NZATE CONFERENCE 2014 Workshop #4 Iain McGilchrist: Chicken Club

The first rule of Chicken Club is that you must talk about Chicken Club...

The aim of this workshop: to help us teach with more enjoyment by applying ideas from Iain's reading.

Hackschooling makes me happy - Logan LaPlante

Check out this amazing TED talk from a 13 year old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11u3vtcpaY&feature=kp

As English teachers we are probably already better placed to do hack schooling than teachers in other subjects.

How do we help our students hack their education?  Go with their interests.

The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley by Colin Thompson and Amy Lissiat
ISBN 978-0-7336-2167-3

How can we help our students be happy? Providing choices, not being the font of all knowledge, giving them the confidence to try things and go with their own ideas.


The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything... - Ken Robinson 

Watch a one minute video introducing this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDhhIghXxfo

So we need to help students identify their passions, find their tribe, share their passions.

Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein

This book is by a couple of economists but can be applied to the English classroom.

Principles of nudging: maintain choices, choice architecture, setting sensible defaults, people go with the herd, people do not like to lose, positive norms.

Easy nudges: "All high achieving students write more that the minimum number of words."

"You'll miss out on M and E grades if you don't explicitly discuss the effects on the audience.

Flourish by Martin Seligman

• Positive well-being
• Engagement
• Relationships - very little that is positive is solitary
• Meaning
• Accomplishment

How can you practise experiencing positive emotions:

- kindness exercises (e.g. the 1c stamps); write a gratitude letter;  ask what went well today? What did you do that made it go well? Identify your signature strengths and use them.

- Losada ratio - 5:1 affirming to corrective.

With your class encourage random acts of kindness - we will be happier and they will be happier.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor for Kids by Thomas C Foster

Helping kids understand symbolism, structure, great ideas for both reading and creative writing.

Iain left us with the question of what will we take away to try next term. I am going to have to think about that but I have a lot of ideas and options. Probably the idea of nudge...  and I definitely want to read the Thomas Foster book. 

Great workshop, thanks, Iain!