Rewarding good behaviour

I think it is safe to say rewarding good behaviour is a naturally good method that works 90% of the time.
One thing I tend to do is provide students for good behaviour at the end of each month with a movie and merits.
It provides students goals to aim towards and reflects positively on your respect from your students, ensuring that creating enjoyable lessons is easier.

WWE 2k16 review

It’s that time of year again where the WWE releases its annual video game in association with 2k publishers.

I pre-ordered the game today in order to get the Terminator DLC, and took the day off from working to ensure I could fully enjoy what the game has to offer.

Praises
The showcase mode follows the career of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Arguably the great pro wrestler of all time. We see his humble beginnings as apart of the Hollywood blondes in WCW and his transition into the bionic redneck. I have only played a few matches but it looks promising.
The new gameplay creates a far more realistic in ring environment and you do indeed feel apart of the action.

FAULTS
With the largest roster, 2K did a good job in updating the roster. Ensuring most of the active members are present. The disappointing absence of the four horsewomen slightly let’s the roster down and recycled

‘legends’ like General Adnan and Lord

Regal are quite irritating when there are far more deserving legends like RVD who are missing. ( nothing against regal but he doesn’t need to be in the game twice and his early WWE career is far more memorable than his WCW run.’ )
A personal criticism, the lack of GM mode is irritating too as I was a big fan of this feature when it was in and so are many others. Can’t understand why it was left out as the universe mode practically is GM mode just without any competition or goals.

Overall.
Having said that there is a big improvement over last year’s game and it is brilliant seeing Owens and Balor in the game.
I will give the game a 8/10

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Right so what better game to start with than the most epic of epic games, the Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

First. No you don’t need to play the first elder scrolls games prior to understand what is goin on here. I myself even played Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, after I completed Skyrim. However this was a bad idea because even with oblivion be as good a game as it is, it became before Skyrim, and the video game industry is the one area where sequels are regularly better than the original and to play the original after the sequel seldom lives up to expectations.

Skyrim however is a great game for anyone interesting in Medieval mythology like fantasy. Creating your own character to battle ferocious dragons, fight against empires and to assassinate emperors….lets just say there is about 400 hours of game play and I have yet to come close to reaching the 300 hours. Seriously this game is huge and with 2 major expansion packs it just makes the game very enjoyable and it is a great stress burner.

I would easily give this game a 10 / 10. Enjoyable, creative, graphically stunning. It feels alive, which is a flaw with many open world games. People places are just there for show while in Skyrim almost everyone and everything can be interacted with. Also, if you are a fan of modding games…….enough said. You can usually find this game on sale on Steam for a ridiculously reasonable price especially considering what you get with it.

#adventure, #fantasy, #gaming, #skyrim, #video-games

The Importance of Therapies. Mid Term Reflection.

This week was my week off from school. I ensured I got the majority of the work I needed to get done last weekend so I could focus on my masters work this week. SO in one sense it hasn’t been much of a week off from work, but there is no denying I have been far less pressured which is of course a very good thing. So with the spare time I did have, what did I do? reindulge in my stress burners and therapies so I could at least say I both relaxed and enjoyed my mid-term without just focusing on college for the whole thing.

My first burner? Swimming, probably my most favorite exercise which I take part in. Why? Because it is without a shadow of a doubt the most peaceful and enjoyable exercise there is out there. It is a full body workout and ontop of that it is great for your cardio and it is simply enjoyable. When I go swimming (which is less frequent now as a result of school) I tend to manage to forget about anything and everything going on in my life. It is incredibly beneficial, especially after a long few weeks, It has become almost like a reward.

I have never been overly competitive but one area where I am constantly competing with myself is swimming. I returned to swimming around April and after 5 months of doing it once or twice a week I accomplished two goals I had set myself. Firstly, I aimed to do 40 lengths endurance, a feat I was meant to complete before I gave it up 6 years ago after some personal issues. I want to be able to complete the 40 lengths by the end of August, but I was so determined I surpassed 45 before the end of June and managed to reach 55 at the end of August. From this I had managed to drop from about 97kg to (as of this morning) 91kg. Considering I was 108kg 4 years ago I think its safe to say its a great personal achievement.

Why am I blogging this? Swimming is the one exercise that everyone should attempt to learn. It can save your life in dire situations on top of being a great stress burner and I hope to further promote it in the school I work in in years to come.

To conclude, find one thing you enjoy so much that it helps maintain your mental health and appreciate its value to the core. My love for swimming could relate to the end of the Forest Gump movie when Forest begins running in order to relieve the stress of his problems. Not saying my problems were as bad as his now….but we can all appreciate a bit of time to ourselves.

#mental-health, #mid-term, #mindfulness, #spontaneity, #swimming

The Simpsons for Teaching about Sectarian Violence

The Simpsons is without a about one of the greatest cartoons in the history of the world. For over 25 years it has provided us with countless laughs and quotable dialogue that has lasted through 4 decades.

What makes the show so good? Well I think the clever writing and interesting family life themes that pretty much everyone can relate to and within these well written episodes are gems for teaching certain topics in the classroom. One episode has a great opener which deals with the centuries old sectarian issues which take place between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The cartoon really brings to light how there very little difference between the two sides but it is concept of pride and identity which is maintaining the violence which still takes place to this day in the North.

The opening scene sees a brawl breakout out on St Patrick’s Day in Springfield even after Lisa’s attempt to reason with the Green Catholics and Orange Protestants. The fight becomes even more ridiculous when there is a green and orange leprechaun fighting each other and we later see the Green Hulk and Orange Thing square off. Although this was a humerus scene it truly illustrates how out of hand the fighting in Northern Ireland gets.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/17/the-simpsons-st-patricks-day-without-alcohol_n_2897097.html

Money in the Bank

In between breaks for my Thesis I decided to blog about a class activity I decided to do about three years ago. I am not sure how original it is but it is very effective for history teachers especially when teaching about ancient Roman and Medieval soldiers, gladiators and even villagers at a market.

I dubbed it Money in the Bank ( three guesses where the wrestling fan got the idea for the name of this game ). Basically the game is getting students to design their own knight or villager or soldier, whatever the them is for the lesson or scheme. Using the board, write down the amount of money the students have (usually around 1,000 gold coins/euro/etc.) Then write up a series of items and their cost beside them. e.g. Sword 100 coins, armor 250 coins, Bow & Arrow 150 coins etc. Write up a creative selection of items. once the items are written up, have the pupils (on their own or in pairs) cash in their money on different objects. They are only permitted the objects if they do not go over their bank account. This way they create their own unique knight or gladiator without too many ridiculous features.

It is a class activity I highly recommend and can be adapted into a family’s weekly meal during the Celtic era or even for the Emergency in Ireland during WWII.
English teachers could use it for media studies too and can be adapted for almost any subject really.
What is even better about the game is that it greatly promotes students’ numeracy and literacy skills so there is no reason why it would not go down well on schemes and lesson plans.

#5j16, #class-activities, #edchat, #education, #history, #middle-ages, #money-in-the-bank, #roman

You, Me & the Apocalypse

Certainly a fresh take on the apocalyptic concept which has saturated pop culture for the past 5 or 6 years. You, Me and the Apocalypse follows a variety of colourful characters as they do what they try to achieve their goals before a meteor destroys the Earth.

I personally like the show, even though it feels a bit slow before, it utilises a theme of Dark comedy which provides the show with a ‘wanting to know what happens next in the story’ mixed with a mixture of laughs along the way. The blend works well and here is hoping the show gains good support to see it into a second series.

Verdict of the first four episodes: So Far Very Good.

Here is a preview underneath.

I will just say one thing, I ain’t easy to please in the area of TV.

Mindfulness practice in the Classroom

Around two years ago I took part in a mindfulness course organised by the MDI & the Slainte Scoiety. It was an incredibly beneficial experience it is something I would recommend for anyone to use in their day to day life. It was tremendous in helping overcome both personal and college related stress and it is something I have since utilized in the classroom.

What makes this different to basic Meditation?

Mindfulness is a very old technique which is becoming increasingly popular at the present time. Although it is linked to Buddhism, most of the people who use mindfulness in the West today are not Buddhists. People use mindfulness because they find it reduces stress and gives them a greater sense of control over their lives. Mindfulness helps people to get more enjoyment out of their good times and to handle their bad times better.

You can read this document in a couple of minutes. Practising takes a little longer. The good news, though, is that you can begin to use mindfulness straightaway.

What is mindfulness?

At its simplest, mindfulness means being aware of what you are doing while you are doing it. This means being aware that you are breathing, walking, driving, running making a phone call, cooking a meal and so on. When you have thoughts, notice that you have thoughts and come back to awareness of what you are actually doing. When you are emotional just notice the emotion – not trying to deepen it and not trying to push it away – and come back to awareness of what you are doing.

Is mindfulness the same as living in the now?

Yes. When you practice mindfulness, you gently bring yourself back into the present moment every time you notice that you have drifted in your mind back to the past or into the future. Also, you gently bring yourself back to the present moment whenever you realise that you have drifted off into your imagination. The word “gently” is important. Never, ever scold yourself for drifting away from awareness. Drifting is what minds do. Accept this fact and take your awareness back to the present moment.

Can I still plan and think about things I need to think about?

Yes. In fact mindfulness can be really helpful in planning because it can reduce the chances that you will get lost in a fantasy. You can plan mindfully by being aware that you are planning and by bringing your mind back to what you are doing whenever it drifts off.

How can it be used in the classroom?

I had a few trial and error lessons with this. I started off using the basic mindfulness that I was taught. It went ok but the pupils didn’t take it seriously with the lack of calming sounds in the environment.  The second time I played what scientists call the most calming tune ever apparently and it went far better. The third time I just tried basic meditation. Although the students enjoyed the third the most (as they said.) I know it was the second one which succeeded the most because it managed to secure their focus whilst sitting up straight opposed to allowing them to dose off with their heads laying on the desk.

It truly is a brilliant way to help improve your students focus. My main advice is do not do it too often, instead try it every few weeks so it doesn’t lose its value. It can be a bit of an easier lesson for you, but don’t think it will be a chance to get work done because like everything in teaching, if you want it to go well you have to ensure you dedicate yourself fully.

Here is a helpful website discussing the concept further: http://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/mindfulness-exercises/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwnrexBRDNmZzNkf7c4c4BEiQALnlxhejL2rGL–CULAz4rKK6p13st1yXSZrCOhbfa33__IYaAoVb8P8HAQ

As well as that, I am attaching the YouTube video of the sound I use for the mindfulness:

#classroom-ideas, #education, #meditation, #mindfulness, #peace

Ebay-ing

Today I made an attempt to start selling old items on Ebay.

The items?
Old Lego toys which are over a decade old and have much value apparently. I ain’t greedy so I intend to sell some of these pieces at good prices (I think). It is better than them gathering dust in my attic and since most of my younger cousins are growing up and losing interest in toys I haven’t got many people left who I think may like these. Therefore, I decided to give Ebay a go.

All I can say is lets see how it goes. Any feedback would be much appreciated as I venture into Entrepreneurial life.

Mid Term Break

Later than my usual reflections but I will be making an extra long one here for the very special purpose that this is the Mid – Term break Reflection.

In addition to the Mid-term finally arriving, it also marks the second 4 week milestone, ergo two combined teaching placement lengths from MDI, and very similar to my last milestone, I have certainly learned a hell of a lot more, not only about teaching but also about myself. What I’m good at, where I’m going wrong, whether or not I’m being too hard on myself or even too easy. These reflections have been supportive in reminding myself. One thing I have certainly reflected on this week was my classroom presence, I had mentioned in my Leadership & Mentoring lecture about how leadership presence itself in the classroom. One thing I had said to myself is that the Authoritarian certainly makes life easier for a teacher, whilst the delegate takes a lot more work and preparation than I had originally believed so it was intriguing to understand the difference between the two from my own reading and my teaching. It is still difficult to say which one is better but it is definitely something aim to examine in the coming weeks.

On another note, it is the mid-term break. A chance to put the feet up and catch up on work I fell behind on (perhaps I will do both at the same time). The past 8 weeks were certainly intense. I’ve been lucky with my location however which has saved me great time and effort. As much as i loved my teaching placements in Drimnagh and Cabra, the time it took to get to those schools certainly made it difficult to any other work once i returned home. Either way I’m looking forward to regroup the mind and enjoy a good week off. My plans once the work is done certainly should be good too.