I have just read ‘the element’ by Ken Robinson and found it stimulating and enlightening. I have précised some of his key points in this article – here’s what the back cover of the book shares: A teenage boy goes through school, and nobody thinks he has any particular musical talent. He goes on to be one of the most famous musicians in the world. A nine-year-old girl is thought to have a learning disorder. Read more about Are you in your element?[…]
The above picture is the amphitheatre in ancient Ephesus. Leaders throughout the ages have shared good principles that have developed from their experience that we would do well to take note of and remember. Here are a few quotes that have the power to impact our lives. Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy. Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkoft. I feel the battle going on Read more about 91. What quotes impact you as a leader?[…]
Two guys walk into the company coffee corner. One has a big smile and is laughing as he opens the door. The other is straight faced and looking down at the ground as he orders his coffee. Which one’s better at his job? You will probably say you need a bit more information, right? Well current research backs the guy who’s laughing and enjoying himself. He is considerably more likely to be more productive, inspiring, Read more about 75. Having fun yet?[…]
A year ago I wrote a letter on the importance of dialogue in our teaching and training. I would like to focus in this letter a little more on the elements that enable us to connect with our audience. TED talks have become very popular over the last few years with millions giving their time (18 minutes per talk to be precise) to listen to speakers from all walks of life, talking about their passions. Read more about 72. How do you connect?[…]
The power of dialogue in educating adults: A principle is the beginning of an action. And an action that is done regularly becomes something we believe and develops into a value. It is values that we make happen. These issues are worth something to us. If teaching is just something we do that needs to be done, it will lack passion. If teaching is just part of our role to perform, we will fall into Read more about 63. How’s your dialogue in teaching?[…]
This weekend we had our son & his fiancé fly down from Scotland to spend a couple of days with us, along with her father and friend. We had a fantastic two days, sharing and eating and playing together. They left with a little more colour than they came with, a little more relaxed, and having enjoyed catching up relationally. As they looked out from our terrace, there were all kinds of ooh’s and aah’s Read more about 44. Creating an environment?[…]
As a boy I loved to go exploring. I lived in north London, bordering on the edge of Epping Forest and my joy was to ride my bike or take my dog for a walk in the woods. Along with my friends I made all kinds of forts and played hide and seek and thoroughly enjoyed being in ‘the wild.’ Perhaps we all have a little of that ‘explorer’ inside of us, especially if we’re Read more about 09. Learning Lessons in pioneering?[…]
John Dewey, the American philosopher who died in 1952, objected to the idea that education was simply the transmission of past knowledge (usually facts and figures) to the present generation. He also objected to how knowledge was transmitted only through lectures and reading. It’s amazing how little we have changed in our educational approach in the last 50 plus years. Thinking of teaching approaches, I can remember sitting in so many meetings over the Read more about 05. How do we learn and therefore how should we teach?[…]