cannyben

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 enviro...

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 ...