Thursday, 29 October 2015

HAVE YOU FINISHED YOUR APPLICATION FOR THE GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE ?




About The Global Teacher Prize

The Global Teacher Prize is a one million dollar award that is given to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.
The Varkey Foundation launched the Global Teacher Prize in 2014 to raise the stature of the teaching profession. We seek to celebrate the best teachers — those who inspire their students and community around them. The Foundation believes that vibrant education awakens and supports the full potential of young people. The status of teachers in our cultures is key to our global future.
The award — the ‘Nobel Prize’ of teaching — operates under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai.
The Prize underlines the importance of the teaching profession and symbolizes the fact that teachers throughout the world deserve to be recognised and celebrated.
There were over 5,000 nominations and applications from 127 countries for the inaugural year of the Global Teacher Prize which generated a huge amount of media interest around the world.
At the Global Education and Skills Forum 2015, USA educator Nancie Atwell was announced as the winner from the Top 10 outstanding finalists.

For more information click
http://bit.ly/1GBVx9R
http://www.globalteacherprize.org/about

Let's transform our children from those who have nothing to lose into those who have something to lose.


THE FUTURE FOR NIGERIA :
I was a witness to yesterday's carnage in Yola; I wasn't at the scene of the incident but I've attended to the victims in hospital. The big question on my mind, of course, is how did we get here? How did we end up with the situation where there is an endless supply of children ready to detonate bombs and kill themselves and others? Why are so many children not on "our side" but on the terrorists' side?
I know that children often do not decide on their own but are instructed by adults. But what made the adults themselves to easily buy into the idea? I don't think this is religious conviction. I believe the problem is that we have a whole bunch of people who are so alienated from whatever the modern world has to offer that they have nothing to lose. I believe that the gap between leaders and the led has reached its widest level ever in the history of our nation such that the two now live in two completely separate worlds. For leaders, life is about the government house, the entourage of hangers-on and spin doctors, chartered flights, homes in Abuja and Dubai, Hajj and Umrah, foreign schools for the kids, childbirth in the US and medical check-up in London. For the led, life is about a meager existence, too many mouths to feed, dilapidated primary and secondary schools, near-impossible university admission etc. The two worlds hardly ever meet except at campaigns rallies where a tiny amount of ill-gotten wealth is thrown at the masses. The poor are hungry, ignorant, alienated, disillusioned, frustrated and desperate - and they are hitting back!
In the past, there was a reasonable connection between leaders and the led. Leaders used to visit schools to speak with pupils and teachers; food, books, uniforms, toiletries were given almost free. Traditional rulers used to visit schools to chat with kids and give them oranges. On Childrens Day and October 1, children would wear sparkling uniforms and go for a march past in front of the governor. School sports competitions may be attended by a top government official. All these are now gone. Nobody bothers about "small things" any more. For leaders, there is so much money to be made and so many wonderful trips to undertake. Mingling with the poor is even "risky" these days.
What do we need to do? We need to inject a lot of soft power in the fight against boko haram - not in the form of some misguided "negotiations" with terrorists but in the way of closing the gap between leaders and the led. Leaders need to win back the faith of the masses. We need a back-to-basics campaign combined with anti-corruption and anti-boko haram propaganda.
A visit to public schools in Adamawa state is enough to convince anyone that normal life has indeed been strangulated long ago and children have nothing left to do other than to carry bombs. We are paying a heavy price for our decades-long mistakes, for the greed, avarice and thoughtlessness of our leaders. Our very survival is hanging in the balance. We must retrace our steps and we must start now
Picture: FCT SAGE Team Students weaving school sweaters as one of their annual  business project.
  
Let's transform our children from those who have nothing to lose into those who have something to lose. Let's give them education and hope in life such that no one can convince them to carry a bomb. Let's bring them firmly to our side such that they will even call the police if someone asks them to carry a bomb.

Written by :Dr Raji Bello 

Tuesday, 27 October 2015

Projects at the 2015 SAGE National Exhibition and Awards.

WIBITECH Winners SAGE Team –Winners International School ,Nkpo ,Anambra State: WIBITECH Bio-gas Plant

WIBITECH is a bio-gas plant which can generate bio –gas for cooking and bio-fertilizer form disposable waste from their community.
Bio-gas project was created to help improve healthy leaving, Improve electricity, create employment and reduce global warming in their community.
The team collected cow dung from slaughter houses and food waste from different households, schools, local food joints which serves as raw waste material to produce gas .





The WIBITECH team emerged the 2nd Runner Up at the 2015 SAGE National Exhibition and Awards.


Creative Brains SAGE Team –Government Secondary School,Garki,Abuja

Project :BEE Keeping
To the teams greatest surprise, They found out in every 100 patient, 20 were suffering from diabetics and5 being young, showing the high rate of diabetics in the world of today. The team decided to go into the production of a new brand of honey gotten from the combination of two botanical origins into a unique blend that has dark amber colour .
The team took a blood sugar level test on members of their school both teachers and students, before and after the administration of their honey, after 5week a test was conducted, they found out that for those who had elevated blood sugar level, a slight reduction was noticed and those with normal sugar level it was found out their sugar level remained constant.
Presently their honey is recommended by pharmacists and doctors from various hospitals so that patients can have access to high quality natural honey and also found in shops. The team secured the 1st Runner Up position at the competition.



The Craft House SAGE Team –University of Calabar International Demonstration Secondary School ,Calabar.

Project :CAL –BIOFUEL


Harmful gases which includes fossil fuel burning and deforestation is one of the major causes that gives an upwards push for the amount of green house gases in the atmosphere causing global warming contributing to health problems.
The SAGE Team saw an immediate need for an alternative eco –friendly fuel, thus embarked on the production of biodiesel utilizing waste cooking oil sin their community which was branded CAL-BIOFUEL ,with the advantages of been safe to produce ,low toxicity and high bio-degradability etc.

The team created a cooking oil collection programme Tagged “Drops of Life “through this programme an environmental awareness was created to highlight the importance of used cooking oil recycling instead of disposing them indiscriminately.
As a sign of massive improvement, the venture has currently attracted numerous interested costumers and members of the Drop of Life “Programme. The Craft House SAGE team won the 1st Position in the Social Enterprise Business category of the competition which gave them the ticket to represent the country at the 2015 SAGE World Cup in Seoul, South Korea, where they faced teams from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, USA, Philippines etc.







Monday, 26 October 2015

Things You Didn’t Know About Africa’s Richest Female Billionaire Isabel dos Santos

Isabel dos Santos, oldest daughter of Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos, has amassed a fortune of more than $3 billion USD, making her the richest woman in Africa. With investments in a wide array of sectors, dos Santos has long been a controversial figure. Her wealth is far and beyond the imagination of most Angolans, where the average wages are less than $2 USD per day. Here are 12 things you didn’t know about Africa’s only female billionaire, Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos.
Isabel dos Santos is the daughter of President dos Santos and his first wife, Tatiana Kukanova, a Russian chess champion
Isabel dos Santos was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, where her parents were both studying engineering at the time. She grew up as the war for independence between Angola and its colonial ruler, Portugal, came to a head. Even after her father became president in 1979, she spent some time in a state school in Luanda before moving to London to live with her mother after her parents separated. She attended school there
Selling chicken eggs at age 6 was her first foray into business
Growing up, Isabel was always business-minded, first selling chicken eggs at age of six to feed her candy-floss (cotton candy) habit. She also set up a garbage collection business at a young age that never went anywhere, but allowed her to learn from the failed venture and hone her business sense.
She is Africa’s youngest billionaire
In addition to being the first and only billionaire in Africa, Isabel is also the continent’s youngest billionaire. Born in 1973, she is just 41 years old. She is often referred to derisively as “the princess” due to her rich upbringing in the presidential palace and subsequent success in the business world.
Her first investment was in a beachside bar and restaurant in Luanda
In 1997, the owner of Miami Beach, a run-down bar-restaurant in Luanda brought Isabel in as an investor. Though her initial investment was fairly minimal, the gravitas associated with her name helped the bar deal with government regulators that were after the bar over health and tax issues.
Isabel’s wedding cost an estimated $4 million USD
In 2003, dos Santos wed Congolese art collector Sindika Dokolo – and son of banking tycoon Sanu Dokolo – in an extravagant ceremony. There were rumors that a choir from Belgium was flown in for the event, and several African presidents were at the elaborate affair with more than 100 guests.
She has homes in four countries
Partially due to her diverse business interests, and in part thanks to the international nature of her family, Isabel and her husband have homes in Luanda, London, Lisbon, and Johannesburg. She also speaks several languages, though leaves all of her dealings with the media to spokespeople, preferring to maintain a low personal profile.
She has a 25% stake in Unitel, Angola’s first private mobile phone operator
In 1999, President Dos Santos and his government granted Unitel the rights to be the first private mobile telephone operator in Angola, and maintained the power to approve projects and direct the shareholding structure of the company. Isabel emerged from the deal with a 25-percent stake in Unitel. She said she invested her own capital. It remains unclear how much the initial investment was. Today, Unitel is Angola’s largest private company with annual revenue of more than $2 billion USD, and Isabel’s share is about $1 billion USD.
Dos Santos is the biggest shareholder in Portuguese media conglomerate, Zon
Dos Santos owns 28.8-percent of Zon, a Portuguese media conglomerate. Her investment is valued at more than $385 million USD. She is also a major controller in several other Portuguese companies including Banco BPI, in which she controls 19.5-percent of stock, valued at $465 million USD. She has been making moves to buy the majority stake in Portugal Telecom, a company that owns more than a quarter of Brazilian telecom operator Oi.
She has been celebrated by state-run media outlets, such as Jornal de Angola
In 2012, the state-owned newspaper Jornal de Angola awarded Isabel the title Entrepreneur of the Year, and for years has been on a positive-spin campaign on her behalf. After Forbes Magazine publicly declared dos Santos a billionaire, the Jornal wrote, “While we give out best for Angola without poverty, we are elated with the fact that businesswoman Isabel dos Santos has become a reference in the world of finances. This is good for Angola and it fills Angolans with pride.”
Isabel sees her role in Angola as opportunity creator
Despite criticism that her vast wealth is at odds with the majority of Angolans who live below the poverty line, Isabel points to the fact that the middle class is growing, and she says poverty is lessening in her country as a direct result of the improving economy. “How do you get inequality lower? Well, by creating opportunities and creating more and more development,” she said. “You wake up in the morning and work, do something. It will take a lot of time but the more things happen, the more things are built.”

HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA, ESPECIALLY FACEBOOK, TO MEASURE THE ENTREPRENEURIAL QUOTIENT OF NIGERIANS




“We cannot gloss over facts and expect problems to solve themselves.” –Ahmadu Bello.
The fact staring us in the face in this country is that a large percentage of our citizens are unemployed and looking for non-existent jobs. Another sad fact staring us in the face is that no nation can rise to economic greatness where able bodied citizens are idle and doing nothing. And the saddest of all the facts is that we will never get out of this mess with how the system works.
We have a system that churn out graduates who don’t know jack about starting a business or creating value. They come out brandishing a piece of paper called a certificate expecting a job from the government and everyone; they have this attitude of “expectational arrogance”. They are graduates, they have finished their NYSC, and so somebody must owe them a job. How sad.
Most Nigerians never think of creating a job and employing others. They don’t believe in further training or acquiring a new skill that will help them start out on their own. For them once they are done with formal schooling they deserve a job. Well, maybe they do deserve a job, but the best way to get a job in Nigeria is to create one. Even those doing some sort of business are never satisfied until they get a “job”. I met a cab driver in Abuja who makes more money than a bank teller monthly but he was still begging for a job. As far as he is concerned he must wake up every morning and go to a place called a “job” before he is satisfied. This is our general attitude with just a few exceptions.
Granted that our educational system doesn’t prepare us to be entrepreneurs, but once we are out of school we ought to take responsibility for our thoughts and our actions. The system prepares you to be broke but your attitude will keep you broke. Take charge of your attitude. Attend a training, hone your talents, acquire a skill, get business mentoring and start out on your own. It is really sad to see Nigerians work for years in a bank without learning how to start and run a bank, this also goes for those working in hotels, schools, NGOs, etc. what matters to them is to take peanuts home every month.
While I was working as the Programs Manager of a top NGO in Nigeria I noticed that my secretary never bothered understanding all the concept notes and proposals I was giving her to type, she didn’t bother to inquire how we raised money and engaged our donors, she didn’t bother to know how we executed and evaluated projects. When I asked her why, she said it didn’t occur to her. But she didn’t change. One day when I couldn’t take it any longer I fired her. I don’t like such folks around me, they poison my work atmosphere.
One of the best ways to measure this attitude of Nigerians is on social media, especially Facebook. You can try it. Write anything about business or a business training, you will get no comments, no questions and just a couple of “likes”. Nigerian youths hardly engage you on any post that has to do with entrepreneurship. They don’t want to create value, they don’t want to learn anything about starting a business. They want someone to give them a job, job, job, job…
Do another test. Just post about a job opening anywhere even in a Filling Station and see the number of comments and inbox messages you will get. Infact the easiest way to scam a Nigerian is to tell him about a job offer. Nigerians spend more money in bribes trying to get a job than they spend in acquiring skills and knowledge needed to start and run a profitable business. You will see 1 million Nigerians applying for just 10 spots in a company and it beats me hollow to imagine that none of those Nigerians are thinking about starting a company like the one they are applying to. Rather they will give you a thousand reasons why they can’t do it, forgetting that the company they are applying to succeeded inspite of those reasons.
Nigerians also love fast money. I also like to make fast money but it’s just that most avenues promoted online for this fast money making are fake. Have you seen this craze about “click on this link, register and share with your friends and make $100 daily for doing nothing! Click now”? And you will see graduates clicking and sharing it on their wall. If you share a link about a training or a course on how to acquire a skill to start a business those same folks will not click it.
Nigerians also love magic and miracles. Just post a picture of a top man of God like Enoch Adeboye or David Oyedepo and write a short post like this: “I declare that all the witches in your village preventing you from getting a job will die by fire before Monday next week. Click ‘Like’ and type ‘Amen’ to claim it!” I bet you my laptop you will get nothing less than 1000 ‘likes’ and comments. But if you write an article about business, my brother nobody go answer you o. They want magic not education. Personally I’m still looking for that Bible verse that say you must type ‘Amen’ on a Facebook post to get a job or be blessed.
I call on all young Nigerians to break this jinx upon our generation, this jinx placed on us by culture and our educational system. Let’s break this vicious circle of poverty. Let’s change our attitude and watch our lives change. Change your perspective, be open to new knowledge and insights, attend trainings, get a mentor, and transform your talents and skills into businesses. Let’s change our story and that of Nigeria and Africa. The future depend on you.

Written by :First Baba Isa 
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ATTENTION!!!!!! SAGE TEAMS AROUND THE WORLD



ATTENTION SAGE Family  from far and wide !!!!!!!

 Enter our Social Media Sweepstakes for a chance to win a brand new HP Laptop for your team! All you have to do is email us at compete@sageglobal.org with links to your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Gain the most follows/likes in a month period and you win! 

Enrollment for the sweepstakes ends Nov. 6 at 11:59 pm PST,

So what are you waiting for? Enter today! #sageglobal#entrepreneurs #win

Wednesday, 21 October 2015

Leadership,Technology & Personal Development Workshop with T eam Charis

The SAGE Nigeria Alumni  set to  host the 2015 leadership,Technology &Personal Development workshop for secondary school and out of school youths.

See post for more details. 

Monday, 12 October 2015

Join the discourse at the 21st Nigerian Economic Summit

The Nigerian Economic Group presents the 21st Nigerian Economic summit; theme: Tough Choices: Achieving competitiveness, inclusive growth and sustainability. Come and be part of the crucial talks targeted at addressing how to achieve competiveness and inclusive growth for the Nigerian economy through measurable outcomes .

This summit seeks to examine and facilitate stakeholders’ consensus onhow best to achieve competitiveness and inclusive growth in a sustainable way, through measurable outcomes and as such it is expected that the Summit conclusions will be crucial in defining the agenda that will help in making Nigeria’s socio-economic environment globally competitive.

Key issues to be discussed include: how to create jobs, approaches to achieving peace and security, dismantling the pillars of corruption, strengthening institutions and the attainment of sustainable macro-economic stability and inclusive growth amongst other reforms

 His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to lead a Presidential Policy dialogue which will focus on key strategic elements required to make Nigeria globally competitive.

Other sessions during NES#21 include: Leveraging Nigeria’s Competitive Advantage; Business and Sustainability in the Age of SDGs; Roundtable with the Vice President on Reforming Public Institutions; Roundtable with the National Assembly on Setting a Legislative Framework for High-Performance Governance; Conversation with State Governors on Sub-National Competiveness; Policy Commission breakout sessions as well as Design Workshops. Date is 13– 15, 2015 To register, visit nesgroup.org The 21st Nigerian Economic Summit; working towards a better Nigeria!

Sunday, 11 October 2015

5 key lessons on building trust in business

By Cynthia Hansen


While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for building trust, there are some common pitfalls that companies suffer when putting trust into practice. As part of the Leadership, Trust, and Performance Equation project conducted by the World Economic Forum, participants from business, government and civil society shared valuable experiences, both successes and frustrations. From these, five common misconceptions about building trust in business emerged:
Being compliant is equal to gaining trust
Companies often prioritize being compliant, rather than values-led, undermining the importance of changing the behaviours needed to build trust. For example, after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, BP initially reacted with a focus on “compliance” instead of doing the “right thing.” The public wanted visible ownership of the problem, public apologies and quick action to address the needs of families impacted. A focus on compliance is unemotional, and places too much attention to the hygiene factors versus differentiating factors. Hygiene factors are the minimum requirement to build trust, such as following basic standards and regulations. This is box-ticking. Differentiating factors set a company apart from its competitors. For example, clear, public media responses to stakeholder needs and concerns in a crisis send the clear message “we hear your concerns and are taking action.” Companies must separate the differentiating factors from the hygiene factors when it comes to trust.
Trust is built throughMARKETING
You cannot market your way to trust. In one of the workshops, participants debated the right approach to marketing. One group felt that a company should stronglyCOMMUNICATE its good deeds. The other group felt that this could be perceived as a PR exercise, not based on pure motives. A participant said that his company specifically did not communicate actions it took to successfully resolve a customer service crisis for fear that “the right thing to do” would be instead as a PR stunt. This aversion to sharing success stories belies the complexity of the trust issue and the quandary in which companies find themselves. The key is that a company cannot rely on communication efforts alone to build trust, and that communication must be underpinned by real, authentic action.
A company does not have to be trustworthy to build trust
“Without values, the practice of trust building is mere risk management,” according to one workshop participant. Trust-building needs to be underpinned by the company’s values and inform its behaviours. The public quickly sees if a company’s statements are not backed up by actions and clear examples of courageous leadership. A company that hollowly promotes trust as an antidote to crisis is likely to meet public scepticism. One that claims to value trust and then makes choices that hurt stakeholders will be seen as false. Leaders need to closely examine their values and norms, to ensure that they are building trust for honest reasons, not for fear of getting caught doing something illegal or against stakeholder interests. A company that sticks by its values, even at the cost of short-term profits, will be seen as genuine and truly trustworthy.
The CEO is the face of trust of an organization
If trust is a human emotion and a company is an entity that can’t emote, then how can a company build trust with people? The role of CEO and Chairman in demonstrating a company’s behaviours is paramount. The recent departure of Pimco’s well-respected CEO Bill Gross illustrates how a CEO can be a trust asset for a company. The retention of other CEOs whose actions have undermined public trust has further damaged the reputation of companies and sectors. While the CEO and Chair are often the most visible face of the company, they cannot and should not be its only face of trust. Awareness of the importance of trust and the espousal of trust-building behaviours needs to be aligned across all levels of a company. In fact, employees are often the most under-utilized resources in building trust.
Managing trust is managing one’s reputation
Give up on reputation management alone. Reputation cannot be controlled, as it depends on how stakeholders perceive the company. Instead, focus on behaviours that build trust, because you can more effectively influence how your company behaves.
McDonald’s recently launched a campaign in Canada, New Zealand and Australia to be more transparent with its customers. Instead of using traditional phone calls and emails to address customers’ questions, it created online videos that revealed information that the public would not otherwise see. For example, in one video, food stylists demonstrated why the hamburger in an advertisement looks different from the actual product. This authenticity and transparency increased customer trust and strengthened the company’s reputation.
Even though it may seem risky, companies need to move away from spin and “have the real conversation” with stakeholders. It will pay off. A workshop participant shared her experience of building trust between pharmaceutical companies and international organizations by having frank conversations about prices and profits. As a result, the parties were able to reach an agreement that enabled win-win situations for the private sector, government and the end users.
While overcoming these common misconceptions may seem daunting, in reality, common sense and clear values will take you a long way. Ask yourself a few key questions:
  • What would my stakeholders think if they read about this in the press?
  • Would my employees stand by this decision?
  • Is this about building for the future or patching holes for the short-term?
  • Will this add to my own legacy and that of the company?
  • Will this decision let me and my key stakeholders sleep at night?
Though there is no magic bullet, the answers to these questions will help you make choices that will build trust with your stakeholders. It is not rocket science; it isCOLLABORATIVELY sending someone to the moon.
Find out more through the World Economic Forum initiative Unlocking Trust: Better Understand Trust Building in Business
Author: Cynthia Hansen, Head of Professional Services, World Economic Forum
Image: Students shake hands during etiquette training at a vocational school in Beijing October 25, 2007. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Friday, 9 October 2015

HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE SCHOOL EDUCATION?







Image: First graders work with XO laptop computers at a public school in Montevideo October 13, 2009. REUTERS/Andres Stapff
Reports about the deficiencies of primary and secondary education are released almost daily. The PISA test, for example, which quantitatively tests 15-years-olds in 65 countries, showed a decrease in academic performance from 2003 to 2012. This is despite additional resources provided by the governments and regulations put in place, such as extending the school day. Clearly, our current approach is not working. But why?
Today’s students are fundamentally different from students 20 years ago. Given the technology revolution, students interface with screens more frequently than people. Additionally, they are growing up in a global community without leaving their homes. Yet, we are trying to educate them in the same way, using the same pedagogical methods developed over 100 years ago. Adaption permeates every industry, and it is no less important in an educational setting.
However, given the poor student-teacher ratios and the ageing teacher population in developed countries (as well as the low percentage of trained teachers in many developing countries), how should the educational system be changed? Who is qualified to develop this new curriculum, and how will it be disseminated?
The good news is that many of these same questions have already been asked (and answered) in the higher education arena.
Under the broader category of distance learning, universities have expanded their impact by offering online courses, which can be taken by anyone around the world. The courses are created by the faculty and hosted by the university. Additionally, they are seamlessly integrated into accredited higher-education programmes. It is equally important to provide a paradigm for the student to receive credit for their classwork in a primary and secondary education system. It’s something to consider as part of a technology-based approach for a primary or secondary education setting.
Distance learning in a university setting actually pre-dates the internet. Originally, universities used teleconference systems. When the internet became broadly available, the translation of the approach was fairly straightforward and readily adopted. An online course can include any of the following: video lectures (real-time or pre-recorded), lecture notes, e-textbooks and interactive discussion boards. And just because it’s virtual it doesn’t rule out homework, exams andCOLLABORATIVE team projects (although structures vary by discipline). These types of classes work well in a higher education setting, with a student who is self-motivated and where high-speed internet is available. But it is not clear if such an approach would translate to a primary or secondary education setting where one-on-one attention is frequently needed and students do not all have equal internet access.
In the past two decades, significant research has shown that active learning is more effective. Based on this, faculty began to implement pedagogical techniques such as “flipping the classroom”, in which students are assigned reading tasks and active learning with the professor happens during class time. For example, the students might read a chapter in a textbook before class, and during class answer questions as a group or perform an activity based around the material. The key difference is that the professor does not spend class time teaching the material, but instead the students are actively engaged with the material. In many classes, in order to accomplish this change, the faculty have leveraged the internet, creating a hybrid model where a portion of the class is online and a portion is in-person.
This model is ideally suited for translation to a primary or secondary education setting, in either a developed or developing country.
How should the educational system be changed?
This approach will allow teachers to spend classroom time more effectively by integrating active-learning principles and focusing class time on the more challenging aspects of a given subject or group activities designed to promote the development of creativity and empathy. For example, short quizzes can be given nightly and graded electronically, providing rapid feedback with minimal additional work for the teacher on topics where the students might be struggling. Alternatively, “challenge problems” can be given to the students, testing their understanding of a topic but requiring them to work together to come up with a solution.
Additionally, for some subjects, an interactive or international classroom could be created, adding an entirely new dimension to primary and secondary education. These global classrooms would be particularly suited for languages and history, and would better prepare students for a global society.
Who is qualified to develop this?
An ongoing study by the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Educationproject has identified that primary and secondary education needs to expand from its current focus on maths and writing to include soft skills, such as creativity,COMMUNICATION and critical thinking. Given this paradigm shift, it is necessary to have the curriculum developed by teachers who have a similarly transformative mindset. Additionally, teachers from around the globe are needed to tailor curricula to specific countries and cultures.
Fortunately, the Forum’s Young Global Leaders community recently launched a global initiative to recognize the top teachers. Many of these teachers have been nominated because they possess exactly this approach to education, and they would be ideally suited to begin the creation of such curricula. If a global initiative was launched by the Forum, these leading primary and secondary teachers would be ideally suited to act as leaders for their countries, identifying and recruiting other top teachers.
How will it be disseminated?
Given the varying quality of internet access in both developed and developing countries, the translation or dissemination approach is quite possibly the largest challenge.
In many developing countries, the internet may not be the best or most reliable approach. Assuming computers are present, CDs/DVDs/USB drives with modules that the students can either print out or transfer to other devices could be created and disseminated. After students complete the modules, the feedback could be sent (or printed out and handed in) to the teacher, who can then optimize the class time to best target the weaknesses of the students. To further help teachers in rural areas with this type of adaptable curriculum, suggestions for how to address different weakness areas could be developed. It is also important to note that the general assumption that the internet is universally accessible in developed countries is not completely true. For example, there are many regions in the United States, such as the Appalachian Mountains, which have limited or no access.
In regions with broad access to the internet, the implementation will be more straightforward and the system could be more interactive, perhaps including features inspired by higher education such as global classrooms and discussion boards.
Regardless of the country or the teacher, the ultimate goal is to improve primary and secondary education. Increasing class time does not improve the hard skills, and the soft skills are worse than in the previous generation. Therefore, to address both gaps, a transformation in our fundamental approach to primary and secondary education is needed. More classroom time needs to be dedicated to group or team activities that require creative thought, communication andCOLLABORATION, but which reinforce the hard skills, such as maths and literature. By integrating technology into primary and secondary curricula, this shift is possible.
Author: Andrea Armani is Associate Professor at University of Southern California

9 surprising business beliefs from successful people




These business beliefs from successful people are ideas that anybody can apply to their business to improve their practice. Compiled by Entrepreneur, these practices are not your typical ones but they surely are effective.

1) Everybody can succeed

“The point is this: When seen through the lens of technology, few resources are truly scarce; they’re mainly inaccessible [at this very moment.]” – Peter Diamandis, in Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think 
Don’t fear getting closed out and don’t fear your competition. “The most productive people have an ’abundance mentality.’ They know there are enough resources and opportunities for everyone to thrive.” This is because successful people realize that those who work hard will succeed in their own right. There is enough room for everybody to succeed merely because so many people just give up trying. Don’t give up. Think bigger and realize there are unlimited possibilities in your life.

2) Love being wrong

“[Being truly open-minded] demands that you get over your ego-driven desire to have whatever answer you happen to have in your head be right. Instead, you need to actively question all of your opinions and seek out the reasoning behind alternative points of view.” – Ray Dalio, billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates
You have to appreciate the problems and mistakes in your life because those are how you learn. “Anybody who takes too much pride in being right will miss out on opportunities to learn something new.” This is because they are missing out on the valuable lessons you learn during mistakes. These may sometimes be the harshest, but they are also oftentimes the most effective lessons you need to learn. Love being wrong because of what you learn from being wrong. Don’t resent it.

3) Value yourself

“Set the standard! Stop expecting others to show you love, acceptance, commitment, and respect when you don’t even show that to yourself.” – Steve Maraboli, bestselling author and behavioral science academic
Here’s the bottom line with valuing yourself: you have to love and respect yourself before you can expect anybody else to value you. You don’t have to be self-deprecating in order to be successful. “Depleting yourself will prevent you from serving others at all.” So, you see, it is quite the opposite. Value yourself and remember your importance so that others can see it as well.

4) Be specific

“Winners make a habit of manufacturing their own positive expectations in advance of the event.” – Brian Tracy, bestselling author and entrepreneur
What this means is that you need to be specific about what you want to achieve before you can achieve it… and then you need to dedicate yourself to that path. “High achievers clearly envision their ’success paths.’ Other people stress about contingency planning and ‘escape routes.’” This will get you nowhere. You need to use your energies to be productive and think about your goals – otherwise, you’ll be focusing on your contingency plan and that will become your plan.

5) Less is more

“Being busy is a form of laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.” – Tim Ferriss, bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek
People today have a habit of filling their time with anything that will make them seem busy. Being busy might seem important and productive, but being busy and being productive are not synonymous. “Busyness is not productivity; the most effective people know that sometimes the antidote to feeling overwhelmed is to stop and do nothing. Take a nap. Or go play….hit the reset button.” It is vital to your life and wellbeing, never mind your creativity and productiveness, that you hit that reset button every once in awhile. Take a break and remember to actually live your life and fill it with meaningful work instead of busy work.

6) Energy – not time

“Manage your energy, not your time. If you take a moment to think about it, you’ll probably realize that you are better at doing certain tasks at certain times.” – James Clear, entrepreneur and behavior science expert
Time management is not the same thing as energy management. Business beliefs from successful people focus on productivity. “They focus on maintaining and increasing their energy level.” This requires successful people to sit back and focus their attention as well as their energy. “They understand the difference between potential energy and kinetic energy and understand how to set up their environment to make success nearly inevitable.” Focus on your energy and how you spend your time, rather than on how much time you spend doing something.

7) Think smart

“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.” – Stephen Covey, bestselling author and educator
The way you think is the way you live. You need to think positively and think about your successes. You need to think about what you want to do and how you are going to do it. Don’t daydream, but think of your plans and think of what you can do today to achieve your goals. This is going to be intrinsic to any successful person’s achievements because your thoughts are more likely to be actualized than anything else because they are your focus.

8) Be happy

“Research shows that when people work with a positive mind-set, performance on nearly every level – productivity, creativity, engagement – improves.” – Shawn Anchor, positive psychology researcher at Harvard
You truly need to focus on being happy so that you can become happy. People who are happy are more successful because they are focusing on their positive aspects of life rather than their negative. “Happiness only comes from within.” You have to create happiness yourself and focus on that so that you can beget happiness and success.

9) Choose your friends wisely

“Don’t join an easy crowd; you won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform are high.” – Jim Rohn, motivational speaker
If you are the smartest person around you there is no room for growth. You need to be around people who challenge you to become a better person so that you can work on your own future and improve that rather than slip backwards. Learn the value of challenges and friendships that are going to have high expectations for you so that you can live up to those expectations rather than follow the noise and blend in with the crowd. Successful people are set apart from the rest because they seek challenges in their daily life so that they are constantly improving.

Source:Ziglar Vault