INSIGHTS 1: On Learning and Development/ Neuroscience of Learning/ Learner Transformation

• How to help students retain what they’ve learned( Retention in long-term memory is the key. Consequently, it is important to use appropriate pedagogical practices to achieve it.)
• How mindfulness can ease the transition from holiday to classroom(Mindfulness is about raising awareness/consciousness on what one does instead of being robotic. In effect, one improves the level of metacognition)
• Critical Thinking(An essential framework to build one’s integrated neural networks for effective and successful daily operations)
• What to say if your child asks, ‘what’s the point of maths?’(The need to link academic learning/theories to real-life scenarios)
• Three ways to boost science performance in Australian schools(The need to study science as a human creation as opposed to a third-person perspective)
• Thousands Apply to U.S. to Forgive Their Student Loans, Saying Schools Defrauded Them(In a contemporary context, are academic institutes deceiving students?)
• The worrying trend in the minds of young Australians(How can we develop the minds of individuals from a very young age to become resilient/mindful and be accepting of the reality as is? Why is it very important in the contemporary world by looking at the developing trends? What can the education systems do about these issues proactively?)
• Up to 40 per cent of aged care residents get no visitors, minister Ken Wyatt says (Why should we (our education systems) focus on developing interpersonal/social relationships, empathy, compassion more in our societies? We keep coming back to this topic again and again from different directions. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-25/aged-care-residents-suffering-from-loneliness,-ken-wyatt-says/9085782)
• Albert Einstein’s handwritten note on happiness fetches $1.7 million at auction(Einstein’s words of wisdom on “Happiness”! “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness,”  It appears that there are some common thinking patterns among natural scientists/mathematicians and social scientists, at least among leading individuals. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-25/einsteins-handwritten-note-on-happiness-fetches-$1.7-million/9083758)
• AI: Urgent need to ‘reconceive schooling’ to ensure workforce not consigned to joblessness (We are getting to the same point again and again from different directions – what changes need to be done (in fact, a paradigm change) to contemporary education systems (at all levels – primary, secondary and tertiary) to face the challenges of evolving artificial intelligence applications. We need to make sure that we tap the creativity/imagination/wisdom/open-mindedness/emotional intelligence/self-awareness/empathy etc. etc. of our learners, instead of using their time and effort to get them ready for completing routine/procedural tasks required by industrialised world, as machines.)
• Teaching your kids to stick their head in a book this summer(A useful summer/holiday advice for parents and kids on READING! “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” )
• Can Kindness Be Taught?(Can kindness be taught? Why should we do it? What is the significance? This is what The New York Times Article had to say about it.
  ” The Kindness Curriculum is part of a growing global movement to teach emotional intelligence in schools. Advocates of this approach say it’s shortsighted for teachers to focus narrowly on intellectual learning and ignore the cooperative emotional skills that enable learning — and learners — to flourish.”)
• Why Focus is a Foundational Skill for Emotional & Social Intelligence (Why attention/focus is the key to learning/overall human development/emotional intelligence etc. That is why it is an important skill we all should master (or at least attempt to), especially encouraging children to do it as a skill that sometimes saves one’s life through the development of resilience in the face of challenges.  )
• Why Learning Essentially Needs to Take Place in a Mindful Way – A Great Explanation and Justification!( Book Review on “The Power of Mindful Learning” by Ellen Langer (Professor of Psychology at Harvard University)
  Professor Langer insightfully and highly reflectively describes how learning/assessment can become mindless:
  “Schools generally pay little attention to how, when, and by whom the criteria for grading were chosen. If the criteria were questioned and varied, students’ position on the continuum might change. But they are rarely varied. To make matters worse, once we are placed on the tail end of the distribution, social forces work to keep on us there, setting us up for a lifetime of success or failure. Our fate as winners, losers or just average is sealed.”
  Further, after forty years of research, she has become courageous and was persuaded to summarise:
  “Our schools are the problem. They unintentionally teach us to be mindless. Schools do this in at least two ways. They teach us to evaluate each other and ourselves, and they teach us to see or accept information as if it were absolute and independent of human creation”)
• Book Review on “Mindfulness” by Ellen Langer (a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and also the author of “The Power of Mindful Learning”)(““Mindlessness is the application of yesterday’s business solutions to today’s problems” “Mindfulness is attunement to today’s demands to avoid tomorrow’s difficulties”” “She starts the book by giving examples of how widespread mindless behaviours and operations present in our societies bring about distorted/narrow self-images, unintended cruelty, stunted potential, loss of control and negative health and wellbeing issues to name a few of the negativities. ” As Professor langer observed: ““Mindlessness is pervasive. In fact I believe virtually all of our problems – personal, interpersonal, professional, and societal – either directly or indirectly stem from mindlessness.”” “In fact, the strength of mindfulness lies in the ability to make optimal decisions by considering as many perspectives/dimensions as possible. It contrasts with producing less optimal/substandard decisions/results rapidly by neglecting some important perspectives/contexts. Consequently, we see that if the leaders of our societies possess the skills/abilities of mindfulness, our world will thrive towards sustainability.”)
• The Smartest Person in the Room(When and how would IQ and/or EQ matter? “IQ, of course, plays a role in career success, but largely in helping people get and stay in the job. So, for engineering, law or becoming a top executive, you need an IQ roughly one standard deviation above average, around 115. But once you get into those professions, you are in a pool of people about as smart as you are. What sets you apart as a star, then, becomes how you manage yourself and handle your relationships—your emotional intelligence.”)
• Mindfulness training for school children(It is indeed great to see a positive trend! Training kids/children to turn inwards (as opposed to the external world) to gather a wealth of useful information towards enhanced learning is very important.)
• When Kindness Is In The Curriculum(What is the significance of the growing trend of having a kindness/mindfulness curriculum for preschoolers? It is indeed great to see these developments in the educational forefront in addition to learning 123 and abc – a great investment for the future that would have returns in numerous ways. ““We know that a child’s social and emotional skills when she or he’s 4 to 5 years of age is a very important predictor of major life outcomes when the individual is in their 30s,” says Dr. Richard Davidson, founder of the Center for Healthy Minds and the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry. Intervening in these early years, and ideally continuing mindfulness practices throughout childhood, may have positive effects for decades to come. “We think it can have enormous impact and multiplicative effects over the course of development, promote wellbeing, and save taxpayers money on all the problems which could occur were these skills not cultivated.””)
• He just sued the education system(Having faith in people but not in the education system that exists- many of the systemic issues are presented in a very innovative and compelling manner! Should we force fish to climb trees? Should we force competition at the expense of collaboration right from the primary school? Are we training individuals with a set of narrow skills to be used/manipulated/exploited in factories/industries/employers instead of strengthening with broader knowledge/wisdom to stand on their own towards realising their own dreams/visions and challenging the status quo that could contribute immensely towards social sustainability? The need to understand/differentiate individual differences and at the same time the need for the integration of these differentiated individual strengths to enhance societies towards sustainability (instead of towards chaos).)
• Malcolm Turnbull backs Gonski report call to move from mass learning to tailored education(A very interesting and encouraging development in the forefront of Australian Education System -we should look forward to seeing the much-needed change that is supported at the federal government level! ” Mr Gonski said in his report that the structure of Australian schools reflected “a 20th century aspiration to deliver MASS EDUCATION to all children”.” “The report recommended shifting from that INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION model to one where schools focused on achieving each INDIVIDUAL student’s “maximum potential growth in learning each year”” “Many schools rely on gifted and talented programs to extend bright students but the report said evidence showed that mixed-ability classes were preferable.” “It said streaming children by ability “has little effect in improving student outcomes and [has] profoundly negative equity effects”. It recommended overhauling the curriculum to focus on “learning progressions” that extended all students, regardless of ability.” )
• Why aren’t we teaching you mindfulness?(Very interestingly, research studies show what makes one successful in life (measured by happiness – that also include having a purposeful life, loving relationships, resilience, productivity, physical and mental health and financial stability etc.). It is not one’s race, the language spoken, how wealthy his/her parents are/were, high scores on standardised tests, what neighbourhood he/she grew up or even what one’s IQ is. It is one’s ability to pay attention to an object in a sustained manner (also non-judgementally in an open manner)- MINDFULNESS – which has over 30 years of scientific research history. That is why major Universities around the world(Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge etc.) are running programs in the area and paying emphasis. It is about teaching “how to learn” rather than “teaching specific contents” (we are going back to the traditional quote of “teach them how to fish instead of giving them a fish”).)
• Learning Is a Learned Behaviour. Here’s How to Get Better at It(Why getting to know/becoming mindful of “what is learning?” and “how do we learn?” are more important than quickly mastering some specific contents when it comes to learning/lifelong learning, enhancing creativity/critical thinking/wisdom and in human development? A growing body of research is making it clear that learners are made, not born. Through the deliberate use of practice and dedicated strategies to improve our ability to learn, we can all develop expertise faster and more effectively. In short, we can all get better at getting better.” “Here’s one example of a study that shows how learning strategies can be more important than raw smarts when it comes to gaining expertise. Marcel Veenman has found that people who closely track their thinking will outscore others who have sky-high IQ levels when it comes to learning something new. His research suggests that in terms of developing mastery, focusing on how we understand is some 15 percentage points more important than innate intelligence. “)
• What outcomes parents should expect from early childhood education and care(Should 3-5 year old kids be pushed for academic learning (such as reading/writing/dealing with numbers) or individually chosen/directed secure/safe/stimulating environments? What does the research say? Highly informative for parents with kids at that age (who get confused about these practices and become stressful in deciding which one to follow). “The tension lies between teacher-directed activities where children are perceived to be doing “real learning”, as opposed to children making choices to play according to their interests.” “The early childhood education curriculum emphasises the importance of play-based learning and research demonstrates children’s learning achievements are greater from play-based programs compared to early childhood programs that have an academic focus.”)
• Can Kindness Be Taught?(How KINDNESS training relates to ACADEMiC PERFORMANCE – insightful and useful! Many might wonder how a soft quality such as kindness is an important compared to more established measures such as Reading wRiting and aRithmetic (3Rs) abilities. But research by neuroscientists reveals why a quality of kindness is equally  (if not more) important than traditional measures of 3Rs in developing resilient/emotionally intelligent minds STRATEGICALLY/in the longer run. )
• “Revolutionary Mindfulness”: Rhonda V. Magee’s keynote at the 2017 ACMHE Conference(How (revolutionary) mindfulness helps in raising AWARENESS of the needed SOCIAL JUSTICE action within oneself! Towards UMANISING /CONTEMPLATIVE/ INTEGRATIVE APPROACHES TO EDUCATION. Very much insightful! A keynote speech By Rhonda Magee, PROFESSOR of LAW at the UNIVERSITY of SAN FRANSISCO)
• Australian universities are under threat from more attractive, cheaper Chinese competitors (How could (Australian) UNIVERSITIES possibly FACE/COUNTERACT this DEMEANING CHALLENGE/VIEW? Why would “DEVELOPING (emotionally intelligent/resilient)HEALTHY MINDS” is more important than pursuing the NARROW PERSPECTIVE OF mere (short-term) EMPLOYABILITY? When the former is formally/strategically targetted, the latter is fulfilled as a byproduct/automatically with the additional positive features of RESILIENT/EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT INDIVIDUALS DEVELOPMENT and SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT.”Australia has turned its universities into DEGREE FACTORIES. Should it be any surprise that China, “the FACTORY OF THE WORLD”, proposes to do that better?””And the persistent downgrading of the place of the university in Australian society — the budget cuts themselves, the COMMODIFICATION and TRIVIALISATION of the very CONCEPT OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION — inevitably erodes the image of Australia as a place of OPEN, FREE INQUIRY, an ASTUTE CHOICE OF PLACE for people to DEVELOP THEIR MINDS.”)
• A video game can change the brain, may improve empathy in middle schoolers (It is indeed great to see BILL GATES FOUNDATION funding for developing EMPATHY  in middle schoolers!)
• Primary schools ditch homework for students in favour of play, reading and downtime(Encouraging EVIDENCE-BASED moves by some PRIMARY SCHOOLS towards the WHOLE CHILD DEVELOPMENT (BALANCED development enhancing CREATIVITY/WISDOM)!”They argue HOMEWORK is of NO BENEFIT TO YOUNGER CHILDREN and can even be DETRIMENTAL because it gets in the way of important family and RECREATION TIME, which allows children to RECHARGE their batteries after a busy day of learning at school.””We need them to be able to RELAX, have a break and just BE THEMSELVES.””Applied social PSYCHOLOGIST and educator Helen Street WELCOMED the decision of some primary schools to ditch homework.”I think it’s FANTASTIC,” Dr Street said.”We have to STOP trying to think of EDUCATION as this RACE. And the sooner we start, and the more we do, the QUICKER we’ll GET over the FINISH LINE.”I think it’s really important that PRIMARY SCHOOLS encourage children to have as much FREE, SELF-DETERMINED, CREATIVE time as possible.””FREE time is not time out from learning, it’s a really IMPORTANT PART of learning.”We need to think of the WHOLE CHILD and the WHOLE OF THEIR LEARNING, NOT simply about MORE and MORE ACADEMIC STRUCTURED WORK, which is actually DIMINISHING CREATIVITY and DIMINISHING AUTONOMY.”We’re ENDING UP with a lot of children leaving Year 12 FEELING really DISENGAGED and DESPONDENT.” )
• Curiosity: Wanting to know more -Strength of mind (How significant is CURIOSITY in LEARNING? To summarise the answer a quote from ALBERT EINSTEIN: “I have no special talent. I am only PASSIONATELY CURIOUS.””When you’re curious about something, you process it DEEPLY, rather than SUPERFICIALLY. You also VOLUNTARILY spend MORE TIME LEARNING about things that spark your curiosity. As a result, you more readily REMEMBER what you learn.”There are enough research findings for educators to MODEL, CELEBRATE and ENABLE CURIOSITY in learners (especially in the classroom).)
• How Teachers Can Use Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Practices to Support their Students(MINDFULNESS practices for enhanced LEARNING/ ENGAGEMENT!”There are a lot of good reasons this could be going on, and we often jump to ADHD, ODD, laziness, or any number of common “culprits” behind such behaviors. While we’re quick to label, we often forget to investigate why those behaviors might be showing up in the first place, and frequently overlook the impact of toxic stress and trauma on our students.”)
• All In Your Mind: How mindful and meditative practices are gaining mainstream momentum (MINDFULNESS practices gaining MAINSTREAM attention – from CLASSROOMS to WORKPLACES – CBC news!)
• What is SEL? (Educating HEARTS – inspiring MINDS!EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE into the CLASSROOM through SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) – Why is more important for students to come to know about the PURPOSE of LEARNING/LIFE than mastering specific CONTENTS?(in other words WHOLE CHILD/BRAIN DEVELOPMENT)”Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults ACQUIRE and effectively APPLY the KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, and SKILLS necessary to UNDERSTAND and MANAGE EMOTIONS, SET and ACHIEVE POSITIVE GOALS, FEEL and SHOW EMPATHY for OTHERS, ESTABLISH and MAINTAIN POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS, and MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS.”)
• ‘We’re here to develop the whole child’: Social and emotional intelligence are key for students of color (The LONG OVERDUE need of our CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION SYSTEMS – SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL), with an EMPHASIS more than on the focus on typical ACADEMIC/ CONTENT LEARNING.”Reading, writing and arithmetic may still dominate class time, but skills like EMPATHY, KINDNESS AND ALTRUISM are getting more attention. They’re also vital for students’ SUCCESS, ACADEMICALLY and BEYOND — especially students of colour, who face unique challenges outside the classroom.These skills fall within the purview of social and emotional learning (SEL), and according to a 2012 survey of teachers, the MAJORITY BELIEVE SEL is a critical part of the in-school experience.”“I’ve worked in very privileged environments where students who are NOT RESILIENT— or who don’t know how to MANAGE EMOTIONS and SETBACKS — and no matter HOW MUCH MONEY THEIR PARENTS HAVE, it doesn’t matter because they’re not able to bounce back,” said psychologist Audrey Bland Hampton, head of the newly opened Ryan Banks Academy”)
• The 5 LITERACIES of MINDFUL LEARNING (EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP leaning towards 5 LITERACIES of MINDFUL LEARNING (in a way a SYSTEMS/HOLISTIC APPROACH to education or part of WHOLE CHILD DEVELOPMENT) – students need to be broadly literate (other than specific contents that we mainly focus such as LANGUAGE and NEUMARAY  and the like) about their bodies (part of their SELF-AWARENESS, GUT-FEELING, INTUITION etc.), their minds (THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS etc.), their hearts (EMPATHY, COMPASSION etc), their communities (SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE) and the world around them (broader understanding about the PLANET and its SOCIAL OPERATIONS BEYOND one’s IMMEDIATE COMMUNITIES)
• The Five Literacies of Mindful Learning (An ESSENTIAL contemporary SOCIAL NEED towards SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY – a focus on MINDFUL LEARNING (encompassing 5 literacies of SOMATIC, COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL literacies) through EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP.)
• Curiosity Is as Important as Intelligence (CQ (Curiosity Quotient) similar to IQ (Intelligent Quotient) – why CQ is significant for developing a GROWTH MINDSET?”CQ: CQ stands for curiosity quotient and concerns having a hungry mind. People with higher CQ are more inquisitive and open to new experiences. They find novelty exciting and are quickly bored with routine. They tend to generate many original ideas and are counter-conformist. It has not been as deeply studied as EQ and IQ, but there’s some evidence to suggest it is just as important when it comes to managing complexity in two major ways. First, individuals with higher CQ are generally more tolerant of ambiguity. This nuanced, sophisticated, subtle thinking style defines the very essence of complexity. Second, CQ leads to higher levels of intellectual investment and knowledge acquisition over time, especially in formal domains of education, such as science and art (note: this is of course different from IQ’s measurement of raw intellectual horsepower). Knowledge and expertise, much like experience, translate complex situations into familiar ones, so CQ is the ultimate tool to produce simple solutions for complex problems.”)
• Degreed | Demo Day (Great notion towards identifying and recognising HUMAN POTENTIAL by giving due formal recognition to INFORMAL/IMPLICIT LEARNING which is the most PREVALENT type of LEARNING that exists via MICRO CREDENTIALS!)
• The Ivy League, Mental Illness, and the Meaning of Life (The VALUE of developing SELF-AWARENESS/REFLECTIVE CAPABILITIES in EDUCATION cannot be overemphasised!”Davis: Some criticize this kind of self-reflection as narcissistic, but you argue that it’s actually “the most practical thing in the world.”””Deresiewicz: I just hate it when people talk about how self reflection is somehow self indulgent—as if the things that students were being invited to do were not, like making themselves rich and powerful. How is that not self-indulgent? But I would say, aside from all the personal, intellectual, spiritual benefits of self-awareness—I can’t believe we even have to argue this—the main point is to know yourself so you know what you want in the world. You can decide, what is the best work for me, what is the best career for me, what are the rewards that I really want. And maybe you’ll end up saying that I do need a certain level of wealth, but you will know it because you will have come to know yourself. And you will be acting on your own initiative instead of having absorbed the messages that have been instilled in you unconsciously.”)
• ATAR scores have arrived, so what happens now and what if it’s not the result you wanted? (UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE SCORES and finding study programs/courses one has a PASSION based on his/her personal characteristics!)
• Children in Singapore will no longer be ranked by exam results. Here’s why (Great to see Singapore moving forward by abolishing TRADITIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEMS/METHODS/ASSESSMENTS. Should be an example to MANY OTHER COUNTRIES.”Singapore has long been an educational high-achiever, endorsing rote learning and long study hours to propel school children toward exam success. But change is in the air as the island state rethinks its approach to education.Discussions, homework and quizzes are set to replace marks and grades as the preferred method of collecting information on the performance of young primary school pupils. Starting in 2019, exams for primary years 1 and 2 students will be abolished.“Learning is not a competition,” states Ong Ye Kung, Singapore’s Education Minister. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is planning a series of changes aimed at discouraging comparisons between student performance and encourage individuals to concentrate on their own learning development.””Shifting the focus away from exam perfection towards creating more rounded individuals represents a serious change of direction for Singapore. Alongside academic performance the new policies aim to foster social development among pupils to raise self awareness and build decision-making skills. “)
• The future of education, according to experts at Davos (FUTURE EDUCATION – HOW DOES IT LOOK LIKE?”If we do not change the way we teach, 30 years from now, we’re going to be in trouble,””The knowledge-based approach of “200 years ago”, would “fail our kids”, who would never be able to compete with machines. Children should be taught “soft skills” like independent thinking, values and team-work”“Anything that is routine or repetitive will be automated,” said Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics, in a session on Saving Economic Globalization from Itself. She also spoke of the importance of “the soft skills, creative skills. Research skills, the ability to find information, synthesise it, make something of it.””Overhauling our education system will be essential to fixing the fractures in our societies and avoiding a tilt towards populism, she said.”“It’s no accident that the people who voted for populist parties around the world are people with by-and-large low levels of education. It’s not because they’re stupid, it’s because they’re smart. They’ve figured out this system will not be in their favour.””We need to break the cultural silos. Too often people put science and the humanities, or science and the arts, in different silos”)
• Education systems can stifle creative thought. Here’s how to do things differently (How contemporary EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS STIFLE CREATIVITY!”There is a deep mismatch between the skills our education systems nurture and the needs of society.””In a typical Western education system, results indicated that “since 1990, even as IQ scores have risen, creative thinking scores have significantly decreased”. Traditional education does not sufficiently value innovative and entrepreneurial thinking – our system even dumbs down the creative genius that we were born with, according to a test developed by NASA.””Yet creative skills and mindsets are indispensable in a workforce that must be responsive to change and capable of finding new solutions to complex problems. The World Economic Forum itself has identified social abilities such as coordinating with others and persuasion, as well as complex problem-solving skills, as essential in the knowledge-based workplace of the near future.”)
• 10 reasons why Finland’s education system is the best in the world (What is good about FINLAND EDUCATION SYSTEM and how is it different from many other systems?”But no amount of pontificating will change what we already know. The American education system needs to be completely revamped – from the first grade to the Ph.D. It’s going to take a lot more than a well-meaning celebrity project to do that””Many people are familiar with the stereotype of the hard-working, rote memorization, myopic tunnel vision of Eastern Asian study and work ethics. Many of these countries, like China, Singapore, and Japan amongst others routinely rank in the number one spots in both math and science.””Are they cramming in dimly-lit rooms on robotic schedules? Nope. Stressing over standardized tests enacted by the government? No way. Finland is leading the way because of common-sense practices and a holistic teaching environment that strives for equity over excellence. Here are 10 reasons why Finland’s education system is dominating America and the world stage.””No standardized testing,Cooperation not competition,Make the basics a priority,Finns wake up later for less strenuous schooldays,A more relaxed atmosphere, Less homework and outside work required…”)
• How Mindfulness Can Help Engineers Solve Problems (Enhancing the MISSING QUALITY of CREATIVITY/INNOVATION in ENGINEERING/TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION/THINKING – using MINDFULNESS PRACTICES.”ENGINEERING WORK DEMANDS CREATIVITY and INNOVATION in order to SOLVE COMPLEX, INTERDISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS. But CREATIVITY and INNOVATION skills are NOT EMPHASISED in many TRADITIONAL ENGINEERING COURSES. So engineers enter the workforce with important analysis skills, but may STRUGGLE to “think outside the box” when it comes to creative problem-solving””Convergent thinking is linear, involving going through a list of steps to get to a single correct answer…. divergent thinking is exploring different directions from an initial problem statement to generate many possible ideas””Both types of thinking are important to finding the best final solution, but divergent thinking is particularly important for developing innovative solutions. However, DIVERGENT THINKING SKILLS are LARGELY IGNORED IN ENGINEERING COURSES, which tend to FOCUS on a LINEAR PROGRESSION OF NARROW, DISCIPLINE-FOCUSED TECHNICAL INFORMATION. This leads engineering students to become experts at working individually and applying a series of formulas and rules to structured problems” with a “right” answer”)
• Does Higher Education Still Prepare People for Jobs? (Why EDUCATOiON ADMINISTRATORS/DECISION-MAKERS/EDUCATORS need to consider giving a REAL VALUE to HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREES to make STUDENTS’ TIME INVESTED in LEARNING WORTHWHILE!”When employers attach value to university qualifications, it’s often because they see them as a reliable indicator of a candidate’s intellectual competence. If that is their focus, why not just use psychological assessments instead, which are much more predictive of future job performance, and less confounded with socioeconomic status and demographic variables?””…universities could substantially increase the value of the college degree if they spent more time teaching their students critical soft skills. Recruiters and employers are unlikely to be impressed by candidates unless they can demonstrate a certain degree of people-skills…one of the biggest differences between what universities and employers look for in applicants. While employers want candidates with higher levels of EQ, resilience, empathy, and integrity, those are rarely attributes that universities nurture or select for in admissions””…fill the learning gap many managers face when they are promoted into a leadership role…people often take on leadership positions without much formal management training.”)
• Helping teens find their purpose (The VALUE of identifying one’s PURPOSE (in LIFE) towards ACADEMIC/LIFE SUCCESS, especially for TEENAGERS.”RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP ON “PURPOSE” HAS GAINED MOMENTUM in recent years, converging from developmental psychology, moral philosophy, positive psychology and other directions. Its application to the world of adolescent education owes much to the work of Stanford psychologist William Damon, who, together with colleagues Jenni Menon and Kendall Cotton Bronk, developed this definition of purpose back in 2003: “A stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at once MEANINGFUL TO THE SELF AND OF CONSEQUENCE TO THE WORLD BEYOND THE SELF”””While definitions vary a bit from study to study, researchers have linked a sense of purpose to LOWER LEVELS of ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION, LESS BINGE DRINKING AND DRUG ABUSE, HEALTHIER HABITS such as EXERCISE, and a GREATER COMMITMENT TO SCHOOLWORK. Adults with a sense of purpose report GREATER SATISFACTION WITH LIFE””Unfortunately, research also suggests that purpose is rare. “Most young people and even most adults don’t have a purpose in their life,” says Bronk…an associate professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University in California”)
• How These Teens Found Their Sense of Purpose (How helping TEENAGERS (and adults as well) to IDENTIFY their  PURPOSE (in life) is the KEY to STAY FOCUSED and to TRUE/MEANINGFUL/LASTING ACADEMIC and LIFE SUCCESS!”Researchers define purpose as a personally meaningful, long-term goal that will make a positive impact on the world at large. In other words, making a lot of money to live a life of luxury is not a purpose, in the scientific sense. However, making enough money to support your family and help others is a purpose. For teens, purpose is related to academic success, perseverance, resilience, and a belief that one’s schoolwork is manageable. Indeed, discovering who we want to be and what we want to accomplish are the key developmental tasks of adolescents.”)
• Humans wanted: why automation won’t kill off your job (EDUCATING FOR THE EMERGING FUTURE – the need for new approaches!”Despite the disruption, it is predicted that 2.5 million jobs will be created or become open in the Canadian economy over the next four years…for a nation with 18.5 million jobs today. This workforce is going to need FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS to prepare them for SEVERAL DIFFERENT JOBS AND ROLES, AS OPPOSED TO A SINGLE CAREER PATH””This is setting up a quiet crisis across Canada – and virtually EVERY NATION AROUND THE GLOBE – with future, young and established workers feeling unprepared for what the jobs of the future will look like, let alone the skills needed to do them””The reality is the children of today will grow up to work in tech-enabled jobs that very likely don’t even exist yet…it’s about BEING HUMAN and acquiring competencies that offer more SKILLS MOBILITY, such as CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVITY, communication and complex problem-solving””The Humans Wanted report clearly showed skills mobility will be essential in a future economy where jobs rise and fall with each new technology wave. But how can private sector leaders, EDUCATORS and POLICY-MAKERS go about CHANGING THE WAY WE EDUCATE, EMPLOY and retrain citizens to empower them in this new skills economy?”)
• Whole Child Education: The Era of False Choices Needs to End (The dire need for SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) leading to INTEGRATIVE WHOLE CHILD EDUCATION!”…the need for schools and communities to embrace children as individuals and future citizens, and ENSURE that they DON’T FEEL LIKE TEST-TAKING COGS in a BUREAUCRATIC ENTERPRISE.””…released recommendations to help schools and communities do just that, by helping students feel safe at school; cultivating traits like responsibility and perseverance; developing an emotional foundation for academic success; and teaching students to respect and listen to one another in the face of differences.””Most importantly, it’s an opportunity to put an end to the era of false choices in education. Schools should not have to choose between CHEMISTRY and CHARACTER; between TRIGONOMETRY and TEAMWORK. Since the dawn of the republic, teachers and schools have been tasked with teaching content and MODELING CHARACTER―at issue is whether we want this to be done consciously, carefully, and effectively. What might strike some as a faddish enthusiasm for the “whole child” should be nothing more than a measured call for schools to once again unapologetically be about academic achievement and also the social and emotional skills that equip students for CITIZENSHIP, LIFE, and WORK.”)
• A nation at hope (sic) (The need of the moment – EDUCATING BEYOND the COGNITIVEs of 3Rs (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic) – developing the WHOLE CHILD!”For the Commission’s central message is not new. It’s basically about “educating the whole child,” as we’ve been told to do at least since Dewey, since Montessori, since Rousseau, arguably since Aristotle. We’re admonished, once again, not to settle for the Three R’s, NOT TO TREAT TEST SCORES as the ONLY LEGITIMATE MARKERS OF SCHOOL SUCCESS, not to succumb to the CRAMPED VIEW THAT SCHOOLS’ ONLY JOB IS TO develop one’s, COGNITIVE FACULTIES. So much more is needed…””The Commission does a nice job of explaining the intersection between SEL and cognitive learning and how the former is to some extent a PRECONDITION for the latter. The research they cite both in this report and previously is substantial and convincing. Unfortunately, COGNITIVE LEARNING ISN’T NECESSARILY a PRECONDITION for SEL—it’s not reciprocal in that way—and there are troubling signs that not everyone touting SEL today is as conscientious as the commission about the need for schools to produce academic learning.”)
• SEL Gaining Momentum, But Educators Want Even More (It is indeed great to see that EVERY COHORT AGREES- educators, administrators and parents – SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) is a MUST as a precondition for ENHANCED ACADEMIC LEARNING.)
• The Case for Social and Emotional Learning: (A COMPLETE SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION towards SUSTAINABILITY through the EVIDENCE-BASED INTEGRATIVE EDUCATIONAL MODEL of SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING! Leading indicators show that the RETURN on INVESTMENT (ROI) ratio is at 11 to 1.”Our nation is truly at a turning point: We now understand that SOCIAL and EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT underpin children’s ACADEMIC LEARNING, GROWTH, and SUCCESS.””This understanding is fueling a growing movement of young people, educators, parents, researchers, leaders in business and civil rights and communities from across the country. SCIENCE HAS MADE CLEAR that CHILDREN LEARN BEST WHEN WE TeACH THEM AS WHOLE PEOPLE, and schools and communities are recognizing that they can NO LONGER SEPARATE ACADEMICS and STUDENTS’ BROADER DEVELOPMENT.”)
• This school replaced detention with meditation. The results are stunning (The act of DETENTION/SUSPENSION by means of MEDITATION – a great innovation that seems to be really working!)
• Running successful schools is all about attitude (Why the RIGHT ATTITUDE developed with OPENNESS and CLARITY matters more than anything else when it comes to EDUCATIONAL MATTERS or any other IMPORTANT ENDEAVOUR.”I realized that our entire model really depends on EVERYONE having the RIGHT ATTITUDE—PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, and…ARCHITECTS, too. We want our kids to take REAL COLLEGE CLASSES on real college campuses with real college professors. For that to happen, our students need to have the right attitude; they must desire to be on that campus and to experience something far outside the traditional high school experience… Their parents have to want that for them, too. Teachers have to support students doing more and accomplishing more than they did when they were in high school. And our administrators need to stop thinking success means a bigger staff and bigger campus””From a BUDGETARY STANDPOINT, our ATTITUDE MUST CENTRE on getting the most education bang for our buck. If we think K–12 dollars can only buy a K–12 education, we will never succeed in getting our students a K–14 or K–16 education in the SAME amount of TIME for the SAME amount of MONEY. It’s like running a mile in five minutes instead of ten. It’s the SAME DISTANCE, but it requires a very DIFFERENT ATTITUDE”)
• To facilitate high-quality CTE, we must transform our education system (The need for TRANSFORMING EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS!”We must, above all, TRANSFORM how our EDUCATION SYSTEM operates. INSTEAD of FORCING LEARNERS to CONFORM to system constraints, we need to RESPOND to the DIVERSE AND CHANGING NEEDS of students and the WORLD AROUND THEM. To facilitate this, we ought to PROMOTE POLICIES that further this”)
• The Reading Comprehension Conundrum (The importance of READING COMPREHENSION cannot be overemphasised!”READING COMPREHENSION, although an implicit goal of reading instruction and a widely stated goal at that, often remains stuck in the “Unsatisfactory” column on local, national and international assessments. This is deeply troubling. Far from being just one of many academic areas taught and assessed in schools, READING COMPREHENSION is the whole ENCHILADA. Not being able to make meaning from print has a cascade effect on the life of a child. From the perspective of the young student, not being able to get what the words say is DEMORALIZiNG and INCENTIVE DESTROYING.””Given that succeeding to read well in school is recognized as being so vital to all segments of society and given that since the inception of All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development, (2011), which led the way to focusing on EARLY READING, we are left wondering why the epidemic of non-readers in the developing world, and to a much lesser extent in the developed world, continues to this day.”)
• Inaugural Educating Mindfully Conference (Why “EDUCATING MINDFULLY” matters more that TEACHING ACADEMIC CONTENTS – the NEED OF THE MOMENT! A great initiative.)
• The Biggest Hurdles Recent Graduates Face Entering the Workforce (The CHALLENGES in transitioning from COLLEGE to WORKPLACE in a modern world! The need to emphasise on SELF-AWARENESS/INTUITION (as part of feedback), INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE (as part of positive relationships)  and SYSTEMS THINKING (as part of how one’s contributions/work impact on others/other systems) in education systems!”In our view, the main reason young people struggle isn’t generational — it’s cultural. In particular: the very significant, but typically underemphasized, cultural transition between college to the professional world. We find in our research that this culture shift plays out along at least three key dimensions: FEEDBACK, RELATIONSHIPS, and ACCOUNTABILITY.”)
• Tim Ryan on Mindfulness (Great to see a CONGRESSMAN speaks for the need of MINDFULNESS/SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING!)
• Jeff Weiner Interview: We Should Be Teaching Compassion at Every School in America (HATS OFF  in a SINCERE WAY to JEFF WEINER, the CEO of LinkedIn for INITIATING the COMPASSION PROJECT!
• “Why do you BELIEVE TEACHING COMPASSION is so important?” (“We’re in a time where people are INCREASINGLY being TORN APART. People are looking to REINFORCE their OWN VIEWS by CONNECTING with OTHERS that LOOK LIKE THEM and SOUND LIKE THEM. TRIBALISM, as some would call it, is REINFORCED through both CONVENTIONAL and NEW MEDIA CHANNELS””As a result, we have to be INCREASINGLY focused on teaching our youth skills like CRITICAL REASONING and COLLABORATION that will help them to be SUCCESSFUL in the FUTURE. And above all, in light of the ENVIRONMENT we LIVE IN, it is CRITICAL to TEACH COMPASSION. Compassion is a skill that enables you to SEE the WORLD through the EYES of ANOTHER person in order to ALLEVIATE their SUFFERING or help them. I can’t think of ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT right now that could help the WORLD start to RECONNECT and HEAL””As a young, less experienced executive, I defaulted to an approach where I expected people to do things the way that I did. This lead to FRUSTRATION on BOTH ENDS. I started taking the time to understand WHERE the OTHER PERSON was COMING from, their STRENGTHS, their WEAKNESSES, their HOPES, their FEARS…”)
• The Learning/Doing Gap (Are LEARNING and EDUCATION the same in a CONTEMPORARY context?”we usually seek to label as ‘LEARNING’ is actually more about ‘EDUCATION’. It REVOLVES around COMPLIANCE, RANKINGS and “WILL THIS BE ON THE TEST?””Being GOOD AT SCHOOL is not the SAME AS LEARNING something.””One reason that we don’t incorporate DOING into EDUCATION is that it TAKES THE AUTHORITY AWAY from those that would seek to LECTURE and INSTRUCT.””Most of them do NOTHING all day BUT SCHOOL, FAILING to bring REAL-LIFE ACTIVITY, EXPERIMENTATION and INTERACTION into the THINGS that they are BEING TAUGHT.””more than a hundred million people going to their jobs every day in the US, but FEW of them READ BOOKS or TAKE LESSONS regularly about how to DO their WORK BETTER. That’s CONSIDERED a DISTRACTION or, at best, INCONVENIENT or simply WASTED TIME.””a DECADE or MORE for a profession to ACCEPT and LEARN a NEW APPROACH…gastroenterologists a GENERATION..accepted that most ulcers were caused by bacteria…”

  “EDUCATION (the COMPLIANCE-BASED system that ALL of US  WENTthrough) is UNDERGOING a MASSIVE SHIFT…the connection and LEVERAGE the INTERNET brings.”

  “The ALTERNATIVE? LEARNING. Learning that embraces DOING. The DOING of SPEAKING UP, REVIEWING and BE REVIEWED.”)

  Intelligence Plus Character- The purpose of education (The PURPOSE  of EDUCATION – defining it BROADLY following SYSTEMS THINKING in gaining the STRATEGIC GOAL of SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY!

  ” The COMPLETE EDUCATION gives one not only POWER OF CONCENTRATION, but WORTHY OBJECTIVES upon which to CONCENTRATE.””

  “…words of MARTIN LUTHER King, Jr.: “INTELLIGENCE plus CHARACTER—that is the TRUE GOAL of EDUCATION.””

  From the perspective of neuroscience, this notion is about developing the WHOLE CHILD/BRAIN or to develop as MANY IMPORTANT NEURAL NETWORKS as POSSIBLE, instead of focusing on ONE-SIDED/ a FEW-SIDED development.

  ““I too often find that most college men have a MISCONCEPTION of the PURPOSE of EDUCATION.” A common mistake, he says, is in seeing ONLY ONE of two aims.”

  ““But education which STOPS with EFFICIENCY may prove the GREATEST MENACE to SOCIETY,” King wrote. “The most DANGEROUS CRIMINAL may be the man GIFTED with REASON, but with NO MORALS.””

  A focus on pure EFFICIENCY is NARROW, SHORT-TERM perspective lacking LONG-TERM/STRATEGIC and BROADER, HOLISTIC perspective.

  “Do ask your KIDS what they think is the PURPOSE of EDUCATION. You may DISCOVER that, LIKE KING, they are WISE BEYOND their YEARS.”)

• Reimagining Education: Vulnerability is for the Achievers (ONE TRILLION DOLLAR QUESTION! (for EDUCATIONAL/SOCIAL POLICY-MAKERS)”Is it possible to TEACH young people the TOOLS for achievement and SUCCESS WITHOUT SACRIFICING WELLBEING?””EDUCATION SYSTEMS can help MOTIVATE STUDENTS to perform at THEIR BEST…to GO EVEN FURTHER ..than ever thought. And DISMANTLE the NOTION of what ACHIEVEMENT TRULY MEANS in real life””professor Donald McCabe found that of 24K high school students, 64% admitted to CHEATING on a TEST, while 95% …CHEATING in some other form, such as COPING homework. Much of the EDUCATIONAL REWARD SYSTEMS have REINFORCED this ATTITUDE””These high-achievers might.. go to the “RIGHT” schools..to the BOARDROOM, but their SUCCESSES are a HOUSE OF CARDS built on the FEAR of someone else OUTSMARTING them… Just as COPYING HOMEWORK is often SEEN as ACCEPTABLE to STAY AHEAD, such a WORKPLACE CULTURE can encourage HIDING mistakes or EXAGGARATING projections””Many BOARDROOMS are filled with talented GO-GETTERS who GRAPPLE with CHRONIC STRESS and ANXIETY, EVIDENCE of an EDUCATION that ENCOURAGES winning and PERFECTION…than HEALTHY DRIVE and INNOVATION””As many EDUCATION SYSTEMS have ENCOURAGED, it is easier to laser focus on ACHIEVEMENT with a WIN-BEFORE-SOMEONE-ELSE-TAKES-MY-SPOT ATTITUDE”)This is how a bookish home helps a child to thrive (The significance of HOME LIBRARIES that leads to ADULT SKILLS later in life!”The paper’s authors studied 160,000 adults between 2011 and 2015 and found that just having 80 or more BOOKS in a HOME results in adults with SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LEVELS of LITERACY, NUMERACY, and information communication technology (ICT) SKILLS. The paper finds, “Growing up with HOME LIBRARIES boosts ADULT SKILS in these areas BEYOND the benefits accrued from parental education or own educational or occupational attainment.””

  “First is the impact of growing up in a PRO-KNOWLEDGE/LEARNING social ENVIRONMENT, since “adolescent exposure to books is an integral part of social practices that foster LONG TERM  COGNITIVE COMPETENCIES.” Second, READING often helps individuals develop related skills, and, as the study says, “Early EXPOSURE TO BOOKS in [the] PARENTAL HOME matters because BOOKS are an integral part of routines and practices that ENHANCE  LIFELONG COGNITIVE COMPETENCIES.” Moreover, “These competencies facilitate educational and occupational attainment, but they also lay a foundation for life-long routine activities that enhance literacy and numeracy.””)

  How does Finland’s top-ranking education system work? ((PROPER) EDUCATION (SYSTEMS) = SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION (towards SUSTAINABILITY). Finland’s STRATEGIC INVESTMENT in EDUCATION! There would be ABSOLUTELY no doubts about the RETURNS (ROIs) but how many other countries are willing/can afford/in a position to follow the suit?)

• Reimagining Education: Vulnerability is for the Achievers (ONE TRILLION DOLLAR QUESTION! (for EDUCATIONAL/SOCIAL POLICY-MAKERS) “Is it possible to TEACH young people the TOOLS for achievement and SUCCESS WITHOUT SACRIFICING WELLBEING?” “EDUCATION SYSTEMS can help MOTIVATE STUDENTS to perform at THEIR BEST…to GO EVEN FURTHER ..than ever thought. And DISMANTLE the NOTION of what ACHIEVEMENT TRULY MEANS in real life” “professor Donald McCabe found that of 24K high school students, 64% admitted to CHEATING on a TEST, while 95% …CHEATING in some other form, such as COPING homework. Much of the EDUCATIONAL REWARD SYSTEMS have REINFORCED this ATTITUDE” “These high-achievers might.. go to the “RIGHT” schools..to the BOARDROOM, but their SUCCESSES are a HOUSE OF CARDS built on the FEAR of someone else OUTSMARTING them… Just as COPYING HOMEWORK is often SEEN as ACCEPTABLE to STAY AHEAD, such a WORKPLACE CULTURE can encourage HIDING mistakes or EXAGGARATING projections” “Many BOARDROOMS are filled with talented GO-GETTERS who GRAPPLE with CHRONIC STRESS and ANXIETY, EVIDENCE of an EDUCATION that ENCOURAGES winning and PERFECTION…than HEALTHY DRIVE and INNOVATION” “As many EDUCATION SYSTEMS have ENCOURAGED, it is easier to laser focus on ACHIEVEMENT with a WIN-BEFORE-SOMEONE-ELSE-TAKES-MY-SPOT ATTITUDE”)
• Kindness in the Classroom (KINDNESS CURRICULUM for the PRESCHOOLERS The Center for Healthy Minds INSPIRING Wisconsin EDUCATORS!)
• Social and emotional learning and neuroplasticity: Why it matters (Why THE NEED of the MOMENT in EDUCATION/EDUCATION SYSTEMS is SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING(SEL)? Great to see the spreading of SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL)! “A GROWING corpus of SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE reveals that SOCIAL and EMOTIONAL COMPETENCIES n children and teens are FAR MORE CONSEQUENTIAL for major ADULT OUTCOMES THAN TRADITIONAL METRICS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS. For example, rigorous research has established that social and emotional competencies early in life—such as SELF-MANAGEMENT SKILLS in children five years of age—are BETTER PREDICTORS of major young ADULT LIFE OUTCOMES such as HEALTH and FINANCIAL SUCCESS THAN TRADITIONAL ACADEMIC METRICS OF GRADES and STANDARDISED TEST SCORES. These key insights have spawned the MOVEMENT that is frequently called SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL).”)
• UNESCO MGIEP Distinguished Lecture Highlights (The DIRE NEED of the MOMENT in TRANSFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEMS for SUSTAINABLE OUTCOMES is SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL)!)
• Building Social and Emotional Learning for Education 2030 (It is indeed great to see spreading of the NOTION of SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) to all corners of the world following the UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) “UNESCO MGIEP focuses on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4.7 TOWARDS EDUCATION for BUILDING PEACEFUL and SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES ACROSS THE WORLD by developing programmes that promote SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, innovate digital pedagogies and empower the youth.”)
• Hal Gregersen: Choose Your Questions Well (Why QUESTIONING (rather than ANSWERS) is the KEY to LEARNING and DEVELOPMENT (and seeing the WORLD around us BROADLY) in NO UNCERTAIN terms!  ““QUESTIONING is an INNATE BEHAVIOR that’s ACTIVELY SUBVERTED and SHUT DOWN.” The…EDUCATION SYSTEM REWARDS ANSWERS over QUESTIONS, and many PEOPLE become TRAINED to ONLY to THINK WITHIN the BOX and LOSE their CURIOSITY.””My guest today is Hal Gregersen, the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the MIT LEADERSHIP CENTER and a senior lecturer in LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION at MIT Sloan School of Management. A Thinkers50 globally ranked MANAGEMENT THINKER, he has authored or coauthored TEN BOOKS. His most recent book, QUESTIONS ARE THE ANSWER, examines the fact that while people are PRE-PROGRAMMED to look for answers, the REAL CATALYSTS  for INNOVATIVE CHANGE are QUESTIONS.”)
• Questions are the Answers (The importance of QUESTIONING with OPENNESS/CHILD-LIKE ATTITUDE in helping us in LEARNING and DEVELOPMENT and MAKING this WORLD a BETTER PLACE!”When I look into the EYES of my GRANDCHILDREN, I see PURE WONDER reflecting back: They’re HUNGRY WITH CURIOSITY about the WORLD AROUND THEM, unafraid to EXPLORE, and EAGER TO DISCOVER something NEW each day. The gift of INQUISITIVE CREATIVITY is something we were ALL BORN WITH – and something I believe we can SUSTAIN – by the SIMPLE act of QUESTIONING.”“I’ve dedicated my personal and professional life to this CORE QUESTIONING PHILOSOPHY. And today, I’d like to share this INSPIRED WORK with you on HalGregersen.com. Experience why QUESTIONING is so CRUCIAL to building a LEADER’S INNOVATIVE CAPACITY. See how it is TRANSFORMING the FUTURE OF LEARNING. Learn how QUESTIONS can make the WORLD A BETTER PLACE.”)Are you mentorable? (MENTORING and getting MENTORED (as in TEACHING and LEARNING)as a TWO-WAY process with each party having a role!

  “The MENTEE is the DRIVER, and the MENTOR is the COPILOT, helping them get to their destination.” Even though they may receive a lot of input, the mentee is the person in CONTROL, and they must RESPOND to the mentor’s advice and give continual feedback about their needs.”)

• Educating for the Future (“To be a CREATIVE and #IMAGINATIVE THINKER is to develop original and useful products—whether physical or IDEATIONAL. To develop these ideas, we need to have a KNOWLEDGE BASE that will allow our BRAINS TO CONNECT DIFFERENT STORES of information. Maria Popova eloquently describes why we need to have a LARGE FUND of KNOWLEDGE to be CREATIVE:””The idea that in order for us to TRULY CREATE and CONTRIBUTE to the WORLD, we have to be able to CONNECT COUNTLESS DOTS, to CROSS-POLLINATE IDEAS from A WEALTH OF DISCIPLINES, to COMBINE and RECOMBINE these pieces and BUILD NEW CASTLES.””The key is to have a STRONG FUND OGF KNOWLEDGE to SPARK IMAGINATION and develop CREATIVE THOUGHTS. Your brain takes FAMILIAR INFORMATION and ASSEMBLES it in NEW WAYS. If you DON’T HAVE that information easily available—because of Alexa, Siri, or Hey Google—you won’t come up with those CREATIVE THOUGHTS and NEW IDEAS that will DIFFERENTIATE you from the ROBOTS”

  “We should also be WARY of becoming TOO CONTENT SPECIFIC, which may actually INHIBIT our CREATIVITY. ENCOURAGE YOUR KIDS to become POLYMATHS. GAINING KNOWLEDGE in MANY FIELDS can ENCOURAGE BIG IDEAS that SPAN MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES, thereby encouraging DIVERGENT THINKING.”)

ON THE OUTCOMES OF COMPETITION IN EDUCATION

• How the education system is making kids stressed and sick (Is competition/ranking  driving our system insane? The book “Beautiful Failures” discusses the point.)
• An insightful radio interview with Lucy Clark, the author of the book “Beautiful Failures.”
• South Korea’s obsession with top marks is costing its youth(Where does the competition in education lead to – suicides, mental illness, valuing effort more than ability?
• Behind Singapore’s PISA rankings success and why other countries may not want to join the race(Will competition produce creative human beings with wisdom with a focus on future or robots to meet the needs of contemporary social operations?)
• Selective schools drive tutoring industry as students strive to keep up(This is where competition leads us. Can we produce creative human beings, better decision makers and develop citizenship leading to sustainability in this way? Are we manufacturing robots?)

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ON HUMAN/LEARNER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATION WITHIN AND EXTENDING TWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT/EXTERNAL WORLD

• Healthy habits of mind bring happiness and can be learned – even by the busy(Well-being – awareness, connection, insight and purpose – as a skill that can be learned. Very interesting and insightful.)
• How Self-Awareness Pays Off(What so special about self-awareness? In the words of a specialist/influencer, it is: “Self-Awareness is indispensable in leadership, allowing leaders to harness their own competencies for the greatest positive impact on others.”)
• The Theory of Positive Disintegration by Kazimierz Dabrowski(Why does one have to disintegrate from stable but lower developmental position for moving into higher levels?)
• Highlights of Kazimierz Dabrowski’s Work(His work on gifted, sensitive/ overexcitable individuals or psychoneurotics as he referred to)
• Work of Abraham Maslow( Theory of self-actualisation based on hierarchical needs)

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