Blog Red

As an editor, part of my job is to make sure that published material is correct. Words that sound alike but have different spellings are a common source of error. Most writers quickly learn the correct usage of who/whom, its/it’s, and their/there/they’re. But some sound-alikes are tricky enough to trip up professionals, too–especially when we’re on a tight deadline or have a cat strolling across the keyboard.
Here’s a list of ten word pairs that I’ve seen used incorrectly in recently-published books, magazines, and authoritative blogs. Have you misused any of these words? You’re in good company! Even editors make these mistakes, sometimes.

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Emotions play a large role in the success of any educational endeavor. We all know the importance of grit—the stick-to-it gumption behind many stories of success—but why, exactly, is grit needed in the first place? The emotional landscape that a learner embarks on is less a straight trajectory towards success and more a bumpy arc of successes and shortcomings: I understand; wait, I don’t understand; this stinks that I don’t understand; I hate this lesson; I’m stupid; I hate math; wait, I think I understand!

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Good design is good business. And learning experience design practices can help organizations, administrators and other stakeholders in the education space to succeed in the highly competitive (and often lucrative) K–12, higher education, and workplace development marketplaces.

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In 1972, approximately 25% of all 18- to 24-year-olds were enrolled in a postsecondary, degree-granting institution in the United States, such as a college or trade school. Forty years later, that figure had soared to nearly 41% and shows no sign of slipping anytime soon. Even more remarkable, this data doesn’t include students pursuing competency-based education (CBE) or MOOCs. The figure also does not account for students older than 24.

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