September 2016 – Happy Schools

Batch Activities for Green Days

September 29, 2016

Every person in the education system has such a hugely important role to play, not just to impart knowledge to our children but they really are investing in everyone’s future – future leaders, future parents, future business owners and the list goes on. It is imperative though that to be able to do this well, they take care of themselves first. “Work-life balance” is currently a real buzz term and whilst you have heard it many times, you may then ask the question “but how?” One strategy is to think about the type of activity you’re going to be doing and give it a colour. RED for working ON your role at the school to develop it YELLOW for working…

Teaching Grit – Building Resilience

September 8, 2016

Stevef

Resilience

Many of our students appear to be wrapped in cotton-wool by their parents to protect them from the world. Unfortunately, a bi-product of this situation is that many students lack the persistence necessary to keep going when circumstances are challenging. They give up at the very first hurdle. Asking students to persist or struggle with classroom tasks can be very beneficial for deeper learning. Significant learning benefits result when students are allowed to do some of this hard work on their own and struggle with ideas they do not quite yet understand. Teaching grit is important. What is grit? According to Angela Duckworth, Associate Professor of Psychology at University of Pennsylvania, “Grit is a disposition to pursue very long-term goals…