Brain Health – Back to Basics
Mindspring2015-04-21T12:04:49+00:00Feeling tired? Having trouble concentrating? Memory seems to have holes in it? Can’t think of the answer to things you thought you knew? May be it’s time for a brain health check! Our brains are truly amazing thinking organs, able to adapt and grow, process multiple pieces of information at any one time. Over 100 billion neurons act as virtually instant message carriers, if you piled up that many pieces of paper, the pile would be over 8000 kilometers high! To keep your brain working in optimal condition, it requires looking after. Here are some back to basics – brain health tips. [...]
Memory Works – Part 2
Mindspring2015-04-01T10:21:36+00:00Our previous blog explained how working memory enables us to process information moment by moment. This blog will go deeper into the filing drawers of long term memory. Long term memory is where permanent memories are stored. These memories can last a lifetime. Nothing gets into long term memory without first passing through our senses into working memory. When it comes to recalling information for an exam, this is the part of your brain that you really want to be supercharged. So how do you get things into long term memory? Here are some hints for laying down long term memories: [...]
Memory Works – Part 1
Mindspring2015-03-24T13:48:16+00:00Our memories and more particularly our memory failures get the blame for a lot of our learning problems. So what is memory, where is it, what is it doing and how do you get it to work better? Memory Works – Part 1 deals mainly with short term or working memory. Part 2 will deal with long term memory. Memory is a function of an incredibly amazing thing called your brain. Whilst it’s true that some rare people get an extra dose of memory ability, mostly, if your memory isn’t working it’s because you haven’t read the instruction book. The first thing [...]
More of the same: Annual National Assessment 2014
Mindspring2014-12-10T13:50:34+00:00I wrote about the 2013 ANA’s about two months ago as kids sat down to write their test papers. Now the report is out I went straight to my go-to view: Grade 9 Maths performance distribution. 2014 View Here we can see the breakdown of performance for all students, by province for maths at grade 9. This will be shocking if you have not seen it before. […]
Education Myths in the New South Africa
Mindspring2014-11-12T08:31:27+00:00The “new” South Africa has brought with it a wide open door to education dreams and aspirations that were not part of the “old” South Africa. Government spending on education is comparable to our international counterparts at approximately R14 000 per child per year with a little more in the very poorest areas. However there are lots of problems with how this open door works. Here are some of our education myths – […]
SMART Goal Setting for Teens
Mindspring2014-10-21T13:38:40+00:00Turning over a new leaf doesn’t just belong to New Year’s Day. Goal Setting and celebrating achievements are the markers of successful lives. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound. Here’s how to set SMART goals for yourself and make certain of your success. We all have goals for our lives. They are the things we want for ourselves that we don’t yet have. Some of our goals are short term, we can get them quite quickly like eating less chocolate or going to bed by 10pm. Other goals take more time and need to be broken down [...]
School Leaver Opportunities
Mindspring2014-10-14T12:47:53+00:00Here are a list of our favorite websites showing school leaver opportunities. The information on these websites is always being refreshed so don’t give up if you don’t find something right away. Remember to also check newspapers and don’t be afraid to go and visit the places you’d like to work and tell them that you’re looking. There’s nothing like a live person with a friendly face to outshine a pile of anonymous e-mail inquiries. […]
Already at High School – Scholarship Opportunities
Mindspring2014-09-23T13:23:28+00:00[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-desktop-hide=” av-medium-hide=” av-small-hide=” av-mini-hide=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” av_uid=”] If you are already at high school SAILI cannot offer you a scholarship. Most high school scholarship funds select in Gr 6 or 7 to commence in Gr 8. We do this to ensure that high school education starts off well. For a list of scholarship opportunities for Gr 6s transitioning to high school, click here. We are aware that older learners also need opportunities. SAILI does not provide scholarships mid high school but there are a few options out there. The organisations that recruit during high school are listed [...]
Read to Read
Mindspring2014-09-09T11:35:48+00:00Today is International Literacy Day, and also Tolstoy’s birthday (he’s the old guy that is popping up on your google browser home page). I first “met” Tolstoy when I was in matric. He helped me through my final exams by giving me a parallel universe to escape to, filled with people and events that I was not at all responsible for. What a relief! People read for all sorts of reasons. Fun, relaxation and finding out new things rate as some of the more positive experiences. Reading for pleasure means you get to choose what you are reading because you are [...]
