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Monday 27 February 2012

February..a month of excitement and growth

Hi Friends,

2012 has well and truly started and I like to think that the breakneck speed that Hale & Fun hit the ground running at in the new year has gradually moulded into a good steady pace that will result in some high mileage being covered (if you are wondering about the metaphor that I am slowly but surely obliterating, I am at the moment struggling to get back into shape for a half- marathon in May..Needless to say the road back to fitness is a long and tortuous journey and painfully all up hill!).

So this month we started a course at one of our biggest clients as well as continue to work with some other very big names on potential courses that they might be interested in. This was an awesome opportunity to test some of the aspects of the business model of Hale & Fun, such as what is one of our unique selling points (yes more sale training this month as well) the fact that we can offer personalised courses- A big hats off to the entire community of Hale & Fun who pull out all stops when the email came through requesting courses on courses ranging from literature, history and computers. Needless to say, all were very impressed with the speed and quality of the options we were able to provide.

Overseeing the course itself has also been an excellent learning experience for myself. For example, I have discovered that personalised attendee folders while a nice touch means that when 25 individuals turn up for a course that had only 9 listed it can all go to a shambles. We will also need to go back to the drawing board in terms of including the stickers and magnets since they kept falling out of the folders.

Of course, as with any big event there was major technological issues, with the new projector not working. Luckily, the facilitator, Dimitris was able to keep a cool head and soldier on. I fled to the lounge room and slowly panicked as any modern person does..sending text message to my business partners and colleagues about how everything had gone to hell!..I am not proud of this response.

Still all seems to be going well now that we are in our second week. We had an excellent return rate the second week and a much better venue. The feedback we are getting is in general very positive and that is the important thing.

Now onto more exciting things. This month along with the newsletter (with guest writers..I will come to that soon) we sent out a questionnaire asking our community about their interest in some of the directions we are planning for Hale & Fun- some of these are very exciting and as always will be breaking new grounds in facilitating learning as is what Hale & Fun is all about.

Here is the excerpt from our newsletter from our guest writers:

                                                  Denise Redmond

Bio:
Thirty two years teaching High School: English/ History Science: English /History Dip Teaching; Degree in Applied Biology; Chairperson initially and then Project Manager of Nardy House Inc a specialised facility catering for the respite and permanent accommodation needs of people with profound disabilities; Trade Union involvement with the NSW Teachers Federation; Political involvement with the Australian Democrats: Federal Candidate once; State Candidate twice

For those who dont know Nardy house- I recommend you check out http://thebegavalley.org.au/5393.html for more information on this excellent initiative to assist people with profound disabilities.

Rule Number 1: Try and envisage the world you are creating for your students the way they see it.

Teaching is often like finding yourself in the middle of a Leunig cartoon…it is best just to laugh at the visions created because there is a great deal to learn.

I was in an Ancient History class teaching a bunch of country lads and lasses and I was reading from an Ancient History source book. We were involved with Xerxes and the Persian Wars...

Xerxes is really unhappy; the sea is raging and it is upsetting his attempts to cross it and therefore invade Greece. Now what does this bold invader do? In his fury he casts fetters into the sea in order to calm it- sounds like a kid in a tantrum; you can actually see this mighty King hurling these fetters across the waves.

Then I hear this lass from up the back,” Good God Miss what is this maniac thinking hurling ferrets into the sea?” Now ferrets are a country thing; at some time all country children have something to do with them at some stage. Usually they are stuffing them down holes to catch rabbits not hurling them out to sea to calm waves.

I am taken aback and I for an instant I can see these airborne ferrets. It is a worrying image and I can sense her concern. “Not ferrets”, I say, “fetters,” and I repeat it, “fetters!”
She turns to her mate and says, ”Xerxes really is mad; now he is throwing cheeses!”
At that stage I leave the room and compose myself. Then I come back and explain the word fetters…

The interesting thing was that every student remembered that source and quoted it at length in their essays about the Persian Wars. They remembered the name of the King, they remembered his war with the Greeks and they remembered what he threw.

Really I think what they remembered were flying ferrets and cheeses and the look on their teacher’s face as she saw what they were seeing.

The second article is the first of a series that focuses on getting to know some of community members and who better to get the ball rolling than our very own Dimitris Lazos


What are my areas of interest?


Coming from a rather technical academic background, my areas of interest revolve around anything scientific. While topics related to physics, chemistry and mathematics appeal to me naturally, due to my studies, I have always been an avid enthusiast of knowledge in general. As such, over the years and in my free time, I have delved into the secrets of astronomy, biology, economics and history.
I believe that knowledge is above age and background; hence I am always eager to learn about something new. After all I do not believe in knowledge for knowledge’s sake, but knowledge that empowers individuals and makes them better people.

 

What are my teaching experiences?


I have always thought how fascinating it would be if I could share all this information with others. When I finally started my university program, I had the opportunity to start some casual tutoring for high school students. This was the beginning of a very exciting career in education related activities.
While never my main job, education has always been a source of income, but most importantly an activity that makes me happy and allows me to socialise with people from different backgrounds. In addition to coaching high school students, I have taught computer skills to several groups, driving skills to license candidates and scientific topics in special events.

What is my teaching style?


Through my experiences, both as a student and tutor I have developed a unique teaching style. I believe that using visual aids is imperative to engage the audience. As such I always try to accompany my classes with flashy presentations and pictures.
I also think that being simple and connecting to the students inspires them to pay more attention to what I’m saying. After all you would be rather indifferent to a dull person, wouldn’t you?
I am aware that everyone has their own reasons for learning. Whether it is for passing an exam, learning something new, or just spending an evening trying a new activity, I am always trying to connect and adapt to the expectations of my audience. This of course includes listening to the students. I believe teaching is a two way process and the teacher also learns new valuable experiences and lessons.