Emile Dumont

In a previous school, leaders were allocated a certain number of leave days per year. This meant that I, and my colleagues, spent a lot of vacation time in school working, though perhaps not productively. When I joined ACS Cobham, I entered into a culture where leaders were encouraged to take a break when students left for vacation. This has had a lasting positive effect on my well-being and that of my colleagues. I am grateful to be part of an organisation that prioritises well-being and provides an environment that ensures it can happen. As school leaders, we often face high levels of stress due to the demands of our roles. Taking time off during holidays allows us to disconnect from work responsibilities, which can significantly reduce stress levels. Research shows that relaxation and positive feelings peak around eight days into a break, enabling leaders to return to work rejuvenated and more focused. A proper break can reset good habits and enhance productivity. When school leaders take time off, we return with renewed energy and creativity. This proactive approach to mental health helps maintain a positive school environment. Leaders who take breaks often find themselves thinking more innovatively upon their return, which can lead to new ideas and strategies for improving school culture and student outcomes. Engaging in leisure activities or simply relaxing allows the brain to process information differently, enhancing creative thinking. Holidays provide an opportunity for school leaders to reconnect with family and friends. Strengthening these relationships can improve overall happiness and well-being, which is beneficial not only personally but also professionally. A supportive social network contributes significantly to better mental health. Now that our school looks like the photo with no students around and faculty leaving to start their break in a few hours, I am encouraging out leaders to take some time to focus on their own well-being and not on their jobs. We will all work during this break, but it will be done at a time that suits us and in places away from our offices. We will all return rested, energised and ready to inspire the world’s next thinkers and doers.

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🔍 Mastering Student Engagement with the "Grab" Phase in Science and Math 🔑 As educators, we all know that the first impression counts, especially when teaching complex subjects like science and mathematics. In my latest blog post, I explore two different teaching methods: 1️⃣ The traditional, in-depth approach that covers every detail from the start. 2️⃣ A more incremental approach that presents the key ideas first, letting students discover details through exercises. I advocate for the latter, as it offers a more inclusive experience for students of all levels. This is the essence of the Grab phase in the GHOST BUST framework—ensuring that every student walks away from the first lesson with the tools to explore more at their own pace. ⚙️ At Mr. Miranda Online, we follow this model in all tiers, including the free ACCESS tier. With clear video lessons and relevant class notes, students get everything they need to start their learning journey on the right foot. 🏆 💬 Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/dPfhEr5N #Education #EdTech #MathTeaching #ScienceTeaching #InclusiveEducation #StudentCenteredLearning #MrMirandaOnline

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In today's workshop for Chinese educators on the critical topic of time utilisation, I presented some eye-opening statistics that highlight the future our children face unless we rethink how they spend their time and what we model for them. Recent research reveals that our children will spend approximately one-third of their lives—336 months—in bed sleeping. Alarmingly, unless we start to think differently, they will spend almost the same amount of time looking at a screen. The power of influence lies with the adults in our children's lives. Our responsibility is to guide them in making wise choices about how they spend their time during the roughly 1000 months they have on this planet. Thoughts? #education #school #teacher #teaching #montessori

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𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀? As a mental fitness coach specializing in neurodivergent individuals and their families, I've witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of bullying on young minds. It’s crucial that we prioritize anti-bullying measures in Singapore. I recently wrote a letter to The Straits Times Forum highlighting the need for a more robust approach to address this issue. We must strengthen legal frameworks, enhance educational programmes, provide adequate support resources, and foster a culture of empathy and respect. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗠𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲: 1️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: Imposing stricter penalties on perpetrators based on restorative justice practices, and establishing more accessible resources for students and their parents to understand their rights and know how to respond to and report bullying incidents. 2️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀: The Ministry of Education, Singapore (MOE) should provide greater clarity on how its "serious view on bullying" are being translated into practical measures within schools such educational programmes on bullying prevention and bystander intervention, support resources for victims, and training for those handling bullying incidents. 3️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀: An independent evaluation of all current anti-bullying programmes and measures in schools should be commissioned to assess their efficacy, identify gaps, and recommend improvements. Input from bully victims should be sought so as to ensure that support services are grounded in real-world experiences and address the specific needs of victims. 4️⃣ 𝗙𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁: More should be done to examine the underlying causes of the rise of aggressive and bullying behaviours amongst our youth. All of us adults in the larger society have a responsibility to model kind, respectful and positive relational behaviours for the younger generation. 🗨️ What do you think about how we can do more to stem bullying and aggression amongst our youth? 🗨️ Are there other strategies we should consider to combat bullying in our schools? 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀! #𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 #𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 #𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 #𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 #𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 #𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 #𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘦 Read my Straits Times Form letter here: https://lnkd.in/gStZDjmv

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Following my trip to Vietnam and Cambodia working with current and future EduSpark schools I asked my LinkedIn community what was important to them when it came to Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) in their school. This is what you said: - Time is critical to providing authentic and purposeful learning for educators. Embedding time into a busy day/week is a challenge but there are many examples of this in practice that work! - Time for learning is important but so is time to reflect and embed learning into practice which we often forget about. - Having a strategic approach to CPD/CPL is importsnt to ensure it aligns and connects on all levels within your unique learning environment. - Appraisals are an important part of professional growth but embedding this and not having it done to you is important. Apppraisal should be a positive and rewarding experience that benefits everyone! - Unfortunately equitable access is still an isssue for many of you. This could be inside an organisation or institution, because of budget constraints or because of geographical isolation. Platforms like ours help break down these barriers. We do the majority of our good work with schools who struggle to budget for an access high quality learning - Access to resources is always a challenge and something we work with schools on every day by listening and delivering through high quality learning partners! A quick summary for a Monday but I hope this adds some value to the work you are doing inside of your school now and in the future. As always, I would love to meet and chat about CPD and learning at your school! These conversations are the most powerful thing I do on a daily basis!

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📚🌟 The world of international school fees in Singapore is changing in 2024. Check out our latest blog to see what’s driving these shifts and how it impacts expat families. #Education #Singapore #ExpatLife

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Hi all! Join us to learn about Learn how to find precursors of your next surprise accident in OS+H Asia 2024 happening on 12 September 2024 with Dr. Marcin Nazaruk. The “mindset shifter” workshop on Learning from Normal Work provides an introduction to the concepts, skills, and tools you need to make it happen in your organization. CONTENT: ·      What is performance variability and how it affects safety ·      Why people don’t follow the rules and use work arounds ·      How to use the gap between plans and reality to find your next wave of improvements ·      How your beliefs about safety determine what you can see ·      Do your questions shut people down-simple but powerful questioning techniques ·      How to change leadership conversations with a new focus on what makes the work difficult ·      Examples of tools to find where and how your next accident can happen If you’re interested, please use the QR code to register Now!

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😰 Blind Leading the Blind 😰 Good intention but the club will eventually lose the money for the following reasons: 1) The kids could not differentiate between trading (ie. speculation) and investing 2) The school and teachers also could not differentiate between speculation and investing 3) Their initiative is blinds leading the blinds. If I am the school teacher, I will simply take the $8650, dollar cost average with $100 per month assuming the transaction cost is low into a low cost S&P 500 index fund, until the fund is fully used up. The capital can last 86 months (7.2 years) and the performance will easily beat most of Japan’s actively managed funds. #CaydenDailyTots

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How does a 7 year old child play with negative numbers? While designing the games at UNBOX, we follow our UNBOX PLAY framework, which is tightly integrated with NEP2020 and NCF2020. So, we thought it will be appropriate to initiate negative numbers concept building at 10+ years. But, when we launched UNBOX Z cards, parents wrote to me that even their 7 year olds are having fun playing with positive and negative numbers! These messages actually reinforced our entire belief in gamification of learning - there is no need to tell a child all the theories of integers, but, just let them play with those numbers and get so conversant that when theory is taught, they are confident because they have already played with such things! It took us multiple man years to build the UNBOX PLAY framework. Such messages reinforce our commitment and conviction to radically change the way adults play with tabletop games and youngsters learn along with having fun. Can you imagine even an adult’s happiness when they play with our games and feel confident of concepts which they could not build effectively at school? I will be sharing that message in my next post. Have you played with UNBOX Z cards? You can find them on Amazon India.

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Reflecting on our two recent, Singapore-born, Olympic medalists and the implications for social mobility I have in mind Joseph Schooling and the newly crowned Max Maeder, of course. They are both Eurasians. They have parents who have committed themselves to raising and motivating their children to be highly proficient in a sport. However, in making the above observation, I am not focusing on their ethnicity or on their parents’ child-rearing practices, but on their social class background. (I am not trying to downplay their parents’ and their own commitment to and investment into their chosen sports, nor to argue that they did well only because they have parents and the resources like theirs.) Specifically, I am suggesting that their having access to economic, social and cultural capital does enhance the probability of their making it to the top in sports. (Fact is many others with similar access don’t.) While making the above suggestion, I am also thinking of a recent news report on the 6-year boy who was whipped by his mother a hundred times because he failed to maintain the handstand punishment she had imposed. I wonder what his probability of rising to the top in a sport would be, assuming that he has the same potential as Schooling and Maeder? Is the equality of opportunity we put a lot of faith on in Singapore sufficiently capable of leveling the playing field, such that people with equal potential has equal opportunity to achieve their potential? I should also add that the boy was living in a household with his siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, and mother and her boyfriend. Just stating this fact as a background. Not judging this family form in Singapore. Parting shots: Majulah Singapura. As we celebrate our 59th National Day, may we move another step forward towards enhancing equality of opportunities. Some additional points: 1. Equity is not the same as Equality. Equity gives more to the disadvantaged, but less or nothing to the very well resourced. It is about fairness, not equality of support. 2. Possibility is not the same as Probability. Equalizing opportunities, in practice, offers possibility, but does not guarantee equal probability of success.

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63% of CEOs in Asia Pacific believe their companies will not be economically viable within 10 years without reinvention, according to a PwC survey. I believe the situation is worse than reported. https://lnkd.in/gAPbk5YA Business leaders are largely unprepared for the transformation. Post-pandemic, we have observed a deterioration of leadership skills in large organisations: Conceptual thinking is weak. Though it is essential to develop new business models. Attention span and empathetic skills have atrophied. Screen time and hybrid work are primary culprits. Written communication and logic are in decline. Gen AI will worsen this. Not mentioned in the report: the worsening of the externalities of business activity – and the reality that these are now fully in the public view: 29m tonnes of plastic is expected to enter the ocean each year by 2040. On average each of us ingest 5g of plastic in our food each week. https://lnkd.in/gBZwAway 67% of consumers in Europe believe ultra-processed foods contribute to obesity, diabetes and other lifestyles related illnesses. https://lnkd.in/g4kemyCZ And there are many more, beyond carbon emissions... Business leaders need to own the problems, own the solutions, and take action to reinvent their businesses. GIFT’s flagship Global Leaders Programme is part of the solution. Our proprietary curriculum and experiential methodology ignite a mindset shift - the essence of business transformation - proven to be sustained over the long term for many of the nearly 3,000 managers who have participated. “Agility to unlearn and relearn… helped us turn knowledge into passion which creates belief and action.” “The most global, co-creative and real-life programme I have ever experienced.” “Illustrated how diverse teams can plan, interact, and push boundaries to develop innovative approaches towards creating a common outcome.”   Join us in September for the next GLP, in Hong Kong and Phnom Penh. https://lnkd.in/dFgHgUix We are offering a first-time trial discount for registrations in June. Write to us for more details.

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Here’s an idea – to improve mental health and fitness, we need more spaces devoted to the purpose.   A cursory Google search shows that Singapore currently has about 500 commercial gyms that registered approximately 4 million attendances in 2024. This doesn’t even count private gyms, public sports facilities, and so on.   That’s a lot of real estate devoted to physical fitness, and even then, we worry about a growing rate of obesity and the too-sedentary lifestyle of many Singaporeans.   Where do you go to be mentally fit? If you’re in distress, the answer is clear: go see a mental health care professional. But in the same way that you don’t wait to be overweight and hypertensive to go to the gym, there should be spaces devoted to building psychological resilience and preventing mental health issues before they happen.   Now when I tried searching for local spaces like that on Google, I found…virtually nothing.   There are thousands of places you can go in Singapore to train your body to be healthy and only a small handful where you can go to train your mind to be well. Is it any wonder that Singaporeans are so lacking in ways to cope with stress and struggle so mightily with getting good sleep?   Starting this month, Somnus Sleep Wellness is launching a Mental Fitness Club to serve just this purpose. For a small monthly subscription, you can join us for regular meetings to practice wellness exercises, learn about sleep health and other mental health topics, receive social support, and also just hang out, which is always a nice thing.   Our vision is to make the idea of building mental fitness commonplace. Most people don’t think twice about joining a gym to get fit. In 10 years, we want the same to apply to strengthening the mind.   Join us for our free launch event on World Mental Health Day (10 October), and be part of that vision 🙃 Link to sign up is below ⬇ https://lnkd.in/gHbdBCka   #mentalhealth #sleep

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Last Saturday, April 20th, we had an enriching live practice session led by our esteemed Code in Place Head TA, Caroline Tran. She graciously shared her invaluable insights on conducting live sessions, setting a tone of collaboration and learning from the outset. The session began with introductions from Caroline and each of the section leaders, fostering a sense of community and teamwork. Caroline seamlessly transitioned into an overview of Code in Place, setting the stage for productive discussions. During the session, breakout rooms were utilized to facilitate deeper engagement. In our room, comprised of three section leaders, we had the privilege of diverse perspectives. Two section leaders hailed from the US, with backgrounds ranging from working professionals to university students. Our task in the breakout rooms was to elucidate the Hospital Karel problem within a tight timeframe. Each section leader had approximately five to seven minutes to present the problem and gather feedback. It was remarkable to witness varied teaching styles and techniques, enriching our own approaches. I received commendation from my peers for incorporating annotations during problem explanation, enhancing clarity and comprehension. Following the breakout sessions, the TA prompted us to share the most impactful lessons learned. In our room, the consensus was on the effectiveness of annotation and the critical importance of time management. Many section leaders acknowledged grappling with time constraints during their sessions. I shared a valuable tip emphasizing the need to assess students' prior knowledge and then focus on session objectives. By focusing on essential concepts and objectives, one can optimize time management and ensure a concise, effective session within the allotted timeframe. This collaborative learning experience underscored the significance of adaptability, creativity, and effective communication in virtual teaching environments. I look forward to implementing these insights in upcoming sessions with students and fostering continued growth within our community. Stanford University Stanford Online

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“…cameras and recording devices in the experimental theatrette can be used to process interactions during a lesson… information can then be analysed to determine how effective the facilitator was at teaching, and whether the lesson was engaging for the learner.” It was inevitable, the use of technology to closely monitor the “engagement” of the learners. Is this wise and really necessary though?? Neuroscience is still evolving and different people learn and respond differently. Forcing and equating learner engagement with positive learning quality and experience seems like we’re focusing on only one dimension of a very multidimensional process. What are your thoughts? Would you want your brain activity to be “monitored” during class? #adultlearning #learning https://lnkd.in/gwgiwdRy

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