Posts Tagged ‘education’
Confucius versus modernity in Chinese schools
As China’s economy globalizes and its educational system tries to prepare students for a more interconnected world, there is a simultaneous push in Chinese schools to introduce young people to the country’s ancient culture, including the teachings of Confucius. There is an interesting story in the Christian Science Monitor about these sometimes conflicting goals. On [...]
More Asians opting for broader education
The International Herald Tribune recently ran a story about how more Asian families are opting to put their children in international schools. According to those interviewed, this is an effort to expose the youngsters to a more global world by taking them out of an educational system that is centered on teacher-led instruction and memorization [...]
Rise in Chinese language programs
Last month, I had a post about the rise of Chinese language classes in Latin America, which is being spurred by the increase in business between the cultures. Apparently, there is also considerable interest among Americans in learning to speak Chinese, stretching all the way down to elementary school language programs. The International Herald Tribune just ran a story about [...]
Teaching English in Mongolia
Want a bit of insight into what it’s like to be a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English in Mongolia? Owen Johns wrote a piece for the Arizona Daily Star describing some of his experiences. I am an English teacher in rural Mongolia. My village, Orkhon, has a population of 1,500. We have no Internet, running water [...]
Is there hope in educational exchange?
Sometimes, it does seem as if the world has gone mad. Terrorists plot to blow up airliners, no one seems to have a solution for the ongoing conflict and killing in the Middle East, nor to the genocide in Sudan. One does wonder at times if there really is any hope of people finally understanding one another [...]
Appreciating geography
I had an op-ed piece published today in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper. It concerns the importance of geography to a good education and the ways in which travel can help us to appreciate our place in a global community. You can read the opinion piece here.
Popularizing geography
We know from previous news that many Americans don’t know a whole lot about geography. But some do, as evidenced by the 2006 National Geographic Bee, won by 12-year-old Bonny Jain of Illinois. Interestingly, the top three finishers, and five of the top 10, were Indian-Americans. Not a lot of attention is paid to this [...]
Educational benefits of travel, part two
Two months ago, I wrote about a contest being sponsored by NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in which he wanted to take a student with him on a future African reporting trip. Kristof has now picked a winner, journalism student Casey Parks of Mississippi. In a Tuesday column, he reports that he and the lucky winner will [...]
The experiences of Japanese expats
Nice story in the English-language Japan Times about the increasing numbers of Japanese who are choosing to live and work overseas. Almost one million Japanese now live outside of their country, a 40 percent increase in ten years. The newspaper asked several of those expats to share their experiences from Argentina, France, Spain, the United States and other [...]
Educational benefits of travel
Today’s NY Times has an excellent column by Nicholas Kristof about the educational benefits of travel. A few brief excerpts: Universities are – oh so slowly – recognizing that they need to prepare students to survive globalization. But most overseas studies programs are both too short and too tame. So here’s my proposal. Universities should grant [...]
Stay current with the Riel World
Follow me on Twitter
Join me on Facebook 
Subscribe by EmailMeet Bob Riel
Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
Great American Road Trips
Two Laps Around the World
My travel memoir - Two Laps Around the World: Tales and Insights from a Life Sabbatical - is about two round-the-world journeys with my wife.
Visit Travel Blog Exchange
