| Introduction
Article (Free Evaluation) |
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Brief
description of the purpose, scope and sequence of the articles.
Introduction to the author, John Joseph. Links to websites
and web-based articles and resources.
Category : Introduction
Author
: John Joseph
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(Download)
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| 1.
The centrality of concepts (Free Evaluation) |
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Definitions
of concepts, perceptions and behaviour and how they affect
engagement or avoidance in learning. The key roles of confidence,
motivation, strategies and time.
Category
: Concepts
Author
: John Joseph
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| 2. Mod 1 - Concepts - Identifying and growing concepts |
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"We all expect that our children will learn to read. Yet it seems incredibly difficult to actually teach someone how to do it. Renowned Australian author, Mem Fox says your children can learn to read, even before starting school, by simply reading aloud to them every day. Let's explore how ..."
Category : Module 1 : Concepts
Author : John Joseph |
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| 3. Mod 1- Concepts - Changing concepts |
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How to identify and modify concepts. Questions to ask your child. The role of self-concept. Despair and optimism. Comparing your children’s concepts with other kids.
Category : Module 1 : Concepts
Author : John Joseph |
(Download) |
| 4. Mod 1 - Concepts - Using imagination to change perception |
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The problem with advice. Changing concepts by understanding how habits develop. A model to use with your children for examining how concepts and behaviour are linked.
Category : Module 1 : Concepts
Author : John Joseph |
(Download) |
| 5. Mod 1 - Concepts - Asking the right questions |
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The power of imagination. Building futures in our minds. How thoughts exert physical effects on brains. How to choose thoughts that strengthen rather than weaken.
Category : Module 1 : Concepts
Author : John Joseph |
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| 6. Mod 1 -Concepts -Do you have strategies for asking the ‘right’ questions? |
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Why focus on questions? Questions are better than ‘telling.’ How do questions change the brain? Using questions to clarify thinking. Types of questions.
Category : Module 1 : Concepts
Author : John Joseph |
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| 7. Mod 2 -Early Development - How the Brains Learns Part 1 |
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Using questions to strengthen rather than weaken families. Asking the ‘right’ questions. Question starters and examples. Open and closed questions. Questions to avoid.
Category : Module 2 : Early Development
Author : John Joseph |
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| 8. Mod 2 - Early Development - How the Brains Learns Part 2 |
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"The science of learning, from the beginning. Experience and genetic – the mix. Growth and paring back – the over stimulation of the early years. Tiny cells that learn."
Category : Module 2 : Early Development
Author : John Joseph |
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| 9. Mod 2 - Early Development - Reading |
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What we expect to learn and what we have to learn. Experience expectant learning. The young brains’ natural disposition to want to learn things.
Category : Module 2 : Early Development
Author : John Joseph |
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| 10. Mod 2 - Early Development - Experience dependent learning & reading |
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Why is reading so easy for some kids and so much of a struggle for others? How do children learn to read? Read aloud for miraculous results.
Category : Module 2 : Early Development
Author : John Joseph |
(Download) |
| 11. Mod 3 - Primary - How the Brain Learns |
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"Welcome to Part 1 of 3 articles that examine how brains and minds grow during the primary school years. In this article, we explore how the subtle, prolonged changes in the brain prepare children for growing independence from home. We examine the development of each child’s numerous talents and special interests and consider the implications for school-based learning."
Category : Module 3 : The Primary School Years
Author : John Joseph |
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| 12. Mod 3 - Primary - The 4Ps of good thinking |
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"Primary school-aged children develop fascinating questions and interpretations of their world. They begin to sort, order and classify the world in more adult ways, moving away from the magical thinking elements associated with early childhood. In this article we examine how to teach your child some good thinking skills that will hold them in good stead throughout the primary years."
Category : Module 3 : The Primary School Years
Author : John Joseph |
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| 13. Mod 3 - Primary - Ways to support your child’s growth and learning |
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"The ideas and activities presented in this article promote the development of a broad range of cognitive, physical, emotional and social skills in stimulating ways. We bring a little humour to you by way of an advertisement that really highlights the incredible range of skills and talents required to parent kids in the upper primary school age group."
Category : Module 3 : The Primary School Years
Author : John Joseph |
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| 14. Mod 4 - Adolescent - How the brain learns |
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Welcome to Part 1 of 4 articles that examine how brains and minds grow during the adolescent years. We’ve typically considered adolescents to be more concerned with body image – what’s growing where and what’s not growing where it should be – than with their mental and emotional development. But new research is challenging this. The brain and mind of the adolescent child is undergoing dramatic change. In this Fact Sheet we begin our exploration of those changes.
Category : Module 4: The Adolescent Years
Author : John Joseph |
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| 15. Mod 4 - Adolescent - Brain development and hormones |
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"The brain and mind of the adolescent child is undergoing dramatic change. Wiring of the frontal lobes creates the capacity for greater logic and maturity in thinking while hormonal changes exert a direct influence on neural networks that regulate mood, sleep, sex drive, and excitability. In this Fact Sheet we continue our exploration of those changes."
Category : Module 4: The Adolescent Years
Author : John Joseph |
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| 16. Mod 4 - Adolescent - Emotions |
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"Mention emotions and adolescence in the same breath and you can be sure of mixed reactions from parents. That’s probably because the emotionally powerful concepts that parents and their increasingly independent adolescent children hold come to a head during the turbulent adolescent years. In this article, we examine emotions and some ways to support your child’s emotional development."
Category : Module 4: The Adolescent Years
Author : John Joseph |
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| 17. Mod 4 - Adolescent - Studying for Success |
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"Mention study to some adolescents and they run for cover! Some parents spend night after night fighting with their children over study habits and homework. It’s not worth it. Some people even suggest abandoning all homework because it does not make one iota of difference to kids’ learning. In this article, we examine some ways to support your child’s healthy study habits. Whether the current debate over homework decides to do it or otherwise, one thing is for sure; effective study habits are essential for learning, and learning is essential for keeping career options open."
Category : Module 4: The Adolescent Years
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 5 - Ways of Learning & Worlds of Knowing part 1 |
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Examine the essential elements of learning
as defined by some of the world authorities
on the subject. Learning is a fundamental
human endeavour, a journey from birth to
the grave, a journey that involves the active
support and encouragement of parents,
other family members, community members
and the education community. Let’s explore
some models that increase the likelihood of
making learning both life-long and memorable.
Category : Module 5: Ways of Learning & Worlds of Knowing
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 5 - Ways of Learning & Worlds of Knowing part 2 |
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In this article we examine ways
to apply the essential elements with your
children in ways that help them grow
emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
Category : Module 5: Ways of Learning & Worlds of Knowing
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 6 - Journey to the Centre of the Brain part 1 |
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Every parent knows that schools can provide life-long opportunities for children by helping to create passion for subjects and for learning itself. Recent findings from neuroscience provide parents with the background to the multitude of changes that schools are currently going through in order to keep pace with the rapidly changing world we bring our children into. This article will focus on schooling.
Category : Module 6: Journey to the Centre of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 6 - Journey to the Centre of the Brain part 2 |
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This is fact sheet number 6 and we use this article to present some fascinating facts about how the brain learns. Over the course of the remaining articles we will use the terminology stated here and hopefully build a shared language about the process involved in thinking, emotions and learning.
Category : Module 6: Journey to the Centre of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 6 - Journey to the Centre of the Brain part 3 |
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In this article you learn how to dissect a brain! It's a cinch. And the memory of the experience will last a lifetime. If you want to engage your kids in discussions about learning, the effects of drugs on the brain, why we wear helmets and seat belts, healthy nutrition and sleep, then begin by chopping up a sheep brain.
Category : Module 6: Journey to the Centre of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 6 - Journey to the Centre of the Brain part 4 |
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In this article we examine ways to strengthen the hippocampus, thereby making learning more memorable, and fun!
Category : Module 6: Journey to the Centre of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 6 - Journey to the Centre of the Brain part 5 |
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Over the centuries, scientists and other scholars preoccupied their study of the human brain with a focus on mental or cognitive processes. They largely ignored emotion. Yet every parent knows it is the emotional states of adults and children that make the journey in families so satisfying and, at times, so frustrating. In this article we examin some simple ways to keep our emotional states healthy.
Category : Module 6: Journey to the Centre of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 6 - Journey to the Centre of the Brain part 6 |
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Emotions rule! The words we use influence the relationships we build with our kids. But it is the actions we take when the chips are down that really form the cornerstones of those relationships. Every phase of childhood - from birth through the adolescent years has its own defining emotional development and the number one teacher for emotional smartness is the parent. In this article we examine how emotions and feelings affect our lives.
Category : Module 6: Journey to the Centre of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 7 - Journey to the Outer Layers of the Brain part 1 |
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Until recently, a child's capacity to solve mental problems, verbal reasoning and memory making was thought to be fixed - and measurable on an IQ scale. Scientists are amending that notion because new research suggests that certain learning strategies can significantly boost IQ scores. In this article, you'll learn some more about the brain parts that contribute to building memory and more significantly, we begin to examine some ways to make memories more memorable!
Category : Journey to the Outer Layers of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 7 - Journey to the Outer Layers of the Brain part 2 |
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In this article we focus on more strategies to make learning memorable and discuss some of the factors that affect retention of memories. I will also present an Information Processing Model which attempts to describe the multi-faceted aspects of learning.
Category : Journey to the Outer Layers of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 7 - Journey to the Outer Layers of the Brain part 3 |
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Memory is the evidence that learning has taken place. If we know about the types of memory, and how they work, we can construct more effective ways for our kids to learn. In this article, we examine the best strategies for improving our kids' capacity to retrieve information.
Category : Journey to the Outer Layers of the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 8 - Learning Styles - The talents within part 1 |
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Many research studies, and long term observations of how kids approach new learning or the application of learning, show that some learning styles are more suited than others to particular methods of instruction, particular methods of assessment, particular occupations, and particular relationships with other people. In
this article we examine what learning styles are and begin our explanation of what that means for your child(ren).
Category : Learning Styles - The talents within
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 8 - Learning Styles - The talents within part 2 |
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Looking at how particular people do their best learning – that is, acquiring new knowledge, rehearsing it in the working memory, and retrieving and applying it to consolidate into the long-term memory – sees some interesting combinations occur. We call these combinations learning styles, because they incorporate the preferences that make learning situations reasonably comfortable or extremely challenging for particular individuals. In this article, we focus on each of four learning styles, and extend our discussion from the previous
article by describing the characteristics of each type of learner.
Category : Learning Styles - The talents within
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 8 - Learning Styles - The talents within part 3 |
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In this article we look at the humorous side of learning styles as they apply to our children in classroom settings. Share these anecdotal moments with your kids and seek their comments about their preferences. Its fun!
Category : Learning Styles - The talents within
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 8 - Learning Styles - The talents within part 4 |
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In this article we look at the
reasons why we measure learning styles
and how to plan effective learning based on
learning styles.
Category : Learning Styles - The talents within
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 8 - Learning Styles - The talents within part 5 |
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In this final article about learning styles, we examine the three major stages of learning and the characteristics of
theorising and flexibility. We conclude with an exploration of the jobs that might suit the learning styles of a range of people.
Category : Learning Styles - The talents within
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain - Food for thought part 1 |
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Research into what kids eat highlights the benefits of proper nutrition while also highlighting alarming issues associated with
poor nutrition. The purpose of this series of articles is to provide a brief overview of matters relating to nutrition and the brain. Actually, the more we learn about the relationships between nutrition and learning the more we realise just how complex the issues are. Should you have concerns about your child’s diet, seek a health care
professional. Even then, there is likely to be differences in opinion and advice.
Category : Caring for your brain - Food for thought
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain - Food for thought part 2 |
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What kids eat and when they eat can dramatically influence how their brains function. We’ve know this for centuries. Yet many kids eat foods and swallow liquids that lead to all manner of problems, including behavioural,learning and health. In this article we examine how the types of fats we ingest influence our brains and we take a quick look at vitamins, iron and nutritional supplements. Again, if you have concerns, I stress the need to seek the advice of a health professional with matters relating to diet.
Category : Caring for your brain - Food for thought
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain - Food for thought part 3 |
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Let’s examine the purpose of eating breakfast and some of the dilemmas associated with breakfast. We’ll also take a look at the idea of a nibbling diet as opposed to set meal times for school-age kids.
Category : Caring for your brain - Food for thought
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain - Food for thought part 4 |
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In this concluding article of Food for Thought, we examine the role of water in brain functioning, some foods for enhancing memory and the causes and concerns around eating disorders.
Category : Caring for your brain - Food for thought
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain - Sleep with the Brain in Mind part 1 |
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In this article, we build a general understanding of the purposes of sleep, and issues associated with insufficient sleep, with the intention of using that information to plan for healthy sleep lifestyles in your family. We draw extensively on the work of South Australian Sleep Psychologist, Dr Sarah Blunden, my co-writer for these articles.
Category : Caring for your brain - Sleep
Author : John Joseph and Dr Sarah Blunden |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain - Sleep with the Brain in Mind part 2 |
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In this article, we examine the role of non-REM sleep and detail issues associated with insufficient sleep. We also list the common sleep problems associated with young children and some ways to address these problems.
Category : Caring for your brain - Sleep
Author : John Joseph and Dr Sarah Blunden |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain - Sleep with the Brain in Mind part 3 |
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In this article, we examine the sleep and stay-awake patterns associated with adolescence. We address some of the consequences of those sleep patterns, the concerns parents and teachers have for adolescents and some counter-measures to ensure our adolescents get enough sleep.
Category : Caring for your brain - Sleep
Author : John Joseph and Dr Sarah Blunden |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain - Sleep with the Brain in Mind part 4 |
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In this concluding article on sleep, we state common issues associated with sleep and Dr Blunden recommends ways to create healthier sleep patterns in our homes.
Category : Caring for your brain - Sleep
Author : John Joseph and Dr Sarah Blunden |
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| Mod 9 - Caring for your brain -Marching to the beat of the drum -exercise and music |
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This article presents an examination of the role of music and exercise in young people's lives.
Category : Caring for your brain - Exercise and Music
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 10 - Drugs and the Brain part 1 |
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This article examines how drugs affect the brain and the quality of young people's lives. Many parents find it difficult to discuss drugs with their kids because they don't understand much about the drugs, particularly the modern variety. Secondly, because they fear that talking about drugs will highlight that lack of understanding. As a consequence, most young people learn about drugs from other young people, or those who have a vested interest in dealing with them. We re-examine how chemicals in the brain operate at the microscopic level and we detail the actions of drugs at those points.
Category : Drugs and the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 10 - Drugs and the Brain part 2 |
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Kids want their parents to talk with them about drugs. Under such conditions, it's best to know what you're talking about! Read these facts sheets a few times over. It's hard to digest but then again, if your child begins on the road to experimentation with drugs and the best advice you can offer is 'Don't do it!' your lack of knowledge is little confort in times of pressing need.
Category : Drugs and the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 10 - Drugs and the Brain part 3 |
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In this article we examine how drugs get into the body; how drugs move through the body; how the body changes to the effects of drugs and how the drugs get out of the body. Loads of information to share with your kids!
Category : Drugs and the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 10 - Drugs and the Brain part 4 |
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In this article we examine ways that parents can educate their kids about drugs, we look at some tell-tale signs of drug use and we summarise the points made in the articles so far.
Category : Drugs and the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 10 - Drugs and the Brain part 5 |
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In this fact sheet, we provide a description of commonly used and/or high profile drugs. Nicotine and alcohol, legally available drugs are probably the highest profile and certainly the most commonly used. I chose to leave these two off the description list that follows because high quality, easily-accessible information about them already exists in multiple forums.
Category : Drugs and the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 10 - Drugs and the Brain part 6 |
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In this week's article I write specifically to your kids. Decide whether to pass on this article to your child or teen. Feel free to do so but also talk about the content of the article.
Category : Drugs and the Brain
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 11 - The Emotional Rooms part 1 |
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In this article you are introduced to the Emotional Rooms Model. The Model attempts to provide a framework for young people to use specific intellects, including the remarkable powers of the imagination and their emotions, to create quality lives regardless of their mental health states, economic and social circumstances. It aims at empowerment of the individual.
Category : Emotional Rooms
Author : John Joseph |
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| Mod 11 - The Emotional Rooms part 2 |
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In this article I briefly outline the characteristics of each room then begin our focus on the feelings-oriented Orange Room.
Category : Emotional Rooms
Author : John Joseph |
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| The Emotional Rooms part 3 |
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In this article we examine the Orange Room, especially as it relates to Pleasure-based and Pain-based emotions, from the perspective of children's behaviour in our homes.
Category : Emotional Rooms
Author : John Joseph |
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| The Emotional Rooms part 4 |
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In this article, we scrutinize the role of applying consequences for inappropriate behaviour in our homes. this article is predicated on my belief that parents are the first and most significant teacher for the child(ren) when it comes to behaviour.
Category : Emotional Rooms
Author : John Joseph |
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| The Emotional Rooms part 5 |
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In this article, I provide some key background reading about the Red Room - the place where the monster within us resides!
Category : Emotional Rooms
Author : John Joseph |
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| The Emotional Rooms part 6 |
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In this article, I present some background on threat and how threat can lead to major issues in young people's lives. Secondly I explain ways to reduce threat in homes.
Category : Emotional Rooms
Author : John Joseph |
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| The Emotional Rooms part 7 |
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In this article, I present some ways to teach your children about their Red Rooms. Teaching children how to manage Red Room is fundamentally a parental responsibility. If kids use their Red Rooms at schools, and in the broader community, serious consequences apply.
Category : Emotional Rooms
Author : John Joseph |
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| Special Kids, Special Brains Part 1 |
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In this introductory article to the Vulnerable brain, I present a brief overview of some of the issues for young people presenting with learning and behavioural disorders.
Category : Special Kids, Special Brains
Author : John Joseph |
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| Special Kids, Special Brains part 2 |
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In this article, I present a brief overview of attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. AD/HD is not a disease but primarily a label to describe people who display degrees of inattentiveness, impulsivity, distractibility and sometimes overactivity beyond the range of normal, compared to others of the same age. It may be influenced by chemical dysfunction of the brain, primarily noradrenaline and dopamine.
Category : Special Kids, Special Brains
Author : John Joseph |
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| Special Kids, Special Brains part 3 |
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In this article, I present and overview of Dyslexia, and explore how parents might support their kids. Dyslexia does not encompass all reading problems and it ranges from mild to severe. It is probably a qualitative rather than quantitative difference between readers. However, it is often characterized by an inability to function at an expected reading level despite normal intelligence. If children cannot decode words quickly, they may experience difficulty and frustration comprehending what they are reading.
Category : Special Kids, Special Brains
Author : John Joseph |
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| Special Kids, Special Brains part 4 |
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In this article, I present a brief overview of Depression, what parents might see and do about it and how they can support their kids. Depression is a debilitating illness that affects many kids and adults. Sufferers can feel worthless and full of guilt, leading lives with unwanted persistent sad or anxious thought patterns bombarding their consciousness. Its prevalence is on the increase.
Category : Special Kids, Special Brains
Author : John Joseph |
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| Special Kids, Special Brains part 5 |
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In this article, I present a brief overview on Oppositional Disorder, what parents and teachers might see and do about it and how parents can support their kids. Oppositional Disorder sufferers face a difficult time in both home and in schools. Their behaviour is “in your face” constantly, making them difficult to manage and reducing teachers’ preparedness to give them unconditional positive regard. This, of course, exacerbates the problem. For OD to be diagnosed, a pattern of oppositional and defiant behaviour needs to be observed in an individual at a more frequent rate than for peers, and for at least 6 months. These kids can typically take up 10% – 30% of a classroom teacher’s time and contribute significantly to increased parent and teacher stress levels.
Category : Special Kids, Special Brains
Author : John Joseph |
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| Special Kids, Special Brains part 6 |
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In this article, I present a brief overview of Sensory Integration Dysfunction (also known as Sensory Processing Disorder), what parents and teachers might see and do about it and how parents can support their kids. Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID) is the brain's inability to correctly process information collected by the senses, misinterpreting everyday sensory information such as sights, sounds, tastes and movement.
Category : Special Kids, Special Brains
Author : Kate Krieg |
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| Special Kids, Special Brains part 7 |
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In this article, I present the Strengths, Challenges and Growth Meter. Some young people experience brain disorders or environmental impacts such as unhealthy sleep that impact on their capacities to behave in ways that society promotes as acceptable, or to learn in ways that the schooling system deems appropriate for their age cohort. The causes of the learning and behaviour disorders often remain elusive and there is no single strategy or set of techniques that can act as a solution for everyone. Awareness, caring and tweaking our typical parenting practices remain our best ways forward for many of the issues. On the other hand, some kids suffer from debilitating conditions such as Depression or Oppositional Disorder which require therapeutic intervention and interdisciplinary care, involving family, medical and school-based personnel.
Category : Special Kids, Special Brains
Author : John Joseph |
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| The Difficult Areas part 1 |
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Over the many years that I have facilitated parenting workshops, issues around homework have surfaced more than most other school-based learning and behaviour issues. In this article, I’ll give my opinion on the matter and make some suggestions for home-based learning that is not overly onerous.
Category : The Difficult Areas
Author : John Joseph |
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| The Difficult Areas part 2 |
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In this article we will discover a little about the Mathematical Brain. We will explore the brain parts involved in Maths processing, the importance of one idea at a time, sleep and why some children find Mathematics so hard.
Category : The Difficult Areas
Author : Kate Krieg |
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| Concluding Article |
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Parenting is a long haul endeavour. It’s all about relationships and coaching. As our kids’ self-esteem rises and falls throughout their childhoods, so too does ours. It comes with the turf. What we do when the chips are down may well become the essential guides for our kids as they embark on parenting.
Category : Conclusion
Author : John Joseph |
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