Last week I talked about the need to rebalance our hemisphere usage by rebalancing how we use our attention. Focused attention for detailed work taking place with the left hemisphere leading, and one of the global forms of attention for everything else with the right hemisphere leading, especially engaging with people.
Mindfulness is the practice that can help us to do this re-balancing. Then, what do we do? We can be more systematic.
Read MoreIn a much earlier posting (March-2016) I talk about the need for us to re-balance our brain hemisphere usage.
We are encouraged throughout our schooling to use focused attention as our primary form of attention which automatically triggers the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere is exactly what we should be using if we are doing detailed work or handling things with which we are familiar. At its best we go into flow where we are highly productive and also feel good about the experience.
Read MoreAs part of my work, I have the opportunity to observe student feedback responses to individual teachers and also responses aggregated by year level or learning area. In schools that gather this data regularly, and these are the schools I see, I observe gradual year-by-year increases in the average response.
A closer look suggests that this average is rising as more students feel that their needs are being fully met – and therefore they are fully engaged - and fewer students are feeling completely disengaged.
Read MoreFor a long time, I have been providing a one-hour, goal-setting coaching session (SMARTER Coaching) to middle and senior leaders in schools. This has been a highly successful and long-lived service, valued by those receiving it. Its effects last for a year or so making it very time efficient for busy leaders.
Only recently have I begun to realise why it has such a long-lasting and powerful impact.
In effect, the first part of the session is helping the leader map out their ‘salience landscape’ i.e., it is using and developing perspectival knowing.
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