January 2019 – Happy Schools

Time in the Learning Zone

January 31, 2019

My greatest learning experiences have always come when I have been challenged and taken out of my comfort zone:- learning to ride a bike, abseiling out of a tree and my frustrating efforts learning Cantonese are prime examples. For true learning to occur we have to be at least slightly uncomfortable. We need to have some level of disorder and discomfort. Things comes together as we learn and resolve the situation. You can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs! Learning comes when we move from a state of confusion to resolution. I like the analogy of being on the ‘edge’ when rock climbing. If we just stay on the flat we are never going to climb. As learners we…

Effective Meetings

January 24, 2019

Stevef

Communication

Schools are busy places, filled with busy people. Often there is too much to do and not enough time. It is therefore essential that available time is well utilised. We have all attended meetings that have been a frustrating waste of time. Some of them have been meetings that we have led. Meetings that are seen to be a waste of time is one of the biggest frustrations of staff in many schools. To ensure that people’s time is well utilised, it is essential that the following questions are considered and strategies applied. What are we trying to achieve? Is a meeting necessary? Is a meeting the best way to achieve the intended outcome? If we are delivering a message…

The Secret to a Great Year By Elena Aguilar

January 17, 2019

Stevef

Resilience

If I could, I’d lay money on the claim I’m about to make: If you do the one little thing I’m about to suggest, you will have a great school year. Here it is: At the end of every day, identify three things that went well. That’s part one — what went well? When did you see indicators that your students were learning? That they were happy to be in school? That progress was being made or a problem resolved? And part two: For each thing that went well, what was your role in it? What action did you take that resulted in the positive outcome? Let’s say, for example, that the thing that went well was that the first…