Could you pass the French Citizenship Test ?
French citizenship quiz, questions to help you pass it.
Ayurveda the science of life
Ayurveda the science of life is an medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population report using it. Ayurveda therapies have varied and evolved over more than two...
Using a SWOT to enhance personal learning
Using a SWOT to enhance personal learning One of the hardest things to do alone is to effectively carry out a skills self-evaluation before setting up clear objectives towards a Personal Learning Plan (PLP). Knowing where one is at a given time is not an easy task due...
Effective Presentation Skills Tips episode 1
Effective Presentation Skills Tips episode 1 Effective Presentation Skills Tips episode 1 is part of a series of podcasts aimed at helping people to be more effective when presenting in front of an audience. Sue and Chris talk about some of the pitfalls in...
Effective Presentation Skills Tips Episode 2
Effective Presentation Skills Tips episode 2 Effective Presentation Skills Tips episode 2 is the second part of a series of podcasts aimed at helping people to be more effective when presenting in front of an audience. Sue and Chris talk about some of the pitfalls in...
Covid lockdown and stress; how are you coping?
There is no doubt that the successive lockdowns of 2020-21 have dramatically changed our daily lives on so many levels, and figures show that more people have experienced anxiety due to the social, financial and work restrictions that have been placed on us.
Is my workplace a stressful place?
Excessive workplace stress causes a staggering 120,000 deaths and results in nearly €200 billion in health care costs each year. This represents 5% to 8% of national health care spending, derived primarily from high demands at work (€50 billion) and work-family...
Help my workplace is stressing me out
The workplace is a very demanding, quick-paced and increasingly uncertain place in which we operate on a day-to-day basis, but does it always have to be a stressful place?. Pressure to meet deadlines, deliverables and working with difficult people, among other...
Stress Awareness Month Statistics
Stress Awareness Month happens each April. It’s important to learn some strategies for coping with this particular issue. Stress awareness Month, which always happens in April, has now been going for 19 years and things just don’t appear to be getting better. Stress...
How to really Learn vocabulary part 1
In this series we are going to be looking at ways that we can enhance and improve our learning and perhaps crushing some of the myths about learning techniques that we learnt in school. Every day we meet people with different techniques for learning vocabulary, but...
How to stay motivated learning English
Staying focused, motivated and driven can be tricky, especially when you have a busy working and/or family life to deal with. Check out this podcast to find 10 golden rules for staying motivated learning English. When we start learning something new, it can be a novel...
Why are you studying for an MBA?
Why are you studying for an MBA? An MBA, or a Master of Business Administration, is a very popular choice for many today as a way of either changing career path or boosting an existing career path. An MBA is expensive, demanding and has high entry requirements, so why...
“Text me when you get home”.
The murder of Sarah Everard, a young women walking home in London, provoked an enormous reaction as hundreds of thousands of women in the UK and indeed across the world came together to demand that not only do governments improve street safety but also that threatening attitudes towards women and girls change.
How to learn vocabulary…. learning tips.
How do you learn new vocabulary? Do you make lists, or mind maps, or translate into your own language? In this video you'll pick up some great tips and have a good laugh at the same time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCoAI8vUKuk&t=75s
Why you shouldn’t have a Bucket List !
Why you shouldn’t have a bucket list, are they inspiring or disheartening ?
Romantic Valentine’s song
On this special day learn the words to this global, romantic song, it has been downloaded, bought and used at weddings millions of times all over the word. You can listen to the song before or after the quiz, alone, in class or with your sweetheart 🙂 [quiz-cat...
What Kind Of Innovator Are You?
What Kind Of Innovator Are You? Each startup team is an ecosystem unto itself, a delicate balance of personality types that complement one another. Are you an alpha wolf or a worker bee? Take this quiz to find out where you fit. [os-widget...
Are You More Logical Or Creative?
Are You More Logical Or Creative? Do you consider yourself a more logical or creative person? This short quiz will help you determine what your more dominant trait is.
What is your Keirsey Personality Type?
What is your Keirsey Personality Type? Based on the research of Professor David Keirsey, humanity can be categorized according to four different groups. Push astrology aside for a moment and test your temperament! Artisan, Rational, Idealist or Guardian: are you ready...
Are you a manager or a leader
Are you a manager or a leader Try this quiz Are you a manager or a leader to find out where you are. 5 Ways Being A Good Follower Makes You A Better Leader NB: This is a podcast / blog site - we are not an encyclopaedia, any...
Do you have common sense?
What’s the problem with social learning?
What’s the problem with social learning? Well, there are many – one thing is that it actually works, which can send a shudder of fear up the spine of some mainstream educators. Like it or not, some education systems are built around the teacher’s needs and a lot less...
Social Learning – what we have been doing all along
Social Learning - what we have been doing all along Social learning theory integrates behavioral and cognitive theories of learning in order to provide a comprehensive model that could account for the wide range of learning experiences that occur in the real world....
Memory Activity False Memories
Memory Activity False Memories False Memory Activity Tell learners that you are going to read a list of words to them. They are to write down as many words as they can remember when you are finished reading and say, "Go!" The words can be in any order. Then read...
Modern communication problems
Modern communication problems I guess there is quite a lot of irony in sharing a video that damns modern communication on mediums which are being criticised for the isolation of people and modern communication problems. The thing is, we all have these excellent tools,...
Should you trust your first impressions?
Should you trust your first impressions? You can't help it; sometimes, you just get a bad feeling about someone that's hard to shake. So, what's happening in your brain when you make that critical (and often lasting) first judgment? Peter Mende-Siedlecki shares the...
Memory Activity Primacy And Recency
Memory Activity Primacy And Recency THE PRIMACY AND RECENCY EFFECTS OF ACTIVE MEMORY The text discusses the tendency for items at the beginning and end of a list to be remembered more readily than items in the middle of the list. This can be readily illustrated by the...
Are you a visual Thinker?
Are you a visual thinker? If the bulk of your thoughts come in the form images or shapes, then you might be a visual thinker. There are many types of ways people process their thought patterns such as kinesthetic, thinking through physical movements, and aural...
Ten reasons why training so often fails
Ten reasons why training so often fails Millions of people in as many companies spend billions on training, in an attempt to improve on skills and competences, assimilate new concepts and learn. Learning involves physical changes in the brain. Kandel and Hawkins...
The 30 day Challenge
The 30 day Challenge A 30 day challenge doesn't have to be a life-changing experience, although it may become one and may make a significant difference to your life. Any long-term change that transpires, however, will be dependent on the way that you view the world...
Language as a window into human nature
Language as a window into human nature Language and meaning are a fascinating subject - as illustrated in the video below, which shows the way, in which, speakers attempt to put meaning into words - sometimes producing the desired effect and sometimes it failing...
Language is What Makes Humans Unique
Language is What Makes Humans Unique Language is what separates humans from animals and is one of the most important aspects of being human - it is what makes us unique. Although, anyone who has attempted to learn a foreign language will tell you - there is a gulf of...
When 3 meters is just too far
When 3 meters is just too far Have you ever been in a room, with a group of colleagues, clients or business partners, sat around the table computer in front of you - preferably open (this provides a nice barrier that helps protect us ... I imagine)? So you chat away...
Animated Podcast number 6: Why study for an MBA ?
So what's an animated podcast ? Good question ! It's a podcast with pictures, learning tips and clues. In short, it's just a helping hand to help you understand the conversation and the context. This is Animated Podcast number 6 in a series of 10, in which each one...
25 Tips to Motivate People in Your Organisation
25 Tips to Motivate People in Your Organisation Organisations which suffer from a lack of initiative coming from their people can often find the solution to their problem internally, in the systemic roots of their corporate culture. Those organisations which...
Self concept and learning – can we teach adults anything?
Self concept and learning - can we teach adults anything? Self concept is a multi-dimensional construct that entails the perception of an individual's "self" and can be divided into a number of different characteristics, such as: I am big / small etc. Social...
Are we up for the challenge of Learning 3.0?
Are we up for the challenge of Learning 3.0? I decided to write this post in response to one of the comments I received on the site relating to Learning 3.0 - the comment being, “why do we need different versions?” The observations here are solely based on my...
Why bother writing Learning Objectives?
Why bother writing Learning Objectives? Why go to the bother of writing learning objectives for your training program? Our business sees many programs that simply wear participants out by being nine miles long and one inch thick with little opportunity to engage...
Oxymorons and pleonasms – our very own virtual realities
Oxymorons and pleonasms - our very own virtual realities I was thinking about a photoblog post I did yesterday of a staircase, which I titled, "Stairway up to the sky." - that's a pleonasm, right? I mean if it's the sky, it's got to be up, hasn't it? I'm in no...
Do we need to change the way we learn?
Do we need to change the way we learn? There have been excellent arguments that have promoted the notions of Lifelong Learning (LLL) since the 1950s (see the work of Carl Rogers et al.), but never has the argument for LLL held so much water. 'Lifelong learning' is the...
Using a personal learning journal
Using a personal learning journal What is a personal learning journal? A learning journal is a collection of notes, observations, thoughts and other relevant materials built‐up over a period of time and maybe a result of a period of study, learning and/or working...
How to Mindmap
How to Mindmap Find out how to Mind Map and why it is so effective from the inventor of the process, Tony Buzan. Mindmapping techniques are used for all sorts of purposes, think of it as visual...
One Soft Skill you can start working on NOW!
One Soft Skill you can start working on NOW! One of the most effective soft skills that can be developed almost immediately is the ability to smile. And I mean this for business and for life in general, but is so often not recognised as a soft skill, but I can assure...
Learning to Listen the hardest soft skill
Learning to Listen the hardest soft skill One of the most important keys to becoming a good learner is the ability to listen (or do I mean hear?). Many consider themselves to be good listeners, although what they may consider being 'a good listener' is...
How do you remember things?
How do you remember things? Ready for a little memory test? Before reading any further, focus on the words at the top image for one minute, then read the article. When have finished reading this article, write down as many of the words as you can remember and...
How has learning another language changed your world?
How has learning another language changed you world? Just as regular exercise gives your body some biological benefits, mentally controlling two or more languages gives your brain cognitive benefits. This mental flexibility pays big dividends especially later in life:...
Do you speak English?
Do you speak English? A tongue-in-cheek look at language skills. The first question, Do you speak English? Is met with a response in English then in German. Research by the British Council finds that...
It’s not about the nail
It's not about the nail Do you ever get the feeling that you are not listened to? See, this woman feels the same in it's not about the nail ... “Don’t try to fix it. I just need you to listen.” Every man...
Developing Auditory Memory in Language Learning
Developing Auditory Memory in Language Learning Memory span refers to the longest list of items that a person can repeat back in the correct order immediately after presentation of the information. Items may include words, numbers, or letters. Recalling a list of...
Mindmapping strategy for writing
Mindmapping strategy for writing Writing strategies are not always obvious and can lead us to a lot of bad habits such as using online translators (sorry Google translate), cut and pasting old mails or documents or trying to write using a word-for-word translation...
Reading Strategies in Language Learning
Reading Strategies in Language Learning Reading doesn’t pose as many difficulties as listening or speaking, because we generally have the time to read through and digest ideas and to reread when necessary or look words up in a dictionary – even if this sometimes leads...
Social Language Learning Scoops
Social Language Learning Scoops In this section, which is updated regularly, is a collection of curated content based around themes, such as Social Learning, EFL, ESL and language learning. If you have ever tried to build a conversation with multiple people...
Setting objectives for prime time learning
Setting objectives for prime time learning The more motivated you are to learn, the higher your chances of success become. Why do you want to learn ? is a key question and maintaining your motivation level is crucial for successful long-term learning. One of the best ...
Six steps to a personal learning action plan
Six steps to a personal learning action plan Step 1 - Determine what you want to accomplish. In other words, set your goal for your personal action / learning plan. Make the goal so clear in your mind that you won’t have a problem knowing when you’ve reached it....
Create a not-to-do list and save yourself
Create a not-to-do list and save yourself The great thing about process time is that it lets us do just that - take a step back from the breakneck speed of life at work and concentrate more on the How and less on the What of our working lives. Process time helps us to...
Male / Female Communication Issues
Male / Female Communication Issues A light-hearted look at male / female communication issues.
Communication is hearing what isn’t heard
Peter Drucker once said that, “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.”
Furthermore, one of the pre-suppositions of NLP states that ‘you cannot, not communicate – everything you say and most of what you do will communicate something, so the idea of radio silence, can have the effect of turning the sound right up.
People often, mistakingly, imagine, that by doing nothing, they can avoid personal responsibility in communication, but, I am sorry to say, this just isn’t true, non-action is not an option, as it will be interpreted in some way by the listener(s).
Knowledge Management
Knowledge management (KM) is the process of capturing, developing, sharing, and effectively using organizational knowledge. It refers to a multi-disciplined approach to achieving organisational objectives by making the best use of knowledge. (Source Wikipedia).
Human Resources Challenges
Some of the challenges facing Human Resource Managers and their departments in the coming years.
What is assertive communication?
What is assertive communication? What is assertive communication you may be asking yourself, but wht is assertive communication? Assertiveness is the quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive. In the field of psychology and psychotherapy, it...
Do you know how Learning Happens
Do you know how Learning Happens ? Do you know how Learning Happens, because many don't fully appreciate the processes that go into learning, nor the events that actually constitute learning. Learning is the process of acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge,...
Microadventures Adventures Close to Home
Microadventures Adventures Close to Home - Join us for six minutes of adventure! You won't be going far but you'll discover how adventurer, Alastair Humphreys thinks there's fun to be had on your doorstep. Along the way we'll be exploring the expeditions you could go...
How to help every child to fulfil their potential
How to help every child to fulfil their potential How to help every child to fulfil their potential - ever wondered why kids say they’re bored at school, or why they stop trying when the work gets harder? Educationalist Carol Dweck explains how the wrong kind of...
To learn is to be free
To learn is to be free An inspiring talk about learning by Shahmeem Akhtar To learn is to be free - Shameem Akhtar posed as a boy during her early childhood in Pakistan so she could enjoy the privileges Pakistani girls are rarely afforded: to play outside and attend...
Trigger’s broom – The Ship of Theseus
Triggers Broom - The ship of Theseus The ship of Theseus logical paradox in action
Logical paradoxes
The ship of Theseus and The Sorites paradoxes matched up with heterogenous and autogenous definitions.
Why is learning so hard?
False news and Logical Fallacies
A logical fallacy is a flaw in reasoning. Logical fallacies are like tricks or illusions of thought, and they're often very sneakily used by politicians and the media to fool people. A fallacy is an incorrect argument in logic and rhetoric which undermines an...
How Do Schools Kill Creativity?
Watch, then judge! Do Schools kill creativity? Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.