier.

When our second parent dies, it reminds us that we’re getting toward the end of life’s conveyer belt. It also calls for me to look at their legacy not just for me but perhaps for you, my dear readers.

My article in PsychologyToday.com today may help you identify what your parents' greatest contribution was or is.  HERE is the link. 

 

The Ultimate Race Against Time: Might You Want to Spend Your Time Differently?

As we get older, we become more aware that the sand in our hourglass is falling, seemingly ever faster.

We’re all in the ultimate race against time. Perhaps the best we can do is to be more conscious of how we’ll spend that time. 

My PsychologyToday.com article asks you questions to help you decide what you might want to spend more or less time doing and with whom. HERE is the link.

Are You Too Passive? Too Aggressive? A 10-Question Self-Assessment

Not that long ago, to stay reasonably employed, you only had to do what you're told. But today, alas, mainly the assertive thrive. Of course, you don’t want to be too aggressive. 

My PsychologyToday.com article today is a self-assessment: 10 questions to help you judge if you're too assertive or not assertive enough. HERE is the link. 

Life Advice from the Smartest and Wisest Person I Know

Michael Scriven is smart, wise, and a polymath: He has published in the leading journal in eleven separate disciplines: from philosophy to mathematics, evaluation to parapsychology. He’s also relentlessly practical: with impressive expertise in design of word processors, knives, and sports cars.

I got to know Scriven as my Ph.D. adviser at Berkeley and we have remained friends ever since: three decades.

This afternoon, I spent three hours interviewing him on the question, “What are your thoughts on living the life well-led? I publish the highlights of that interview as my PsychologyToday.com article today. HERE is the link. 

Six Cookbooks Offering Recipes That Are Fast, Healthy, and Yes, Yummy

George Bernard Shaw wrote, “There’s no sincerer love than the love of food.” Yet today, many of us don’t have time to make meals we can truly love.

My PsychologyToday.com article today recommends six cookbooks that offer meals that are fast, healthy and, yes, yummy. HERE is the link.

Children's Picture Books Adults Should Read

Sometimes we learn a life lesson not from a complex book or deep introspection but from a simple story. Among the simplest are children's picture books. 

In My PsychologyToday.com article today, I offer eight that are wonderful for children but that also are thought-provoking for adults. HERE is the link.