Back to the Future: The Educational Returns of Lifelong Learner Avatars

Credit: iStock.com/Eskemar
Credit: iStock.com/Eskemar
Financial experts have long known that various “nudges”—techniques and policies that influence people while still leaving them with freedom of choice—can induce people to save more of their income. One such technique uses visualization: technology can create imagined images or avatars of our older selves, leading to a stronger commitment to prepare for an eventual retirement. Hopkins (2019) gives an overview of how this concrete anticipation of our future selves resulted in a doubling of retirement savings.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
From an early age, I was immersed in the Muslim tradition that taught me to learn from every...
Lately, social media videos have been flooded with discourse and arguments as to what constitutes a man and...
One of the biggest problems with homework is that students who make a mistake or get stuck have...
A childhood friend of mine passed away a few years ago. We worked on the high school yearbook...
Since I began teaching 15 years ago, I’ve noticed more and more students self-disclose aspects of their mental...
Rubrics have been indispensable in education for providing clarity on performance expectations, consistency in grading, and detailed feedback...

Are you signed up for free weekly Teaching Professor updates?

You'll get notified of the newest articles.