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Remoteness, isolation, and peripherality have become lenses through which certain territories and communities are valued and assessed. These concepts have come to be regarded as markers of vulnerability, marginality, and lack of modernity. Yet all three concepts are fundamentally relational. Territories such as Greenland and New Caledonia may seem remote and isolated from the perspective of their distant metropolitan powers, Denmark and France, but for those living in these territories, the periphery is itself the centre. The city of Manchester in Northern England is often regarded as remote from and peripheral to the economic powerhouse of Southeast England, yet the population of Manchester's urban area exceeds that of many European countries. Places that were once deemed remote, such as Australia, can come to be taken on their own terms, while important power centres, such as Ancient Carthage, can dwindle and ultimately be buried beneath the earth. What do remoten

Good posture is important. It   not only expresses but helps to form our attitude of mind, “Chest out, chin up, back straight” this is the advice to give. A few minutes deep breathing does the child a world of good refreshing the mind. Exercising, singing, making things, playing a musical instrument and joining in social activities with others are all to be encouraged. Games can be both educational and relaxing, spelling and intelligence tests, quizzes and so on can be wonderful as can singing and laughing with them. “For the ordinary dweller, going back to nature where the artificialities of life are dispensed with and where personal effort is necessary for any degree of comfort to be attained – that is of infinite value. Camping, living on a farm, all these things are far better for the child than going to a seaside hotel where everything is done for him.”   (Virtue’s Home Tutor). Of course, all holidays need not be the same and exposing the child to other environs also h

Independence & Interdependence extent the limits on independence and autonomy for ourselves, our students, and the institutions and structures within which we work, teach and learn. We do not educate, nor are we educated, in vacuums, but in such contexts and constraints as families, groups, and societies; of nations and cultures; of identities and religions; and of political and financial realities. The technological and logistical advances of globalization have enabled us to become independent, and empowered as never before, but have also made us more dependent on the very things allowing autonomy. While technologies allow us to communicate with those on the other side of the world, they can also separate us from those nearby, and contribute to alienation, or loneliness. And yet, this increased interconnectedness offers great opportunities to work together to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues, and reminds us of our responsibilities towards each other. Our independ

The duality of our psychology speaks to how each of us as learners, teachers, and researchers act together to educate. We each bring our independent individual variables to any teaching and learning situation, yet work interdependently to learn from each other and create new connections and meanings. Language learning and teaching are at once highly personal and individual, while also social and embedded in an ecology of inter-relationships. Independence and interdependence cannot exist without each other, so how should this tension and integration inform our academic enquiry into language learning research and practice? Research in self-regulation, self-determination, learner and teacher autonomy, and motivation for language learning is one of several ways to approach these questions. The psychology of language learning provides opportunities to explore psychological, theoretical and practical aspects of language learning. Whether one’s focus is the impact of technology or the

Intellectually, we know that life is short and fragile. Yet, many of us live our lives and get through each day in a way that is quite inconsistent with this knowledge. Many things we do or think about - and how we feel about them - would be very different if we really appreciate that our time on earth is finite and could expire much sooner than expected without any warning. Psychologists have found that people experience "mortality" when they encounter events that expose the fragility of life. This refers to the heightened awareness that our death is inevitable and unpredictable. The impact is strongest when the events are highly personal. Some examples are a near-death experience, the sudden death of a family member or close friend, or when someone we identify closely with is incapacitated due to an accident or unexpected disease. Mortality causes anxiety and stress. But it is not necessarily negative. One positive impact is that it often leads you to ask question

The family is the oldest and most enduring human institution. We have no choice over the family we are born into, and many of us go on to create and shape a family of our own which may mimic our family of origin or differ from it in startling and substantive ways. Because of the ubiquity of the family in all societies, the lock of one is considered so significant that attempts are made in many societies through law, culture and social policy to provide some form of substitute. Because of the centrality of the family to human societies, and the role it plays in socializing each subsequent generation and transmitting genetic inheritance, it is of interest to many. The family is where human needs are first expressed, and across   the world and even within societies it comes I many shapes and sizes. This very diversity is often the source of sharp philosophical, political and legal dispute. So much is expected of the family that when lives go wrong, it is often the family

There is this story of a lion cub and fox cubs. A lion cub got separated from its mother and was nurtured by a female fox along with her cubs. One day, the lion cub was in the jungle with the fox cubs. They saw a large number of huge elephants with big tusks. Immediately, the fox cubs started running away, but the lion cub true to its basic instinct roared at the elephants. The elephants looked at the lion cub and walked away in another direction. The mother fox realizing that the lion cub had become an adult lion,   asked to leave to get its true identity. Many a times, in life we are subjected to a variety of circumstances and influences which try to prevail upon us and alter our core and fundamental personality, values, beliefs and attitudes. It is at such juncture that like the lion cub, one has to assert oneself. It is quite right that one should not offend others to please oneself, but at the same time one should not offend oneself to please others.

To get the most out of their workforce, today’s bosses may need to look at their own role and their subordinates --- a bit differently than superiors did decades ago. A strong and effective leader certainly stands at the top of a hierarchy, but great bosses today don’t act hierarchically. While people thrive under great bosses, in today’s business world they are also looking for a safe haven work environment where trust , and encouragement are bedrocks of the work culture. Here are three ways a boss can get people to follow, and do so without being punitive and domineering: A.       Don’t treat employees like children : The level of complexity and the pace of change that leaders at all levels face today is unprecedented. The pressure for achievement is intense and when mistakes are made, or when staff show up disengaged, tempers can flare. Frustration and anger are powerful emotions, and when leaders get flooded with these feelings they typically fall into a model of leade

Perspectives on the aging life course and the role of the elderly within society have undergone massive change in the past decades. Once the later stages of aging were seen as period of withdrawal from social interactions as the elder reflected on a life lived and prepared for and inevitable death. This viewpoint has changed dramatically in recent years as new opportunities for enhancing their quality of life, better medical care, support services and life extension technologies. Similarly, changing demographic composition of many low fertility nations have made the elderly more essential to maintain the workforce and offer opportunities for older adults to remain economically active long after traditional retirement ages. The growth of the elderly population has also encouraged growth in the institutional and home care industries, often creating a growing demand for immigrants to provide services to the growing number of elders who require assistance to maintain an independent lifest