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The typical student does not exist. All students are different, and yet in many classrooms they are still treated like they are all the same. Students are expected to start at the same starting point at the beginning of term and work their way to the same finishing line. How is that possible, when they…
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By Les Huysmans The other day I was talking to some parents who asked me for advice regarding their daughter. The girl in question is sharp, diligent and, according to the traditional mindset in Thai schools, generally a perfect student. Specifically, she is a self-orientated perfectionist – absolutely no mistakes in her assignments. Self-orientated indicates…
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By Les Huysmans One of the most soul destroying aspects of education in Thailand is to see how students, from a very early age, are taught to aim for perfection. Gradually, students come to understand that failure is one of the worst things that can happen to you, as it will cause a loss of…
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I sometimes see parents in shopping malls or supermarkets, and their kids nearly always have what a friend of mine the other day referred to as a “digital grandmother”, i.e. a phone or tablet, in their hands. It appears children need to be kept busy at all times, probably so that parents can do their…
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By Les Huysmans I was cleaning out my GDrive the other day and came upon an e-book, called ‘101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving’ by Arthur B. Van Gundy. Not sure whether to keep it or not, I went through some of its content, and came upon an interesting activity about negative thinking.…
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by Les Huysmans Studying is often an interesting, exciting ride, with a clear reward at the end waiting, but along the way it is not uncommon to meet a few obstacles. One of the most common difficulties students face is academic burnout. Here are a few tips on how to get through it, or how…
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By Les Huysmans Do you find studying difficult, with too many problems coming at you at the same time? By planning your time more efficiently, you can study better, gain greater results and have more time for the things you really want to do! So how do you go about this? Streamline your surroundings Start…
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By Les Huysmans Online learning has provided students with more opportunity than when the internet was in its infancy. I will be showing my age, but my first encounter with higher education was a very different experience than that of today. The internet was in its early stages – unstructured and essentially the “Wild West”…