Effective Conflict Resolution Strategies for Kids

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Conflicts are inevitable in human interactions and arise when individuals have different opinions, wants, or needs. This is a lesson children learn early. Whether it’s a friendly debate about which game to play or a spat over a shared toy, these everyday disagreements are opportunities for children to learn about empathy, communication, and collaborative problem-solving. Conflicts can manifest in various shapes and situations. In positive conflicts, where both parties are on equal footing and motivated to find a solution, the conflict often becomes a constructive …

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Teaching Kids Fogging Techniques Against Verbal Bullying

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Verbal bullying and complaints are communicative expressions but differ significantly in intent, effect, and purpose. Verbal bullying is an aggressive behaviour characterized by repeated harmful statements intending to belittle, hurt, or intimidate someone. It can manifest as name-calling, taunting, threatening, or derogatory remarks. It is essential to note that verbal bullying is not a one-time insult. Instead, it is systematic, recurring, and intended to exercise power. In contrast, complaints generally originate from dissatisfaction or concern about a situation or behaviour without the intent to …

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How Did English Achieve Its Worldwide Reach? (part 2)

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The English language’s global dominance is no accident. It can be traced back through a three-stage process: the initial spread of English by the British Empire, its proliferation through the two World Wars, and its reach through the soft power of the Internet age. The British Empire, often referred to as “the empire on which the sun never sets”, reached North America, India, Australia, Africa, and Asia. English became the colonies’ official language of administration, justice, business, and education. Proficiency in English was a …

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How Did English Achieve Its Worldwide Reach? (part 1)

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I first became interested in the topic of my thesis [the spread of the English language] while on holidays in Crete; there a guide jokingly told us that if the capital of the island would be destroyed and unearthed a thousand years later, future archaeologists would probably conclude that the inhabitants spoke English because all the shop-signs are in that language. Daniel Spichtinger – The Spread of English and its Appropriation Learning English presents a considerable challenge due to its linguistic irregularities. From spelling and …

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Unwrapping The German Tradition of Schultüte

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Image Credit: Pixabay Schultüte is a cherished tradition in Germany designed to ease the anxieties of the little ones starting first grade. Parents or godparents would make a Schultüte (“school cone”) or a Zuckertüte (“sugar cone”) at home, mark it with the children’s names, and take it to school to hang it in the “Schultütenbaum” (school cone tree). Then, on their first school day, children would pick their cones from the magic Schultütenbaum on the school grounds, careful not to break them. After the …

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Exaptation, Nature’s Way to Bridge Past and Future

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Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic. Frank Herbert – Dune  Exaptation, a term coined by palaeontologists Stephen Jay Gould and Elisabeth Vrba, refers to repurposing a trait during evolution. Initially serving one specific function, a trait can be co-opted for a different purpose. Charles Darwin was the first to propose that a trait’s function can evolve and change over time. This idea was initially referred to as “preadaptation”. However, because …

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Rubber Duck Debugging – Making Problem Solving Child’s Play

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When we hit a wall with a problem, a simple way to solve it is to take a break and explain the issue to a rubber duck. This entertaining concept started from a story in The Pragmatic Programmer book where a programmer would carry around a rubber duck and explain their code to the duck in detail.  You’re stuck with a difficult bug. You’ve already spent a lot of time on it, and the deadline is looming. So, you ask a co-worker for help. They walk …

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Metaphorical Thinking – The Cloud Metaphors

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Metaphorical Thinking – Introduction Metaphorical Thinking – the Guest Metaphor Metaphorical Thinking – the Cloud Metaphors Metaphorical Thinking – the Web Metaphors The ethereal, shape-shifting quality of clouds makes them a perfect instrument for concepts that apply to metaphors, meditation, behavioural science, or computer science. I am on cloud nine. Every dark cloud has a silver lining.  I have my head in the clouds.   Cloud Computing In the remarkable Dictionary of Symbols by Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant, clouds are defined as “instruments of apotheosis and epiphany” and “clouds were connected with the symbolism of …

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