What does Marcus Aurelius have to do with the childhood game, I spy with my little eye? Absolutely nothing, or maybe everything, or perhaps something…..it depends entirely on your perspective. You may well be asking who is this Marcus character anyway? Marcus Aurelius, a disciple of stoicism, was a kindly Roman Emperor who lived betweenRead More…
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From Hindsight to Insight
I have been pondering the usefulness (or not) of hindsight lately. For instance, after the horse has already bolted, how does ‘hindsight’ help me when it occurs to me that I should have locked the barn door before the horse bolted? I am pretty sure the horse is not going to magically reappear in frontRead More…
10 tips for a great learning story
Start with a great title – short and concise. Include an observation of the child which describes the learning activity. Uncover what is beneath the surface of the learning activity. “What’s happening here?” Plan for the future to extend or continuously support the child’s interest. “What next?” Take care with language. ‘I’ can convey theRead More…
Dive into your own professional learning
We often hear teachers say that ‘teaching is very rewarding’. But what do they mean? What are the ‘rewards’? And more importantly, how are they reaped? Well, as the saying goes: “what you put in, is what you get out”. Therefore, the more you put into teaching, the more rewards you get out. It seems logical then, toRead More…
Creating Beautiful Learning Spaces
A short and sweet post today to mention the essential role that environment plays in promoting positive behaviours and optimising learning outcomes. Loris Malaguzzi, an educator whose own philosophies led to the development of the Reggio Emilia approach, said that their teaching approach placed “enormous value on the role of the environment as a motivationRead More…
