2017-04-07

Is English #intonation "really" teachable in ELT ... that is all learners included regardless age, educational background and nationality?


It is not about Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, and yet for some people, pronunciation can be a demon ... if they feel they cannot be understood or have lack of confidence to communicate in the target language ... does this makes sense?

So very much looking forward to the last Opening Plenary of IATELF Glasgow 2017, given by Jane Setter as seen on website:

Where angels fear to tread: intonation in English language teaching​

http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2017/live-schedule

"Intonation is one of the earliest acquired aspects of speech; the crymelodies of infants are influenced by the intonation of their mothers, and very small toddlers are able to use intonation to indicate turn taking patterns in play conversations before they can form words. It plays a vital role in successful communication in English, as it does in other languages. If this is true, why is intonation neglected in English language pronunciation teaching, and how can it be taught effectively?"

After reading that the plenary was going to take
"the audience into the seldom-navigated region of intonation in English language teaching, focusing on the role of three main elements: tonality, tonicity and tone. Drawing on material from a number of different sources, we explore the role of intonation in English, and look at which elements are teachable, which are learnable, what resources are available to the teacher and the learner, and how intonation might be approached in the English language classroom and as a self-access learning activity. Expect a multimedia, audience participation experience."
... to be honest I was a little unsure what to expect.

At the beginning of day 4, we had quite a lot of good theory and technical topics, examples of fine research and the unexpected a song from My Fair Lady
Wouldn't it be lovely?
.... ahhh and by the way if one sticks to the end, the presenter also finished her dissertation with audience singing.

Who would have thought that such a theoretical subject could be so much good fun!


So, all in all, can pronunciation and its different elements be taught?




The answer is Yes.
Do NNSs (non-native speakers) need to practise? Indeed.
One of language main reasons of being is the ability to communicate with others.


What about our Cultural Sensibility?
Ms. Setter drew our attention to be aware of the need to be cultural sensitive as speakers of English elsewhere may use intonation for different purposes.
"In conversations with NSs (native speakers), it is necessary for ALL interlocutors to move a little towards the others (Jenkins, 2015)
#FoodForThought


2017-04-06

Reflection time with JJ.Wilson ... Incorporating Social Justice into our Language classrooms

As soon as I read JJ.Wilson's extract ... I just knew I was hooked.

ELT and social justice: opportunities in a time of chaos​
"In this plenary, I will look at the arguments for including social justice issues in ELT classrooms. I will summarise the literature, referencing major theorists such as John Dewey, Paulo Freire, and bell hooks. I will also examine relevant ideas and movements: critical pedagogy and conscientizaĆ§Ć£o; participatory teaching/learning; problem-posing and dialogic methods; “poor man’s pedagogy”; service learning; and “the banking method” versus education as the practice of freedom. Moving from theory to practice, I will then show ways in which teachers can include social justice issues in the classroom. These activities include drama, poetry, images, community projects, and so on. I will conclude with some remarks about professional development and the concept of education for social justice. I will stress that the ideas in this talk are not a methodology or a recipe for becoming a better teacher. They are a “way of being”. Each idea, each activity must be made afresh, re-created every time the teacher steps into the classroom"
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2017

My first impression:
A witty, good story teller, fine entertainer, charming presenter with a very good Portuguese accent -if I may add- that talks brilliantly  about deep issues like "How can we use social justice in the classroom?"

He also mentioned/paraphrased a couple of quotes:
  • Education is transformation.
  • The basic of all education is love.
  • Education starts from Students experience and reinforces or challenges status quo.


We can incorporate social issues into the classroom> some if the teaching tools he mentioned:
  • Pictures
    • I wonder ...
    • Asking questions about photos.
  • Poems - where students are the writers
    • I remember ... *social changes
    • I am from ... 
  • Drama - where students are "spectactors"
  • Community projects
  • Teachable moments
  • Storytelling
A practical hands-on approach!


2017-04-05

Teachers do matter and psychology does as well in our role ... not only in the classroom

Plenary by Sarah Mercer about the importance of psychology in the classroom that not many times is properly considered or talked about.
Do teachers matter?
Will teachers be replaced by AI?
Is this the future of ELT?
This is already happening in Hong Kong


What do teachers do?
Inspire ... make an impact every single day they are inside a classroom,

As educators:


  • Relationships are up there in the agenda with our learners, that is the human connections ... it is the foundation, Key element to develop positive relationships inside the classroom and with their peers.
  • The right mindset, empathy and praise ... sending positive messages ie. adding the word "yet" when students say they cannot do something.
  • Teachers beware of the burnout cascade ... feed on a positive circle. Job satisfaction, "if we are happy at work that makes us successful" not the other way round.


Conclusion found at the lecturer's research paper:
" the role played by socio-emotional competences in the English language classroom. We found that ELT teachers tend to score highly on these competences, which can perhaps be expected, given the highly social and other-oriented nature of teaching generally, and language teaching in particular." (Gkonou, C. & Mercer, S.)




For more information:
Gkonou, C. & Mercer, S., "Understanding emotional and social intelligence among English language teachers", British Council ELT Research Papers 17.03
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/G211_ELTRA_Gkonou%20and%20Mercer%20paper_FINAL_web.pdf


2017-04-04

What are we talking about when we say:"Language for Resilience" - #BritishCouncil Signature event @ #IATEFL


As seen on IATEFL Glasgow - BRITISH COUNCIL SIGNATURE EVENT 2017 


When we are in trouble ... do we ask for help?
Are we maybe stubborn or proud?
Do we keep ourselves to ourselves?

After watching this event, I have placed the British Council "Language for Resilience" in my to-do/read list with priority.
 "The report examines the role that language can play in enhancing the resilience of Syrian refugees and host communities"

https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language-for-resilience-report-en.pdf

Here below some screen-shots that I found most interesting:







Some questions that stuck with me as the five panelists "shared their thoughts on the role of language in enhancing the resilience of individuals and communities affected by crisis".

  • Can resilience always be developed even if a child is emotionally destroyed? 
  • What enhances resilience?
  • Can resilience be transformative not only for children, but parents and teachers?

An on-going challenge: Educating Refugees Children who are vulnerable children with very many different needs.

English matters, English open doors, gives hopes to children and even might save lives.
Let's change profile/branding/labelling of refugees ... it concerns all global citizens.

For more information:
https://www.britishcouncil.org/education/schools/support-for-languages/thought-leadership/research-report/language-resilience

There is no excuse ... Talking CPD #IATEFL

Less than half an hour ago, I finished watching #IATEFL2017 Opening Plenary given by Gabriel Diaz Maggioli entitled "Empowering Teachers Through Continued Professional Development: Frameworks, Practices and Promises.

Needless to say this talk was very up my wishing list to attend (even virtually at 3am local time), so I set my alarm up and was eagerly waiting for it.

My expectations?
Hmmm, dear reader, maybe to get some extra validation on my own path. having ELT Research, Consultancy and Coaching to lead since April 2013 ... as seen on our Facebook page:


"Working locally, nationally & internationally focused on Pedagogical Process-Project & People resourcing in Human Development & Self Professional Development. Committed to lifelong learning.Mission to assist others to achieve their educational leadership."
https://www.facebook.com/ELTResearchConsultancyCoaching/

But definitely even more after reading his presentation summary:
"The notion that language teachers need ongoing professional development opportunities should be considered a harmless platitude. Yet, as the field stands now, most of our colleagues are not provided with such opportunities as parts of their jobs. How is it then that we hear so many wonderful tales of exploration and discovery? Teachers have taken upon themselves to build these growth opportunities. In this plenary I will share some stories, and weave the plots of new stories to come by presenting a “state of the art” hawk eye view of professional development and recommending potential ways in which colleagues can help colleagues learn and develop."
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2017/live-schedule

I was most impressed by his comments because he was "calling it as it is" = no hidden agenda. I have also been in management positions and can certainly validate his comments on budgets.

His highly recommended talk should be shortly available for the ELT community, being IATEFL Online (@IATEFLOnline) a partnership between the British Council and IATEFL.

What am I feeling?
Some questions popping into my mind, and to be honest, this reminds me of a Diploma module I was facilitating in Guadalajara, Mexico with school leaders, secondary school directors, coordinators. some teachers but also with few Jalisco Regional supervisors ... that was very interesting indeed - to say the least.

  • Who is responsible of our CPD?
  • Who should pay for it?
  • What can be done?


My Final Thoughts:
I utterly believe in Continued Professional Development ... and yes! we should assume this is a #CallForAction.

CPD is:

  1. our responsibility wherever we are, 
  2. it is not an impossible mission, 
  3. it is in our hands.


This is an opportunity not to be missed


2017-04-03

It's finally here #IATEFL2017

Only the best week in the ELT world has finally arrived ... the one and only International Conference for English Language Teachers.

This year we are all e-travelling to Glasgow (... with Edinburgh one of my top 10 destinations in the UK indeed) to e-attend to the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language Conference and Exhibition (well the latter a tad more difficult but anyhow, it today's interconnected world, the sky is the limit ... have you checked Periscope? Facebook Live? Insta Stories?

Take a deep breath ... there is quite a lot to take in!

To be fair, maybe that is one of the challenges, I clearly still remember being surprised by 2013 stats
70 new domains are registered and 571 new website are created within a minute online, at the same time there are 1.8 million likes on Facebook, 204 million emails sent and 278,000 tweets posted. (GoGlobe.com)

Mind you, that was 4 years ago!

There is too much out there, but fear not dear English Teachers (EFL ESL TEFL TT EAP BET and all the others ... #IATEFL is here.

The best of the best, current trends, research, and what's on on the horizon ... all in one place.

For example:

Gavin Dudeney, who I have known since back in the days 2006 with his email-forums trying to connect us ELT researchers, teachers and trainers. This Thursday he has a workshop that is not to be missed if one is a teacher trainer ... ToolBox included!
Do you feel daunted by technology? Got 8 minutes? Then this is your link:
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2017/interview/interview-gavin-dudeney

Carol Read, not only IATEFL past-president but a global lecturer, it is not unsual to see regular
Sadly we were not present at the Young Learners and Teenagers SIG (Special Interest Group) Opening Plenary on Values Education but here we have a taste ... lovely reflection in this 8 minute interview.
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2017/interview/interview-carol-read

Pete Sharma, who I met at LABCI 2013, we were both giving semi-plenaries hence I was not able to attend to his for obvious reasons. It is always a delight to hear him sharing his thoughts, even for a 6 minute chat
Pete is sadly not giving a talk this year but a fascinating view of  what might be his IATEFL 2018 workshop?
http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2017/interview/interview-pete-sharma

Wherever we are in the world, we can have a taste of what is going on in Glasgow via IATEFL Online (IATEFL-British Council)

For more information:

@IATEFLOnline

2017-03-31

Sorry ... but not so sorry #intelligencing March 2017

First entry of the month and yet it happens to be the very last day of it. I am sorry for that - I thought I was going to start apologising- but then I reconsider my thought and came up with: really? I am not so sorry for many different reason that I am sharing with you, dear reader in the following lines.

1. February was comprehensively heavy in seminars/facilitation/training sessions for me, I was fully booked ... emphasis on fully. In my country, January and February are school holidays and hence time for teachers to brush up on their skills ie. work and tons of it.

2. As a consequence I had to have a time to reflect on all those amazing experiences (coming back and reading my BuJo on multiple occasions plus my journal), looking at pictures and videos (as I gathered shots taken from 4 different devices and put them into files in order to create my beloved online photo albums), but also e-mailing and answering back those participants who contacted me right after.
Not enough emphasis one can ever place on thinking critically about our own work, looking back and analysing ... reflecting and intelligencing.

3. To be fair, it was quite a lot to take in. During a month I was in touch with such a variety of human beings with unique teaching styles and challenges. May we take a moment to stress that very last word ... Total respect!
In my role as advisor/mentor/coach, I am used to deal with CTPS complex models, so I was in my element: need to say that this is one of the stages I do certainly enjoy the most.

4. My own international yearly validation for a job I carry out (on a part-time basis) was due, so that meant reading many documents (which I love) ... the latter is utterly true, I am always reading way more than one book/manual/thesis/report/posts/blogs even news just for the sake of reading, you name it. In the end, it was all good, so hurray for me. So immediately after my results I was given two gigs in a row.

5. This has been the month that I have used to the best of my abilities to get ready for a Masters of Arts I have just started, from application, registration, documentation completion, translation of certificates/diplomas/others ... and so on and so forth ie. endless exciting events happening that also included 4 pre-Day1 lectures.

Last but most definitely NOT least: Volunteering has been very very very top of my agenda, even travelling using my "miles" to get plane tickets.
Dear reader: climate change is very real. The weather has hot intensively some parts of my country. Unlike an earthquake that is localised, this natural event called "FenĆ³meno del NiƱo" happened throughout the north coast and even in parts of Lima, our capital city with devastating results.
What have I learnt?
Our people are greater than the nation's problems ... this has been proven once again. But there is still lots to do. Step by step though.

What's ahead in less than 24 hours?

Most exciting things indeed. Not only IATEFL starts on Monday ... yippy!
... but also we get back on the road with a talk that I have been programmed to give tomorrow (yes! on April's fool dear reader)

What is it about? ... a reflective session for our ELT community while breaking paradigms to achieve best results possible.
and how ...?
re-thinking our IMPACT
QUALITY of our current lessons
looking for an educational change
WHEN?  Today
WHY? Because THAT is what makes the Future
focusing on our attitude 
Check list:
English knowledge
Ability to communicate so our learnersget it
Experience (varies)

Weltanschauung

 Therefore, after sharing an insight of this ending month:
... yes, I am sorry but because I have missed writing
... but nor so sorry because all the above. 
Does that make sense dear reader?

2017-02-04

Plan, Train, Reflect & repeat it all over again ... #CoreSkills4all

It has been a very intense couple of days dear reader, most of the time planning, training and reflecting which is the basis of my life as a #CoreSkills Trainers' Trainer and Trainer.

This time we are in Mexico once again, our 4th time in this stunning country with beautifully friendly people. On this opportunity I am not in the northern city of Hermosillo but in the very heart of Jalisco, in Guadalajara, with a group of 40 Educational Leaders of this State.



Our module this time is Communication and Collaboration and I could not feel happier with results so far, moreover, one feels
* hype, overwhelmed & self-motivated,
* gratefulness for group's human warmth
* one takes best of memories & Reflects (pivotal) / which is what we have been doing since 4.30 a,m,

In the end, and as I see it, Core Skills Training is all about:
(1) Sharing the brilliant materials British Council in partnership with Imagine Education have created for this purpose ...
but also and most importantly
(2) Giving TOOLS as personalised as possible to make this happen inside classrooms.
Hence, demo and modelling are critical at this stage and throughout training, as it is our style of faciliting these sessions that are embedding every Core Skill.

As we say, it is not about changing School Curricula but to adapt them in our every day ... and dear readers: Yes it works!

Which is -as we see it though- the critical point and where it seems to us, something more can/should/ought to be done?
We are thinking "Follow up" to accurately measure Impact.

For that, we believe Trainers are to be reachable and present for participants. It is like the customer service platform, this is not a one-way lecture or speech, by definition is collaborative and participative, based on the idea that things can be achieved more easily if everyone works together, being involved and committed to spread the word while making it happen ... #CoreSkills4all

2017-01-30

As we are just about to finish the first month of 2017 #CoreSkills4all

Started this journey back in March last year when sent to KL, Malaysia to be a validated BC regional leadership and teacher trainer ... could not be happier as this is a journey I am passionate about following: I am convinced Core Skills are pivotal for our education systems.

What I take with me is an amazing experience -wherever I may be- ... it is about sharing and specially getting the tools to make a difference, to look for an impact to transform or modify/adapt teaching experiences in the classrooms, aiming for our students/pupils/learners to look ahead for a brighter future using core skills intuitively.

#CoreSkills4all


http://www.smilebox.com/playBlog/4e4455774e444d7a4f546b3d0d0a&blogview=true

2017-01-17

The importance of #Education, #intelligence & #character / MLK


 On our Twitter account, we wrote yesterday
"Dear : a quote that is self-explanatory "

And we honestly thought it was as straight forward as we read it, and yet, just in case we would like to say that yesterday was Martin Luther King Day, a fine opportunity to reflect on this great man's legacy ... pretty inspirational indeed.

What he said, is as valid and true as ever!
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically."
"Intelligence plus character - THAT is the goal of true education"

We can all do our bit, from wherever we are dear reader, it is just a matter of commitment ... are we ready to take upon the challenge?

#SustainableDevelopmentGoals


2017-01-15

Intelligencing on a Sunday Morning #Citizenship & a shout out to #SDGs

Getting ready for training in Mexico, one more time and thinking about Citizenship understood as:
(1) Status> rights & duties
(2) Feeling> identity & belonging
(3) Practise> making a difference

... a concept that is understood as a National, Regional, Local and in our own communities but also bearing in mind that we are living in a globalised world, and thanks to technology, we are closer and closer, recognising our connections.

So, one of the activities I was checking, requested us thinking ahead, an imagining our world in 2030.

It hit me, and clicked on the World We Want 2030 (previously known as Beyond 2015 and The World We Want 2015)... found out it is now called "Deliver 2030".
Loved it from the beginning! It is not only a wish now, as in what we want, but defines steps towards achieving those goals ... how to deliver.

Sometimes, a little change in the wording can transmit ever so much. #FoodForThought.
I am a true believer in Mini-Revolutions, and the impact it does have.

Well done indeed! SDG all the way! (Sustainable Development Goals(
... and us, dear readers? Which are our 3 steps towards becoming a better person and influencing in the ones around us?
#WeCanDoThis

2017-01-13

To whoever classified "reading & writing" as Hard Skills ... well done

Earlier today I was placing some documents away while doing some sorting in my studio. So checking some draft paper, I came across an A4 paper which read the following:

Soft Skills
- Communication
- Interpersonal
- Social Skills
- Team work

Hard Skills
- Reading
- Writing

Now, to be utterly honest, to the present time, as I am typing these lines, I have no clue whatsoever about the identity of the person/people/group who wrote in my last week workshop,

So decided to Google to verify if that was what they actually did ... mind you, absolutely nothing wrong with it, as he/she/they was/were using technology available to find out more about a proposed subject.

First line from "Investopedia" -- in Chrome

"Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that can be defined and measured, such as typing, writing, math, reading and the ability to use software programs. By contrast, soft skills are less tangible and harder to quantify, such as etiquette, getting along with others, listening and engaging in small talk. In business, hard skills most often refer to accounting and financial modeling."
So, if that paper came from "you" dear reader, just to acknowledge I still had it until today, and that you were on the right track ... so Thank you for being there!

2017-01-11

Inspirational Quotes by Gilbert Highet ... defining #CoreSkills

By far, my #GoTo educational Top 2 quotes have to be ...

"Wherever there are beginners and experts, old and young, there is some kind of learning going on, some kind of teaching. We are all pupils and we are all teachers."

"The mind never need stop growing. Indeed, one of the few experiences which never pall is the experience of watching one's own mind and how it produces new interests, responds to new stimuli, and develops new thoughts, apparently without effort and almost independently of one's own conscious control."

Not surpringsingly both from Gilbert Highet, The Art of Teaching.

And somehow these deep thoughts can easily define Core Skills as pivotal to our teaching/learning processes.

Those are mine, dear reader, what about yours?

2017-01-09

Can Soft Skills be teachable? ... "we are what we repeatedly do", right?


Note to self ... remember this one!

Last week as I was wrapping up the afternoon and collecting materials after presentation had long finished, I found two pieces of draft paper.

The picture attached above, dear reader, is one of them, and to be fair, I wished to add that I do believe one can teach/train/develop your soft skills ... yes you can.

This is exactly the kind of workshops the British Council Global Trainer Network focus on around the world, we do have access to brilliant material and trainers provide these modules to teachers but also to school leaders, as I have done in Mexico in December last year.

Someone may say it is too soon to know if there is a real impact, but we would like to believe, that it is very true and tangible, with the right motivation, energy and adapting/adjusting traditional ways of presenting our lessons to school children or university students, we can definitely find a way forward.

So, in short, I trust soft skills or core skills can be teachable indeed. Paraphrasing Aristotle "We are what we repeatedly do ... excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit".

2017-01-06

What a week! Here we come!

There is something very special and empowering about debating, discussing, intelligencing about ELT issues, the number od endless possibilities that are ahead but also sharing concerns about current situations and challenges coming from all sorts, types and kind of learning institutions, whether state schools in Lima, or in rural areas or language centres that are all over a certain country.

We all have some common discussion points and ELT professionals ie. teachers, coordinators, trainers, head of area/subject/year join efforts to come with creative proposals ... this is what I call ELT magic!

Then, it certainly is time to plan/design a research for implementation purposes, to set indicators is pivotal, to keep a log/journal and to see results for feedback and self-improvement.

Here we come!

2017-01-05

Thanks


A new day and really impressed how warmly this new terminology has been embraced, not that they are all using it but at least it has been well accepted and the most important thing, we are discussing about these core skills ...

Got to confess though that from the following 6, there are some that most people assume are "more important" than others
1.Critical thinking and problem solving
2.Creativity and imagination
3.Citizenship
4.Communication and collaboration
5.Digital literacy
6.Leadership and personal development

At this point in time, dear reader, I would love to receive some comments on which are the one, you consider as the Top 3, considering your current situation.

In this part of the world, as seen yesterday, Digital Literacy and CTPS very closely followed by Creativity and Imagination were the ones selected.

When asked about my preference ... well, to be honest, very hard to say as I believe they are interconnected somehow ... and yet, whoever is reading these lines is due to internet and its usage, right?

2017-01-04

A bit of night self-reflection

It has been one special day, not only professionally but personally as well ... so feeling not only elated but extremely motivated and empowered.

Few things beat sharing our knowledge with those around us, on this occasion it was at The IATEFL Summer School 2017 with a fabulous group of ELT professionals that work with a range of language learners from nursery all the way to secondary, college and university plus adults.

It was tricky though, so much information to share and activities to do in a 90 minute talk, hence it was just like a wine tasting. Even more, one of the discussion we had involved D.Erasmus' intelligence as a verb that this group of English teachers accepted the challenge to discuss about, after a mini-video with gorgeous views of his land in the forest.

Raising awareness on Core Skills, getting them to embrace these 6 lines we shared on their daily classes, was our goal ... a motivational session ending with some vibrant music and a bit of a chat that we are to continue online, or using one of the several platforms available, or who knows, maybe face2face over a cup of tea.

Two more days to go ...  Getting ready for 2017 ELT challenges and opportunities.


2017-01-03

Challenges and Opportunities


As I mentioned yesterday, IATEFL Summer Workshop started today and I feel pleasantly surprised, motivated and inspired.

Very happy to report back that Soft Skills, Core Skills and getting ready for the 21st century, abilities needed and all, is part of everyone's agenda, same as CPD ... and there are so many places to go to for that!

There is so very very much to learn from, with internet, life is utterly different indeed.

Which makes me reflect on the following ... or intelligence *as a verb*

  • Is there way too much information out there?
  • How do we select which MOOC to go for?
  • Which is the best way to determine the level/quality of a webinar?
  • When is the best time to put into practice all this?
  • And, most importantly, specially if one is into education> How can we transmit this kind of knowledge to our learners/students/pupils/coachess?
... Got so many questions that I hope to answer soon dear reader.
Thank you for commenting or sharing your experiences with me

2017-01-02

Re shaping ...

It is back to drawing table for me dear reader, well ... not quite to be honest, last year (Note to self: *wow that one sounded like a long time ago*) I was kindly invited to present a 90 minute slot at "Getting ready for 2017 ELT challenges and opportunities" which starts tomorrow.

If you had asked me before 29 December 2016, I would have answered that I had it ready to be delivered ... now? I am meditating, chatting to others and even talking to myself considering I would very much intend to add this new concept that I have embraced with much excitement> intelligence as a verb as #FoodForThought.

While having my morning jog I was re-shaping in my mind my concepts ... I have found a true delight to spend this moment of the day to deep think and philosophy instead of the classic motivating tunes for workout/jogging.

It is still, very much, a work in progress, but got these hours ahead, so, "it's all good" as Hugh Bonneville would say.

Let's do this!

2017-01-01

2017.01.01 Let's start from the very beginning ... IntelligencingCoreSkills?

We have been thinking quite a lot lately and to start writing this post, I would like to begin by thanking you dear reader for taking time to go through these line.

As we were saying -or shall we be even more precise and go with "writing"- the nature of the present blog shall be focused on Core Skills, a topic that have invaded our thoughts and line of research to be utterly honest, we feel very committed to share our findings with you all -wherever you might be in the world-.

Paraphrasing Aristotle "We are what we repeatedly do" so let's take that line as our motto for 2017, which has started just the way we planned. So far, so good.

Now, in true honesty, this blog was meant to start last year, but it is said that there is always a reason for something to happen or not to happen as in the current case, and yet, we could not feel better for how things have turned out.

Last week, the last week of 2016, we came across rather mysteriously with a new terminology, that we are certain is not officially recognised yet, ===hahaha that is us being optimistic heyhoo=== and we intelligently believe in intelligencing ... that is correct dear reader, yes! it is not a typo we have intentionally put out there, but a conscious pick in our terminology.

2017 has been named the year we are thinking, reflecting, philosophying about "intelligence as a verb" -a concept we first heard on a Lecture given on Intelligence as a Superconcept by Mr. David Erasmus on 6 December 2017 at University College London BASc  -- however and to be clear we are to focus our yearly project research and that rational in the context of Core Skills not only for 21st Century as many people are saying around, but we us all. This is the reason why we have called this blog "IntelligencingCoreSkills".

On our last working day last year, we were discussing the concept with a college newbie who had very strong and extremely valid views on the way young people should be not only taught but also assessed in the current context. Most interesting and a couple of hours we certainly most certainly value.

At this point we would like to Thank You Dear Reader for your time and your future input, leaving you -for now and until tomorrow- with one of our favourite quotes indeed:

Wherever there are beginners and experts, old and young, there is some kind of learning going on, some kind of teaching. We are all pupils and we are all teachers.