tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214265302011-06-08T02:19:27.164-04:00thoughts about competitionoat collectivenoreply@blogger.comBlogger91100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-42839619128787273542011-03-21T15:02:00.003-04:002011-03-21T17:48:43.533-04:00

Using mathematics to tackle some of biology's biggest questions, Martin Nowak has concluded that an ability to cooperate is the secret of humanity's success. He talks to Michael Marshall about drawing fire from Richard Dawkins, the perils of punishment, and devising the mathematical equivalent of the rules of religion:http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928045.200-

ursita filmsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-66694222628884300542007-06-07T15:00:00.007-04:002009-02-14T00:05:33.300-05:00

Our seven-minute documentary Competing Thoughts is one of the films featured in the WGBH Lab Showcase. The film looks at healthy and less healthy forms of competition, and offers some alternatives.More about the people and subjects in the film:Alfie Kohn's book, No Contest: The Case Against Competition (1986, 1992, re-released in 2006).Terry Orlick's book, Cooperative Games and Sports (2006).

ursita filmsnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-47472591185279404382007-01-03T12:00:00.004-05:002009-02-14T00:09:26.352-05:00

Here is the film pitch, description, and approach we submitted to WGBH for Competing Thoughts.DescriptionThis is the first in a series of video essays drawing from my research on competition. I'll use pickup soccer, a game I've enjoyed for 25 years, as a microcosm of competition in our increasingly global culture. A rare hub of race, class, and sometimes gender, pickup soccer is arguably one

ursita filmsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-23970187482531009622007-01-01T12:01:00.001-05:002008-12-11T00:38:36.202-05:00

There are some great social change efforts built around soccer:Soccer Without Borders, a group based in San Fransisco whose mission is to "expand the potential of soccer as a vehicle for positive change in the lives of marginalized youth."Mondiali Antirazzisti, the Antiracist World CupGrassroot Soccer, which "uses the power of soccer in the fight against AIDS" primarily in Zimbabwe, South Africa,

ursita filmsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-55867338179764661532006-02-26T15:00:00.000-05:002008-12-11T00:38:36.351-05:00

For almost a century researchers have been studying the benefits of cooperative learning, where students must work together to achieve goals. Much of the research indicates that students in cooperative learning environments show higher levels of reasoning, more effective problem solving, and higher self-esteem. The number of teachers who use cooperative learning models in their classes has been

ursita filmsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-62462874659461854782006-01-30T06:29:00.001-05:002008-02-26T17:30:01.975-05:00

Most writers tout the value of competition, especially in business. Go to any bookstore and you're bound to find a few books about understanding and beating your competitors, competing in global markets, and so on.But some writers and researchers have described the negative consequences of competition on people and society. In No Contest, Alfie Kohn draws on the work of hundreds of these

ursita filmsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-36464836242091719082006-01-26T15:00:00.002-05:002008-02-26T16:52:46.932-05:00

I just played chess for the first time in a while with a friend of mine. Chess has a certain purity as a competitive game that has been revered for centuries - all strategy, they say.The opening ritual was familiar. We chatted about rules, strategy, experience. This was the pre-game.Then we took our places. We had one of those chess clocks to keep the game moving. He started it, and became

ursita filmsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-22960618986570250152006-01-25T07:30:00.000-05:002008-12-11T00:38:36.574-05:00

With some games, it can be as fun to break the rules as to follow them.Pool: Years ago some friends and I went to a pool hall with only a dollar - enough for one game at a table that took quarters - but we wanted to stay longer than that. So we decided that the object should be to NOT get any of the balls in the pockets. Suddenly it was a cooperative effort - we relied on each other - and we

ursita filmsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21426530.post-85831735012924675122006-01-07T15:00:00.001-05:002008-02-26T17:28:04.130-05:00

I've played soccer for as long as I can remember, and have come to appreciate it's international nickname, The Beautiful Game. My favorite setting is a pickup game - a random group of players on a borrowed field, who come together from across the globe. Some days I'm sure it's the most diverse gathering in the city.We pass a ball around at first, and it's clear that we've loved the game for a

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