News, Reviews & Resources   ||   Issue #124 March 2016 Dear Reader, It's hard to believe we're almost at Easter already! As has always been the case

StarlinkHead

News, Reviews & Resources   ||   Issue #124 March 2016

dog-filming

Dear Reader,

It's hard to believe we're almost at Easter already! As has always been the case, Starlink went on vacation during January - but since then things have proved unbelievably hectic and, what with one thing and another, I didn't manage to publish a February issue!

Among many other tasks, we've also made a short video showing what Chris's Chair Chi program is all about. We engaged Rockmans Creative Media to make the video and our experience with them has been fantastic!

Filming took place last week, and the video is at the editing and post-production stage. After we have also have final approval from the Aged Care centre where we filmed, I'll be able to share it with Starlink readers.
Meanwhile, in this issue you'll find a bumper collection of resources, which I hope will make up (to some extent at least) for February's missing issue.

Cheers
Sue
BJ Seminars International

I've Been There

young-mother

I’ve Been There is a website for young parents to find out more about pregnancy and parenting, as well as some of the mental health problems that are common during this time.

I’ve Been There is a project co-ordinated by the Mental Health Association NSW and funded by the NSW Ministry of Health.

The site has many tips, resources, stories and links to further information and available support services.

2016 Aged Care Chair Chi Training Workshops

chair-chi-training-pic

We have several Chair Chi training workshops scheduled for 2016. Upcoming dates are:
Sydney: 4 April (Level One), 5 April (Level Two)
Brisbane: 18 April (Level One), 19 April (Level Two)
Perth: 9 May (Level One), 10 May (Level Two)
Adelaide: 23 May (Level One), 24 May (Level Two)
Hobart: 6 June (Level One), 7 June (Level Two)
Launceston: 27 June (Level One), 28 June (Level Two)

We will also be offering these workshops in several Victorian regional centres in the second half of the year. Visit our full Public Program Schedule for details.

Start Early

start-early

Early Childhood Australia (ECA) will shortly have available Start Early, a professional learning package for early childhood educators.

It aims to help educators explore, through short online courses, how everyday behaviours and attitudes shape a child’s lifelong relationships. It’s a long-term strategy to prevent family and domestic violence.

As part of this package, three online modules will be available for six months at no charge after their launch in late March this year. They look at developing Respectful Relations, explore issues around Gender, Respect and Identity, and encourage Father Inclusive Practice.

Five Rules for Managing Intergenerational Teams

intergenerational

Amid all the articles, advice and discussion about the differences between generations, there's some interesting food for thought in this piece written by Jessica Kriegel for Fast Company.

It cautions us against relying on generational definitions and labels when working with colleagues or teams, outlining five key things to remember. As Kriegel concludes:

The labels are too simplistic to describe any one individual with accuracy. Working effectively with intergenerational colleagues means giving each individual—not his or her label—due respect.

And perhaps we could go further and change "intergenerational colleagues" to "anyone" in that last sentence. It's pretty good advice for any situation in which we find ourselves seduced by labels or stereotypes.

Are You Listening?

julian-treasure

How to Speak So People Want to Listen is a TED talk by Julian Treasure, from the UK. It will take only 10 minutes of your time, and has some very useful and practical tips.

Have you ever felt like you're talking, but nobody is listening? Here's Julian Treasure to help. In this useful talk, the sound expert demonstrates the how-tos of powerful speaking - from some handy vocal exercises to tips on how to speak with empathy. A talk that might help the world sound more beautiful.

Here is another of his TED presentations, this time sharing 5 Ways to Listen Better. This one is only 8 minutes long, but offers food for thought - as well as inspiration.

In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening - to other people and the world around you.

Out and About on the Web

mental-illness

Mental Illness Education ACT

 
childhood

Australian Early Development Census 2015

 
bully-free-zone

Bullying Prevention Tips for Schools

 
diversity

Do NFPs Walk the Talk on Diversity?

Building Bridges: A Cross-Service Training Guide

bridge

The BRYCS Clearinghouse is an online collection of thousands of resources related to refugee and immigrant children and families.

The purpose of the Clearinghouse is to facilitate information-sharing and collaboration among service providers, disseminate information on evidence-based practices, and to improve institutional memory on refugee and immigrant family issues.

It is designed to meet the information needs of professionals who encounter refugee and immigrant children and families in their work.

Though US based there is a wealth of information here relevant for an Australian context as well. For example their Guide to Cross-Service Training can provide some helpful tips when seeking to work with other organisations in your community that also work with immigrant or refugee groups.

Useful Questions to Ask When Hiring Staff

question

Hiring new employees can be a time consuming task - and it's not always easy to find the time to develop just the right interview questions for candidates.

Targeted for the health care sector, here is a list of interview questions sourced from a large number of contributors. Though though several questions are industry specific, it's a long list and includes questions suitable for other sectors as well. You may wish 'cherry pick' some questions to use when you're next involved in planning an interview process.

A word of caution from the collator: "Some hiring questions are very clever, some are ok and a few are inappropriate. Use with caution and wisdom."

In Their Shoes & In Their Homes

aged-care

Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) offer two useful resources for those who work in the Aged Care sector:

In Their Shoes
A training resource for new and existing staff, covering the individuality and diversity of older people in residential aged care facilities and what this means for the way in which care is provided.

In Their Homes
A training resource for paid home care workers and registered nurses who provide personal care, care around the home, nursing care or a combination of activities to people in their own homes. It will also be useful for volunteers such as Meals on Wheels workers.

Each booklet covers a wide range of issues, presents several case studies and includes a "For You to Find Out" section, so that workers are aware of their organisation's policies and procedures on specific issues.

Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding

education-group

For educators, this article offers some useful ideas and resources for formative assessment of student progress. There's also a downloadable checklist of 53 differents strategies for you to print and keep handy.

Unlike summative assessment, which evaluates student learning according to a benchmark, formative assessment monitors student understanding so that kids are always aware of their academic strengths and learning gaps. "When the cook tastes the soup," writes Robert E. Stake, "that's formative; when the guests taste the soup, that's summative."

By The Numbers

scissors

5 Distractions To Cut From Your Professional Life

 
brain

5 Tips to Improve Critical Thinking

 
brainstorming

7 Phrases that Kill All Brainstorming Sessions

 
likeable

17 Verbal Habits of Highly Likeable People

5 Common Management Myths

oops

5 Common Mangement Myths is interesting read for anyone in a management position. As the article says in its introduction:

No one knows how it happens or where it starts, but there are several persistent management myths in continuous circulation. Problems can follow, however, when managers apply what they see as common wisdom instead of using their own common sense.

A manager who leads by myth can easily misread actual events and quickly lose the confidence and trust of his or her employees.

To help you make sure these fantasies are not contributing to your own management style, this article is devoted to busting five common myths with a dose of real-world advice.

Portraits of Hope

portraits-of-hope-02

The US-based Portraits of Hope program is aimed at enriching the lives of children and adults - many who may be coping with adversity or serious illness - through their participation in creative, educational, high-profile, one-of-a-kind projects.

Since 1995 the program has used art - of all kinds - to help both young people and adults transform their lives. They run large community-enhancing art projects, and have a core education program focusing on social issues education.

An inspirational concept, and an inspirational site to visit!

Wintergatan Marble Music Machine

wintergatan

Wintergatan ("Milky Way" in English) is a Swedish folktronicaband that has entered the international spotlight this year with the release of their music video "Marble Machine".

If you've not already seen the video, it's worth watching, whatever your taste in music may be.

A triumph of creativity and engineering, this is a machine music box that plays vibraphone, bass guitar, and drums using 2000 marbles.

It's an inspiration - if not to everyone, then definitely to these young kids who created their own version using marbles, a xylophone and Lego blocks! :)

facebook linkedin twitter youtube
1px