Going Green

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During recessionary times it is interesting to see people going back to basics by doing such things as learning to cook for themselves. Yes, I realise it is what most people do most of the time but this is a novel concept for some. Cooking schools, especially boutique classes, are flourishing. Along with this comes repairing your clothes so they last another season rather than tossing them out and buying anew. Some people even go so far as growing their own vegetables. Continue reading →

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Learning to Learn – Some Strategies

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Some children (and indeed some adults) have a great deal of trouble sitting and concentrating for even relatively short periods of time. Studies show that more than 50 minutes at a time and even adults drift off, unable to concentrate any longer. Ever noticed that university lectures are around 45-50 minutes long? There’s a reason. Continue reading →

The Power of a Winning Routine

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“Studies have been made on how habitual exercise impacts our daily routines in other areas of our lives. While it’s not completely clear why this happens, James Porochaska, a University of Rhode Island researcher says that “Exercise spills over. There’s something about it that makes other habits easier.” Continue reading →

A Selfless Act

I get tired of people telling me about how badly behaved children are today (compared with when?), how selfish they are ‘ blah, blah, blah ‘ and so I thought I’d share with you an article from a past Cancer Council WA newsletter as it struck a chord with me, and hopefully it will with you too. Continue reading →

Lessons from a Business Coach

Barbara Anderson put out a newsletter a few years ago in which she outlined tips for managing and keeping staff. When I read through the list, I thought these principles apply to people in any profession, including teachers, not just business people. They can also apply to how we relate to children, empowering them so they feel good about themselves. An extract from Barbara’s newsletter follows – Continue reading →

Move to learn

‘Bula’ is the friendly greeting you receive everywhere in Fiji. I have just spent an amazing week there attending a Move to Learn conference (www.movetolearn.com.au). It was a blissful week of learning, networking with like-minded individuals, dancing, putting the ‘Move to Learn’ program into practice at a local school with the remedial class, going to a village to enjoy traditional dancing, and all the while immersed in the laid-back lifestyle of Fiji. While phone and email were available, it was not particularly convenient so for a whole week you could be cut off from your world, if you chose. I did and it was extraordinarily refreshing. I found myself surviving on remarkably little sleep, getting up early for a brisk walk involving lots of hills, and still survived to tell the tale. The Fijian food and lifestyle are truly beguiling. Continue reading →

Background Music in the Classroom

Even if we are not consciously aware of it, music has a physiological and psychological effect on everyone. Listening to music can alter heartbeat, blood pressure and body temperature. It can stimulate us to action, or assist our retreat into slumber. A growing body of academic research asserts that background music has the capacity to influence human behaviour. Continue reading →