It’s a matter of trust When Billy Joel wrote the lyrics to It’s a Matter of Trust, he probably wasn’t thinking about the Finnish education system. Yet the more I read the literature on high performing systems, I am convinced that trust is at the core of the cultural change needed to reshape schooling. It’s not new nor is it rocket science. Michael Fullan says that you build trust through behaviour. John Hattie tells us that the ability for teachers to develop trust within the classroom is key to making students feel OK about making mistakes and asking questions. In Visible Learning, the highest “effect sizes within teacher student relationship came from empathy, warmth and encouragement of higher order thinking.” As noble a calling as teaching is, the profession has been tarnished by a lack of trust, suspicion of teachers’ work and a top down approach to school improvement. What differentiates high performing systems from others is trust. We trust our teachers. Where does trust begin?
Habit Hack: The Science Behind How A Habit Is Formed “Starting next month, I will run three times a week” “After Christmas, I will only eat ice cream once a week maximum” How many of you have tried to start a new habit and failed? Forming a new habit is not an easy task, yet we all know that in order to improve ourselves, creating a new habit (or breaking a bad one) is crucial and unavoidable. As people who love to learn new ways to “hack” our lives, i believe that we need to break down the mechanic of how a habit is created in order to successfully create a new habit. Charles Duhigg (a Pulifzer-prize winning reporter) wrote a very good book that breaks down the mechanics of habit creation, it is titled “The Power of Habit” (Published in 2012). He argues that habit creation involves three components: 1. The cue is the trigger behind the behavior. What do you do next? The reward is, you get a feeling of relief / satisfaction (and no more anxiety), because you are no longer curious who send the email and what is the email about. A. B.
Terese Weinstein Katz, PhD - The Self-Compassion Diet: Gentleness, Not Self-Flagellation How we beat ourselves up for that brownie or pizza slice! Once we’ve lost control or overdone it, forget about self-care and serenity. But research keeps confirming some ancient wisdom when it comes to eating better. Gentleness, being kind to oneself, paves a better path to success than self-flagellation. One study asked dieters to go easy on themselves in the face of eating preferred candy. Eaters first rated as “highly restrictive” ate less after hearing a self-compassion message than those who did not. While those of us interested in mindfulness and eating behavior may have found this work striking, it didn’t venture far beyond the mindfulness literature. How could we have gotten this so wrong? Consider what might really be happening, though. Also, those negative thoughts and feelings do clutter the mind. Dr. , notes that self-compassion increases motivation, contrary to the idea that we’ll whip ourselves into shape with self-criticism.
Vulnerability Hangovers, Brené Brown & Finding Our Courage. “The vulnerability paradox: It’s the first thing I look for in you, and the last thing I want you to see in me.” ~ Brené Brown Once so powerless, it has become one of the most powerful words in the dictionary—and to my own life. For me, vulnerability used to be petrifying, and to this day it still has control over me. I get what Brené Brown calls the “vulnerability hangover” almost on the daily. Did I say too much at that party last night? Did I really just share all of that about myself on the internet? Luckily enough, I also find myself absorbed in vulnerable people. I love to watch the wave of relief wash over them when they realize that, I too, am feeling just as exposed as they are. Because I travel so much, I’m constantly in awe of finding delicate humans like this in all corners of the world and realizing I am not alone. “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. They project this fake persona out into the world to avoid being rejected. And that is what I live for.
6 Ways Emotionally Intelligent People Deal With Toxic People Life can be pretty stressful at times. We have bills, appointments, overfilled schedules, and random unfortunate events which we have no control over. Then there’s the icing on the cake…toxic people. For many of us, we deal with toxic people on a daily basis and they can be difficult to avoid. Navigating around a toxic person or their conversations is a tedious skill, but a few people have mastered it. They are known as emotionally intelligent. Of course, it is never easy to deal with a toxic person. If you want to know how to have the upper hand when dealing with a toxic person, take it from someone who has experience. Here are 6 ways emotionally intelligent people deal with toxic people: 1. The most important thing you can do for yourself, is not participate in the madness. 2. It is essential to set boundaries. Emotionally intelligent people know that it is impossible to please everyone, and that it is okay to say ‘no.’ 3. 4. 5. 6. By Raven Fon
The Aha! Challenge: Using brain teasers to understand eureka moments - Science News - ABC News You know that feeling when you've been grappling with a problem and finally a solution just arrives in your brain? That's an "aha moment", and you've got to it through the process of "insight", a problem solving technique. Insight is characterised by a sense of confusion and feeling stuck, followed by a sudden realisation — the aha moment — when it all just falls into place. It's a process that relies on your relaxed brain, in contrast to the step-by-step process of logical problem solving, and it's usually accompanied by pleasure and surprise. Aha experiences are often special moments in our lives, and most of us have a story about one. But they're also of great interest to psychology researchers keen to put their power to positive use. "The aha experience has been shown to be helpful for learning, memory, and motivation," said Margaret Webb, a psychology researcher at the University of Melbourne. Despite it being more than 2000 years since Archimedes had his 'eureka!' The Aha! Confused?
Characteristics Of A Truly Good Person Kind, helpful, caring, understanding, patient, and loving are some of the words that come to mind when asked to list the qualities of a good person. One usually knows a person is good by what they do. We never remember them angry or holding grudges for anyone. They are always there reaching out to help others – They are the purest souls around us. Listed below are a few characteristics of a truly Good Person to help you spot the good ones around you. 1) They Can Never Stay Mad At You, Like NEVER They are truly a magical being, always forgiving and forgetting one’s mistakes. 2) They Are Like A“Fun Booster” In A More Gloomy Or Dull Situation Yes, especially when you’re feeling blue. 3) When You Succeed, Their Happiness For You Is Completely LEGIT They’ll be the first one to demand a car ride in your new car or ask for a treat out when you get that promotion. 4) You Will Never Notice A Frown On Their Face. No wonder! 5) Such A Gentle Heart Yet, So Brave That’s why never ever break their heart.
7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People While happiness is defined by the individual, I’ve always felt it foolish to declare that nothing can be learned from observing the happiness of others. In our day-to-day lives it is easy to miss the forest for the trees and look over some of the smaller, simpler things that can disproportionally affect our happiness levels. Luckily, we can go off more than just our intuition; there are lots of studies that aim for finding the right behavior that leads to a happier life. Below, we take a look at some of the more actionable advice. 1. Research shows that being “rushed” puts you on the fast track to being miserable. The porridge is just right when you’re living a productive life at a comfortable pace. Feeling like you’re doing busywork is often the result of saying “Yes” to things you are not absolutely excited about. You should be expanding your comfort zone often, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed. 2. 3. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. 4.
I’m Slowly Learning That I Don’t Have To React To Everything That Bothers Me I’m slowly learning that I don’t have to hurt those who hurt me. I’m slowly learning that maybe the ultimate sign of maturity is walking away instead of getting even. I’m slowly learning that the energy it takes to react to every bad thing that happens to you drains you and stops you from seeing the other good things in life. I’m slowly learning that I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and I won’t be able to get everyone to treat me the way I want to be treated and that’s okay. I’m slowly learning that trying so hard to ‘win’ anyone is just a waste of time and energy and it fills you with nothing but emptiness. I’m slowly learning that not reacting doesn’t mean I’m okay with things, it just means I’m choosing to rise above it. I’m slowly learning that reacting to things that upset you gives someone else power over your emotions. Related
Neuroscience Reveals: How Gratitude Rewires Your Brain to be Happier When you say “thank you”, do you really mean it or is it just politeness to which you give little attention? Neuroscientists have found that if you really feel it when you say it, you’ll be happier and healthier. The regular practice of expressing gratitude is not a New Age fad; it’s a facet of the human condition that reaps true benefits to those who mean it. Psychologists Dr. The gratitude group reported feeling more optimistic and positive about their lives than the other groups. Better Physical Health Other research into the physical effects of gratitude report even more tangible results. Gratitude and Your Brain The reasons why gratitude is so impactful to health and well-being begin in the brain. Sign up for our FREE daily newsletter.Get daily health tips and exclusive offers delivered straight to your inbox. Enter your email below to sign up. We hate SPAM and will NEVER violate your privacy. In fact, this lasting effect is psychologically protective. 3 Steps to Becoming More Grateful