We wrap up our exploration into the lives of dedicated student-athletes by...

- Discovering what drives them;

- Seeing what the research into young elite athletes tells us;

- Investigating links between IB aspects such as ATL Skills and International Mindedness with the students' approaches to training and competing;

- Finding out what their training schedules look like;

- Hearing about inevitable sacrifices;

- Listening to advice for their peers;

- Getting a picture of what their goals look like for the next year, two, and more.

Articles/Books referenced:

https://www.fasttalklabs.com/byline/trevor-connor/#show

https://swimswam.com/elite-swimmers-are-getting-older-and-peaking-later-or-are-they/#:~:text=In%202001%2C%20the%20average%20age,swimmers%20by%20event%20in%202022.

https://beneast.com/2015/03/17/faster-by-michael-hutchinson/

Welcome back to the podcast! It's been a little while, but hopefully we're back on track and there are a few great episodes lined up for the next few months.

In this episode, as well as the next, I am speaking with six young people who are at the top of their game in their chosen sport(s). How do they juggle their commitments, knowing what riches (literally in some cases) reaching the ultimate goal may potentially bring?

Enjoy!

The World Scholars Cup is a truly unique experience, and an incredible opportunity for the students who commit their time, energy and brainpower to developing and refining the multitude of skills required to be as successful as the students who represented Raha International School.

This episode explores the details of this opportunity from a variety of angles, and I was certainly a lot more educated about it by the time I finished this most enlightening conversation with six students and a parent (with a couple of anecdotes from the teacher-coordinator thrown in) - enjoy!

In this short episode, conversations with students and teachers both new to the MYP as well as 'experts', reveal an authentic appreciation for this wonderful program.

Sometimes it's worth pausing and reflecting on how well we do things, even though we never stop improving.

Enjoy!

With Grade 5 students closing the chapter of their PYP journey, a new and exciting time of their lives awaits. This episode is a highly recommended listen for parents of PYP students (and perhaps listen with your child) - not necessarily G5 only, as it paints quite a comprehensive picture (with advice, challenges, surprises, highlights) for these young people who will be embarking on their new adventure very shortly.

Some of the main parts, for quick access:

2:17 Arts

6:52 Science and PHE

9:53 Advice for Grade 5 students (from G6 students)

15:17 Individuals & Societies

18:37 Mathematics

20:25 Design

24:27 English

24:41 Arabic B, Spanish, French

27:39 Moral Education and Social Studies

As always, connect with me at linkedin.com/in/vaughan-kitson

Articles referred to in this episode: (Same as in Ep 10)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/ulterior-motives/202104/is-math-anxiety-real

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/finding-the-next-einstein/201511/why-some-math-anxiety-might-actually-be-good-thing

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/maths/MTT_Mathematics_Anxiety.pdf

Her main website is YouCubed.org

Of course, some kids do have clinical learning disabilities that are not caused by anxiety, cultural myths, or poor teaching. Developmental dyscalculia, a clinical term for someone who has a math-related learning disability, affects about 3 to 7 percent of the population. This is the lesser-known analog of dyslexia, a learning disability related to reading, and the two conditions often occur together.

The paragraph above appears in this article by Elizabeth Landau from August 2022:

I'd recommend this article: ⁠https://nautil.us/are-all-brains-good-at-math-238539/⁠

"Many people think of mathematics as one of the most logical, most impersonal branches of knowledge, yet it inspires more emotion than any other school subject" - the opening to this episode, read by Kaitlyn Byrne (a maths teacher here at Raha International School), sums the situation up rather well, if that is possible.

This episode has been on the horizon for quite some time. Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the progress made in Mathematics across the Primary and Secondary grades, the conversations about maths gaps, maths progress, and of course maths anxiety, have been happening up and down the grade levels with teachers students and parents.

Thank you to Mellissa Jayawickrema and the 11 students who provided incredibly valuable insights during our recorded conversations.

Articles referred to in this episode:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/ulterior-motives/202104/is-math-anxiety-real

https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/finding-the-next-einstein/201511/why-some-math-anxiety-might-actually-be-good-thing

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/maths/MTT_Mathematics_Anxiety.pdf

Episode 11, which follows in a few days, focuses more on strategies and interventions. Don't miss it!

linkedin.com/in/vaughan-kitson

After the fun and flavours of our incredibly popular and successful International Day, it was time to turn to the curriculum to dig a little deeper with our International Mindedness conversation.

Thank you to all the teachers who participated in mini interviews, mostly given little to no time to come up with something sensible to say!  You all passed with flying colours :)

Once again, reference was made to a research project by faculty from the University of Bath: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/the-international-mindedness-journey-school-practices-for-develop

Our International Day was experienced in all its glory again, for the first time in three years.  This prompted some conversations about what it means to be internationally minded  - in general, as well as in our local context.

This episode included mini interviews with more than a dozen students, parents and teachers, the aim of which was to paint a picture of what an internationally minded community could potentially look like if all the right ingredients come together.

A massive thank you to Yuliia Korkishko for providing a soundbyte which ended up being just perfect for the intro to this episode!

A deep dive into the world of Physical and Health Education in the IB.  In my chat with two experienced MYP PHE teachers, we explore, amongst other things...

- The importance of learning about and learning through physical activity.

- How are students assessed, and what type of thinking and action is required in order to score top grades?

- What are some of the creative ways in which scheduling and adverse climate concerns are addressed?

- The benefits of regular physical exercise to teenagers - sometimes obvious, but not always!

- The wonderfully creative ways that learning and assessing happened during the months of online learning.

Reference is made to the following article: https://educationandbehavior.com/is-physical-education-important-in-schools/

Contact me at [email protected] or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaughan-kitson/