Interpreting Facts Transcript
A LEARNING COACH stands by a bin peeling an onion. A STUDENT walks in holding a tablet and stands beside her.
LEARNING COACH: What are you reading?
STUDENT: I’m researching this tech company.
LEARNING COACH: Oh, a tech company? Anything interesting about it?
STUDENT: Yeah, actually, this article just convinced me of something.
LEARNING COACH: What’s that?
STUDENT: If I had money, now is a great time to invest in their company’s stock.
LEARNING COACH: Really? How so?
STUDENT: Just look at the facts. Here’s one. The price of the stock has always gone up, so I’ll be able to sell it for a profit.
LEARNING COACH: See, facts can be deceiving. It’s all in how you interpret them. For example, sure, the price of that stock has always gone up, but what if you compared it with other stocks? You could probably find other stocks that have gone up faster.
STUDENT: Not this stock, though. It’s almost doubled its price this year. I need to buy it now before it doubles its price again.
LEARNING COACH: Or you could look at it another way.
STUDENT: How’s that?
LEARNING COACH: If it’s already doubled in price, that means it will be more expensive to buy, and its price may go back down as a consequence.
STUDENT: Hmm, that’s a good point. What do you suggest?
LEARNING COACH: Well, it’s probably a good idea to look at what the company does on other reputable websites, and think about how successful the company will be in the future. The more successful the company, the higher the stock will rise.
STUDENT: Well, they’re an app maker, and they have some great apps. And most of their customers are kids, so their customers will be around for many years to come.
LEARNING COACH: That’s great, but it seems to me that kids’ tastes change an awful lot. You used to love broccoli, but suddenly, you don’t like it anymore, so now, I have to find another vegetable you like that isn’t pizza.
STUDENT: Well, I can’t really argue with that.
LEARNING COACH: You just have to remember that there are often different ways of interpreting the facts.
STUDENT: Pizza has vegetables on it, the tomato sauce.
LEARNING COACH: Um, fact, tomato is a fruit.
STUDENT: Is there another way to interpret this?
LEARNING COACH: Nope.
The STUDENT sighs and starts walking out of the room.
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