As pupils were busy preparing for their return to school after a long summer holiday, staff members were also exercising their brains, gearing up for a term of hard work ahead. During the all-important INSET, both teaching and support staff attended a handful of workshops to gain an insight into different theories about brain development, and develop an understanding of the psychological implications of learning at adolescence. Fellow members of staff, alongside external speakers, gave talks and presentations to the Shiplake College staff.
Motivational speaker Rob Kelly gave a talk entitled The Thrive Programme. Rob, the founder of The Thrive Programme, attended Shiplake to give an inspiring talk about the power of self-belief. Rob has helped thousands of people from a variety of places and backgrounds to overcome challenges, whether personal, mental, health-related or professional. The result has been an exceptional programme, with people choosing to experience everything that is great about life, maintaining a helpful perspective and managing thinking and beliefs, to help alleviate stress, anxiety and other problems. Rob encouraged the staff to take a step back and consider their own outlook on life. The talk was also immensely beneficial in giving teaching staff an indication of how to approach pupils who are suffering from stress or anxiety. The talk is directly related to the College’s emphasis on mindfulness; a popular way of alleviating stress, mindfulness suggests people should take a step back from the stress of everyday life and focus on the good. This is also in-keeping with growth mindset; believing that you can do something is half the battle to actually achieving it. Growth mindset encourages pupils not to dismiss something that is difficult, but to believe that, with a change of attitude towards it, all tasks can be accomplished – in Headmaster Mr Gregg Davies’ words, ‘just try’. For further information on The Thrive Programme, please click here.
Staff also experienced another talk from Jess Thom and Leonie Lightfoot, of The Chimp Paradox. The Chimp Paradox is a theory developed by Professor Steve Peters, which has been developed into a programme for confidence, success and happiness and has found popularity amongst athletes and businessmen, as well as in educational establishments. Jess and Leonie discussed the make-up of the human brain, citing the ‘inner chimp’ as the innate, emotional part of the brain. The ‘human’ part of the brain is a more rational, logical element. The key to the programme is recognising which elements in yourself are chimp and human, and learning to control the ‘inner chimp’. Once people have a handle on this, control over emotional reactions and judgements can be managed and in turn have a significant effect on attitude in the classroom, approaching exams and coursework, and even helping to understand what pupils may want to do post-Shiplake. For further information on The Chimp Paradox, please click here.
Both talks were hugely successful and certainly gave staff members food for thought. As lessons start again, teachers are looking forward to using newfound knowledge to inspire a calm, rational and stress-free environment in which pupils can learn.
