BE FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT

Financial freedom means that you get to make life decisions without being overly stressed about the financial impact because you are prepared. It is much more than having money. It’s the freedom to be who you really are and do what you really want in life. And many of us, (especially women) lose site of this by putting others first and playing many different roles.

If you want to be financially-free, you need to become a different person than you are today and let go of whatever has held you back in the past. It’s a process of growth, improvement and gaining spiritual and emotional strength to become the most powerful, happy, and successful “you”. That is the real reward of financial independence.

Many people want to be financially free but only a few actually achieve that financial freedom they long for…

We all want to have enough money so that we never have to worry about money again. The BIG question is, “Are you in for it or not?”

Yet, the good news is that there are more people achieving financial freedom faster today than ever before. Through proper financial planning and making it a goal to improve your personal finances, you can become one of them too.

You need to control your finances instead of being controlled by them. The path to financial independence isn’t a get-rich-quick strategy. And financial freedom doesn’t mean that you’re “free” of the responsibility of handling your money well. Quite the opposite. Having complete control over your finances is the fruit of hard work, sacrifice and time. And all of that effort is worth it!

ARE YOU READY TO CLIMB THE LADDER TO BEING FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT? ALRIGHT, LET’S UNLOCK THE 10 CODES OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM

1. Begin To Think Positively About Money: Part of becoming rich involves thinking positively about money. Thinking negatively about money is an emotional obstacle that you must eliminate in order to achieve financial freedom. You must eliminate the thoughts that having more money leads to evil or that money can’t buy you happiness.

When you begin thinking positively about money, you will attract opportunities and open up more doors than you ever thought possible

2. Set Financial Goals For Yourself:

Write, rewrite and review your goals on your notepad every day and think of how you will accomplish them. This will take you some minutes. The very act of writing and rewriting your goals, and thinking about them each day before you start off, will increase your chances of accomplishing them.

Financial goals don’t just happen. You make them happen. This step requires you to assess where you want to be five, ten and twenty years from now and answer some big questions, such as where you want to live in retirement and when you want to stop working.

One tip is to visualize what your life will be like 10 years from now if you do everything right. Most people’s goals are more realistic, such as keeping up their current standard of living in retirement (with maybe a few upgrades), preventing any financial disasters, and having the freedom to do the things they love, such as spending more time with friends and family.

3. Plan Every Day In Advance: Planning is very essential in everything we do. In fact, prior proper preparation prevents poor performance.

The very act of planning each day, each week, and each month in advance will make you far sharper and more precise in everything you do. You will find yourself with better focus and a greater sense of self-control and personal power when you work from a list.

When you plan every day in advance you will be better able to control and track your spending habits as well. Plan how much you have to spend for the week, the month, the year and decide where you will be able to save.

4. The Principle Of Concentration: Concentrate single-mindedly, every hour of every day, on the most valuable use of your time.

The principle of concentration is absolutely essential to achieve financial freedom. Virtually everything you do in terms of goal setting and financial planning is aimed at enabling you to determine the one or two things that you should concentrate on more than anything else.

Your ability to develop the habit of concentration will do more to ensure your personal finance success than perhaps any other skill or habit you can acquire.

The things you focus the most on and spend the most time doing should be in direct alignment with your financial goals. Spend your time focused on what will make you the most money.

5. Invest In Yourself: Listen to successful people, especially those in your discipline, then you can become one of the most knowledgeable and most skilled persons in your profession.

Purchase courses on money management, read books on personal finance, and find articles online about money.

Very soon you will have so much knowledge in the area of money that people will come to you for advice.

6. Rate Yourself With Questions:

Ask yourself these questions after every meeting and every event of importance in your life. The first question is, “What did I do right?” And the second question is, “What would I do differently, next time?”

By reviewing your performance immediately after every meeting, sales call, and presentation, you will become better and better, faster than you can imagine.

The answers to both of these questions are positive.

By reviewing what you did right and what you would do differently next time, you program into your mind a predisposition to be even better the next time out.

If you take a few minutes and write down everything you did right and everything you would do differently immediately after a call or presentation, you can double and triple the speed at which you learn and grow and improve in your work.

Improving yourself and your quality of work will, in effect, improve the money you make.

7. Be Generous To Others: The point here is to treat everyone you meet like a special customer. Treat every single person, at home and at work, as if they were the most important person in the world.

Since everybody believes that he or she is the most important person in the world, when you treat them as if they were, they appreciate your recognition and acknowledgment more than you can imagine.

It is a proven fact that being a more generous person will help you attract more wealth and become a happier person

8. Discover Your Location: Before you start worrying about where you want to go, you first have to figure out where you are now. In this step you’ll create a net worth statement, which is essentially an honest measure of your current wealth. You do this by tallying up the value of what you own (your assets) and what you owe (your liabilities). When you subtract your liabilities from your assets, you get a number that represents your net worth. Your net worth statement is an important tool that charts your financial progress over the years. For instance, if your net worth is going down, you’re eroding your wealth and making it harder to achieve your goals. If it’s increasing, you’re on your way to getting richer and achieving your financial goals.

9. Track And Adjust Your Spending: The key to building a strong financial plan for the future is to understand how much you spend and save right now. This is called tracking your cash flow, and it can give you a sense of control and confidence that makes it easier to make financial changes in your life.

“The part most people dread is taking a really close look at their expenses,” says Mizgala. “But don’t put it off. Successfully managing cash flow is your key to financial control. It will give you an awareness that has more long-term value than anything you can invest in, buy or sell.”

The point of the exercise is to find out whether you finish each year with a cash surplus or a cash deficit. This number will tell you about your general financial shape. A surplus means you’re living within your means, while a deficit shows you’re spending more than you make. If you have a deficit, you will have to cut your expenses (or increase your income) to achieve any financial spending

Look closer, are your expenses higher than your income? If so, you’re living beyond your means. You’ll need to adjust your expenses accordingly so you don’t go further into debt. This step is not about punishing yourself. If you’d rather eat out four times a week than purchase an estate in 10 years, that’s your choice. But you owe it to yourself to be honest about what you’re doing so you’re not wondering why you can’t reach your financial goals.

If you decide to cut back, there are some less painful ways of doing it. Consider cutting out one major expense completely.

10. Write Up A Will: Every adult who owns assets and has a spouse or children should have a will. An accurate and up-to-date will is the only way to ensure your assets will be distributed the way you want them to be. If you don’t have one, you’re letting the laws in the province you live in make those decisions for you or family conflicts. And if you hold the belief that your spouse or children will automatically inherit everything—you’re wrong. (Research more about that depending on your country and culture)

WORK CONSULTED

Julie Cazzin ( 11 steps to financial freedom)

Brian Tracy ( The 7 point formula for financial freedom)

​NIGERIA AND ITS DEMOCRACY

After over 15 years of military rule the long-awaited democracy was restored in the country on 29 May 1999. That day was the day when the sun rose at the Eagle square Abuja, when a military government (General Abdusalami Abubakar) handed over the mantle of Leadership to a democratically elected Civilian Government (Chief Olusegun obasanjo). It brought back hope and confidence was reposed in Nigeria by the world in general.

But, this democracy has brought practical misfortune to the Nigerian masses. We have seen and heard a lot of propaganda about the so called democracy in the country. One wonders whether some of these things which are being mentioned are happening outside the shores of this country. Nigeria’s democracy is standing on a very bad pivot. The change from military rule to civilian regime is triggered by expectation of benefits that will accrue from the latter. However with the years of this current dispensation of the so called democracy, some hopes have been disappointed while some are being fulfilled at snails speed. A lot of reasons could be advanced for this.
Despite the Anti-Corruption campaign and act, what do we see and hear. People that want to do descent jobs are not encouraged to do so because there has been no concrete program to address the issue of unemployment in the country.

Worst still is the issue of crime, which is now going unabated all over the nation. There has been partially no improvement in the area of telecommunication, education and power supply. This is a tenure which has been characterized by perennial inefficiency and epileptic services by some agencies. It has become a tall order for Nigerians to get regular power supply. I weep for my nation. It is also a pity, that even the legislative arm of government meant to checkmate the executive are engaged in the obnoxious act of corruption.

There is no sensitivity of government to the needs of the people, which is supposed to be one of the essentials of democracy. Unemployment, rising inflation, corruption, abuse of power, poor educational and health management are few factors that make ours a “democracy mare”. Yes, it’s both night and day mare; does one have to look up to God to cause our leaders to be responsible and responsive? We have the man power and resources to be among the super-powers of this world, but we are still labeled among the third world countries, I cannot but ask why? And the people at the helm of affairs are fully aware of the fact that the masses have been suffering for several years, largely due to some of the so-called policies of the government. The efforts of the government at the federal level so far is quite appreciative, but the fact remains that the people are anxious for policies that will make life more meaningful and comfortable to the common man.

Every leader’s task is not to give orders for the jobs to be done, but to see the potentials in others. A great leader’s aim is to build a generation of leaders whose achievement surpass and out strip their own. Leaders are supposed to be people who are not enslaved, by tradition, but embrace the virtues of civilization, responding to the demands of our changing society. Oh! Mr. President said he would soon sign the “not too young to rule law”, I pray this work for the foreseeable future.

On the contrary, most Nigerians don’t engage themselves in productive thinking. Many Nigerians are blind to seeing a better future. Productive thinking brings about lifting. It is a very fast avenue for attaining great height shortly. Many believe there is never going to be a better day in this nation. Tied to the issue of proper use of the mouth in productive words and thinking is that of excuses. When someone gives excuses for his inability to do something, the opportunity of doing it will be withdrawn from him/ her. Excuses will never take anybody further and higher than where he/she is.

This democratic dispensation faces a serious threat if adequate measures are not taken. Nigerian youths are not lazy, our elders should retire and see what we are capable of doing and also serve as house of advices and encouragement on how to run the affairs of this great country. Nigeria will rise………….God bless Nigeria…………….God bless Nigerians. HAPPY DEMOCRACY DAY!

REASONS WHY CHILDREN DISOBEY THEIR PARENTS

Life has changed; it is no more what it used to be. In the olden days, we had well trained, respectful and disciplined children who always adhered to whatever instructions they were given. But, what do we see today.
This subject puzzles me a lot and being a youth myself I often ask, is it corruption, civilization or education in Nigeria today that is to be blamed for the child’s disobedience?

Exploring deeply into the meaning of disobedience, it is defined as the refusal, negligence or disregard of rules or prohibition. Therefore to disobey is to transgress or violate stated rules and commands. Children disobey when they totally refuse or neglect orders or rules given to them by their parents.

There are many reasons why children disobey their parents and one of these is the peer group influence. Children tend to be influenced by their peer groups, the group characteristics and actions which are exhibited and carried out so as to be upgraded with their peer group.

Furthermore, curiousity sometimes lead children to disobey their parents. For instance, the subject of sexual relationship with the opposite sex. A normal child would want to know why her parents want her to wait till she is adult before having sexual relationship and unsatisfactorily answers may lead her to probe deeper.

Children may also form the habit of disobeying their parents when they are under the influence of drugs and alcohol. These dangerous habits have psychological effect on their thinking ability.

Another very important reason why children disobey their parents is due to their parents’ carelessness. Some parents just have this inevitable desire to over pamper their children and these parents would be violating the command of God themselves by sparing the rod which would definitely lead to spoiling the child. In addition, the children will grow up to have the belief that they can do whatever they like.

Moreover, the bad behaviours, indiscipline of both parents towards each other could be the source of a child’s disobedience, because none of the parents would be showing any good examples to the children. A father who quarrels and beats his wife in the presence of his children cannot be a good role model.

The world is dynamic and surely the children cannot see through their parents’ eyes. The problem of disobedience could eventually be reduced, if both parents and children share mutual feelings and understanding of each other

​PIDGIN ENGLISH SYNDROME – THE BANE OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

English Language as far as the Nigerian society is concerned still stands as the official language of communication. As a tool of communication, it is inevitable in all fields of endeavour. It is therefore expedient that Nigerian students get a good in-depth understanding of this language to facilitate their understanding of all other subjects of the curriculum. It therefore behoves them to use this language in and out of class as a medium of expression.
It is acutely disheartening to discover contrary to the importance of this language that the use of the pidgin English, an adulterated version, like the HIV virus has subtly swept through the length and breadth of schools in our dear country and it is leaving its dastardly mark on the academic performance of students.

This craze is most rampant among the male students’ population. It has become a vogue such that any attempt to correct it always meet with a strange retort like ‘what exactly is wrong with the use of the Pidgin English?’ To the students, there is nothing wrong with it but close observation reveals that the preponderance of the students’ population use this language and it has reached such magnitude that it is reflected in their essays and other academic presentation.

With all due respect to the Biologist, Language is a living thing. To keep it alive, you have to feed it, to feed it, you speak it. The language you regularly speak naturally is internalized and like a drill comes out of you automatically. The language you speak is often the language of your thought. If the academically accepted version of English is what you speak often, it becomes the language of your thought and if pidgin, naturally, you will think in pidgin all the time. Think English, you will speak and write English; think Pidgin, you will speak and write pidgin.

English enhances the understanding of other subjects as they are taught in English. Teachers all over the nation complain of poor academic performance. The cause is not far-fetched. Check your students’ language level. For instance, for every comprehension passage at every level, it is expected that students at that level do not encounter more than ten vocabulary items that are above their comprehension. Today, however, you find students striving to contend with over twenty-five vocabulary items in a given passage. The ones they know, they cannot express their meanings compressively in English. They actually use gesticulations and wearisome mannerisms to get their meanings through. This is irksome. Gone seem to be those days when students challenged teachers in the classrooms. A teacher dared not fail to prepare for his lesson before going to class then.

Suffice it to say that the standard is falling, but it would be even more appropriate to say the standard has crashed. Students and today’s youth generally seek the easiest way out of every challenge before them. The pidgin English is the option they would rather have to express themselves, what is wrong with the rules of Grammar, structural patterns, syntax, semantics and the whole load of rules that put them in a communication straight jacket and restricts their exuberant disposition. They are non-conformists. That obviously defines the adolescent but do we just fold our arms and watch them destroy their future? Oh! No

Parents, guardians, teachers, head of schools and authorities that be, should rescue Nigerian students from this degenerating situation. Students should be made to speak the acceptable version of English. They should use their time judiciously by reading novels, educative and informative magazines and newspapers. Reading is the ONLY visa to a world of impeccable communication in any living language. Avid readers of novels are known to communicate flawlessly. Parents, who are in position to do so, should buy novels for their children and wards and encourage them by speaking with them in good English. Teachers should desist from being impersonal to correcting students when they express themselves in Pidgin English. Students should watch out for one another and as much as possible correct one another.

The examining bodies should stop accepting sub-standard expressions, gunning only for points raise, as this has in no small measure paved way for students’ utter laziness in preparing for their exams and encouraging tacit expressions that do not show what stuff the students are made of. Academic excellence is our goal and the use of Pidgin English is a cog that must be removed to achieve this goal.

​THE LIFE OF A BOARDER

Boarding life is undoubtedly an interesting experience a child will love to have. How true is that? It is very true to a reasonable extent because as a boarder you will explore a lot of things in a different world, I mean away from your home.
Who is a boarder? A boarder is a student who lives at school during term time.

In a jiffy, let’s brush through the life of a boarder and what a prospecting boarder should expect.

You know that excitement you get after passing your entrance examination and your parents tell you “Tola, get prepared, you will resume on September 8” sure, you are happy……….. ain’t you? But, I tell you when you get to the gate of the school and you are about to part with your parents………… tears will roll down your cheeks, you and your parents, though not all children cry. Why the tears? Oh! It’s like something is snatching you away from your loved ones. That’s just the beginning of the adventurous life.

Meeting new people and making new friends is the first challenge. Don’t worry the solution is in your hands as it happens naturally. Just be careful you don’t make bad friends.

Sense of belongings and sense of value is another challenge, but you know what, you will learn from this after a lot of painful and bitter experiences. Most young boarders [freshers] lose 70% of their personal belongings. When you wash and dry your clothes, swiftly they disappear. You get to the bathroom to have your bath, when you start washing your face with soap, your bucket of water disappears. You remove your slippers and climb on the bed to lie down, before you close your eyes, your slippers are gone. So many endless things happen.

Personal hygiene is not left out, you are solely responsible for your own upkeep. If I must be sincere, then I will tell you that you will be a bit dirty. You have yourself to take care of and another contending environment chore to deal with in a circle of some fearful looking seniors who are there to force you down the trip.

What about your academic performance [parents major focus]! You’ve been a self-worthy first position of all times in your primary school. I’m sorry, because things might change. You will meet many intelligent students to drag the baton with. Different caliber of teachers [some friendly others harsh] to take you through the journey of different additional subjects. My dear, it’s not easy.

All that, I have mentioned is not to discourage you but to prepare you ahead of time and make you strong for the journey of six years. 

So parents allow you child(ren) to start from home. Let them:

Bath and brush their selves.

Wash plates and sweep the compound.

Wash their clothes, dry and iron them and store them.

Go on errands.

Read, study and do their assignments independently….inter alia.

A boarder lives an independent life, face challenges and proffer solutions. If your child is adequately equipped at home, then I assure you that he will do well in a boarding school. Don’t let anybody discourage you from taking your child to a boarding school. At first you might want to be discouraged but later you will be glad about the choice you made.

I was a boarder and I’m doing very fine today. If I can go through boarding experience in my alma mata [COMMAND SECONDARY SCHOOL], then your child can also go through and succeed.

BE UNIQUE IN YOUR WAYS

My definition for creativity is an uncommon way of doing common things. Have it at the back of your mind that you are not the first person to engage in that activity, but the difference is the approach you give to it. Despite the large number of musicians in the world, we can still point out the best in a particular genre.

What makes someone the best musician? It is the uniqueness in such person’s music, the distinctiveness in the message he passes. (Adekunle Gold is my favourite. Don’t mind me, it’s not about him but his songs, I pray he doesn’t change to those meaningless ones)

‘Creativity can provide all the solutions to the complex problems of the workplace. Creative thing is a posive, generative force that uses imagination to power business.

Wole Soyinka, born in 1934, Nigerian playwright, poet, novelist and lecturer. I am sure he was not the only writer or poet at his time and might not even be the best in terms of grandiloquence and orotundity.

However, in 1986, Soyinka became the first African writer, the first black writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature. This he achieved through the creativity he introduced in his writings. The question you should ask yourself is, are you just doing things the way it has always been done or are you adding your uniqueness, remember,if you do the same thing, the same way and you expect a different result then you are insane. However poor you are, however unproductive your business appears to be and however common it is, you can make yours unique by adding creativity.

‘CREATIVITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWLEDGE, KNOWLEDGE IS LIMITED. CREATIVITY ENCIRCLES THE WORLD’. Albert Einstein.

Do the usual thing in an unusual way. A creative person never run dry of imperative ideas, creavity also brings out the originality in you.

Let me vividly remind you of this – during the mid 90’s there was nothing like satchet water. Ice water was the business of the day then. But someone, somewhere sat down observing things and finally came up with the idea ‘SATCHET WATER’, he pened it down and finally gave birth his idea and tag it PURE WATER. He struck the market and made his money before IDEA COPIERS woke up.

Creativity will bring out the sense in every senseless thing; a popular proverb says there is nothing new under the sun and that no business can be strange, this might be true but with creativity, there will be a difference and a unique change. Let me tell you this bitter truth, you are not the only person on earth thinking of that good and productive thing in your mind. Therefore, that good thing you’re thinking about let it be known to only you and make sure you are very fast in its manifestation. I’m done with a particular book which has been thoroughly edited and will be published soon by God’s grace, this book seems to be common in the market today, in fact with a leading one, but I came up with another idea and system which others lack and when I get into the market, with time I’ll take over (That’s confidence. Creativity needs confidence, believe in your self). All I’m saying is that you can come up with new ideas by scrutinizing similar ideas.

Our imaginations bring creative solutions to many problems, so let’s encourage ourselves to use creative imaginations life.

PARENTAL INFLUENCE ON A CHILD’S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

From ages, till date and continuously, learning will start from the home. Yes, parents are to the first teachers every child start with, thereby, making the learning process an unforgettable one. Parenting is not a small task, as one need to be extra-careful in the way a child is being brought up. A larger percentage of a child’s behaviour is being nurtured within the four walls of the home. Many signals, gestures, sound, local and universal languages are being learnt by a child from their parents.
Let’s get the nails driven into the wood straight away as we look at some kinds of parents we’ve got around us.

The “Hasty Parents”: These parents go as far as fighting and threatening the school their children attend. What is the threat about? It is not a reaction to a teacher who has scolded the child but for an unreasonable idea, like “I want my child to be in the next class” because he’s past the age of the current class and bla bla bla. You ain’t considering some factors, especially the I.Q of your child……huh! Today, we no longer talk of I.Q. Hence, you cause damage for your child……like who cares.

The “I don’t care Parents”: These parents pretend to care but, even a fool in his smartness can read their caring letters. They leave everything for the teachers and are swift at blaming teachers for the misfortunes caused by them. There are two kinds of parents in this category.

Talkers: They can talk for Africa. All they are good at is to tell their children “go get your book and read……I’ve said mine o o o” they don’t supervise their children to read and if they do, that will be once in a blue moon.

Nonchalant: The former is better, compared to this kind. They show zero concern towards their children education. They prefer pleasure to academics and would go further to engage their children in the fun seeking life. What a pity!

The “Don’t disturb my peace parents”: When their children get back from school, after lunch, the next agenda is playfulness. If they are not playing, then they are watching unnecessary things on the television….not even now that sexual scene is being promoted, it is believed that to get full attention of viewers, the sex-like stuff must be presented, be it film, music, entertainment. Yet, don’t get me wrong. I’m not also saying your children should not watch cartoons but there should be moderation. Anything, they are watching should add moral and academic values to them not violence or immorality. If your children will make use of your phone, then it should be for a useful purpose, install education apps (they are game like) that will make equip them.

Train up your child in a positive way and when he is grown up he will care for you and bless you rather than curse you and beat you up. As a parent, learn to always read, through that you will indirectly make your child develop flair for reading

LEADERSHIP PROBLEMS IN THE EDUCATIONAL INDUSTRY

According to Great Man theory and Trait theories “Leaders are Born” not made. Great leaders are natural and they are different from the ones that are trained. Most if not all remarkable leaders have their own legacy in leadership and they were leaders from the onset of their journey.

Behavioural Theories believe that people can become leaders through the process of teaching, learning and observation. Leadership is a set of skills that can be learned by training, perception, practice and experience over time. Leadership learning is lifetime activity. Good leaders seek out development opportunities that will help them learn new skills. Leadership is an art not science. Being a science scholar I disagree as I always argue Science and Art, both are like two sides of a same coin. Without artistic thinking science itself has no value and vice-versa.

The 5 basic steps in leadership are:

1. Model the way

2. Inspire

3. Challenge the process

4. Enable others to Act

5. Encourage the Heart.

Many theories on and practices i.e. cognitive and emotional intelligence should be greatly imbibed. I realized unfortunately if somewhere leadership is lacking the most, it is in Educational industry. There are many called Professors, Teachers, Educators, Instructors etc. engaged in this noble profession either they do not deserve to be in academics or they are blinded by their years of false Ego. Somewhere, they are misguided that their academic accomplishments i.e. publishing papers, acquiring external funding, guiding a bunch of graduate students to get on or teaching full time classes does not suffice them to ill treat, misbehave, demonize their surroundings by misusing their powers. The misuse of power in academic is rampant. These are the folks that have their ego not confined to their throat rather up to their nose. It is also important to highlight that these are the folks who will be promoted to lead the academic institutions. Therefore, it is not surprising to me why we are in the middle of the declining slope.

Clearly, there is a problem in our system. I am sure some where the training has to be re-evaluated. We need to create and train humans with humanity which can show some dignity and respect for others. Clearly, they did not go through the right training and they will be damaging our human value system up to 6 generations ( as it is believed that those who engaged in teaching, their impact goes as high as 6 generations). These people have to go through “Leadership” training (please note not all rather the majority).

Therefore, I will recommend that every academic organizations should initiate and start leadership training program and make sure it is practiced well in the system so we can get back to the right track

BECOMING A CHAMPION

There are things that distinguish champions from others. Most of the people think it’s their talent but I will argue that it’s their mindset. If you’re natural, you believe that you shouldn’t have deficiencies, so you can’t face them and coach them.

In my findings, I have identified two mindsets about ability that people may hold.( Fixed mindset and growth mindset)

FIXED MINDSET

People with this mindset see abilities as fixed features. In this view, talents are referred to as gifts, you either have them or you don’t. The fixed mindset, in which you have only a certain amount of a valued talent, leads people to want to look good at all times. People in fixed mindset try to highlight their proficiencies and hide their deficiencies. Infact, it is obvious that they will often reject valuable learning opportunities if these opportunities hold the risk of unmasking their weaknesses. Even in schools, students who held a fixed mindset about intelligence paid attention only to whether their answer was right. Once they knew this, they had little further interest in learning what the right answer was. Thus, their interest is being rightly took under strong precedence over their interest in learning and this significantly hurt their subsequent performance.

GROWTH MINDSET

In this case, people believe that their abilities can be cultivated. In other words, they view talents as potentialities that can be developed through practice. People with this mindset don’t deny that some people may be better or faster than others at acquiring certain skills, but what they focus on is the idea that everyone can get better over time. A person with a growth mindset will accept any valuable learning opportunities because it leads them to put a premium on learning. Student who held growth mindset about intelligence paid close attention to the both kinds of information. They paid attention to whether their answer was right or wrong and they paid attention to what the right answer was. As a result, they did substantially better than students with the fixed mindset on a later test.

People in the growth mindset understand that effort is the way that ability is brought to life and allowed to reach fruition. Far from indicating a lack of talent, they believe that even geniuses need great effort to fulfill their promise. People with this mindset not only believe in the power of effort, they hold effort as a value.

As we have seen people in the fixed mindset feel measured by setback and mistakes. They also feel measured by the very fast of exerting effort. However, in this mindset, it’s a sign that you are lacking talent or ability.

CONCLUSION

Putting it all together, this means that a fixed mindset leads people to value looking good over learning, to disdain and to fear effort and to abandon effective strategies just when they need them most. A growth mindset, on the other hand, leads people to seek challenges and learning, to value effort, and to persist effectively in the face of obstacles.

TIPS ON EFFECTIVE TEACHING

The question of what makes a great teacher has been around for a long time. It’s an enquiry that poses many problems because there’s simply no set recipe for success, and different approaches work for different professionals and students.

Here are 10 salient points to take away:

1. Know your subject: The report, which looked at more than 200 pieces of research, found that there were six main elements to great teaching and one of the most important ones was subject knowledge. It may seem obvious, but the report found that the best teachers have a deep knowledge of their subject, and if that falls below a certain point it has a “significant impact” on students’ learning. Targeted help for teachers, giving them an understanding of particular areas where their knowledge is weak, could be effective.

2. Praise can do more harm than good: The wrong kind of praise can be harmful for students, the report found. A number of studies conducted by education experts, including Carol Dweck professor of psychology at Stanford University has observed this.

Deborah Stipek, the dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Education, said that praise is meant to be encouraging but it can actually “convey a teacher’s low expectations”. Stipek said that if a pupil’s failure was met with sympathy rather than anger then they were more likely to think they had done badly due to a lack of ability. The report adds the caveat that the findings are open to interpretation, however, as teachers can do things well or badly, and some methods are not appropriate in all circumstances.

3. Instruction matters: The quality of teaching has a big impact on the achievement of students’ from poorer backgrounds, and effective questioning and assessment are at the heart of great teaching. This involves giving enough time for children to practise new skills and introducing learning progressively. Defining effective teaching isn’t easy, the report conceded, but research always returns to the fact that student progress is the yardstick by which teacher quality should be assessed.

4. Teacher’s beliefs count: The reasons why teachers do certain things in the classroom and what they hope to achieve has an effect on student progress. Mike Askew, the author of Effective Teachers of Numeracy, found that beliefs about the nature of maths and what it means to understand it, along with teachers’ ideas about how children learn and their role in that process, was an important factor in how effective they were.

Evidence to support this is not conclusive, however.

5. Think about teacher-student relationships: This may also seem obvious, but the interactions teachers have with students has a big impact on learning – as well as the “classroom climate”. The report said that it was important to create a classroom environment that was “constantly demanding more” while affirming students’ self-worth. A student’s success should be attributed to effort rather than ability.

6. Manage behaviour: Interestingly, this wasn’t as significant as subject knowledge and classroom instruction as a factor contributing to teacher’s success. But classroom management – including how well a teacher makes use of lesson time, coordinates classroom resources and manages the behaviour of students – was noted as important.

7. Group setting: There’s no evidence that setting works, putting students in groups depending on their ability makes little difference to their learning. Although setting can in theory let teachers work at a pace that suits all pupils and tailor content, it can also create an exaggerated sense of all pupils being alike in the teacher’s mind. This can result in teachers not accommodating to the various different needs within one group and in some instances going too fast with high-ability groups and too slow with low ones.

8. Don’t worry about learning styles: A survey showed that more than 90% of teachers think individuals learn better when they get information in their preferred learning style. But despite the popularity of this approach psychological evidence shows that there is no evidence that this actually works.

9. Learning should be hard at first: One finding that may surprise you is that approaches that appear to make learning harder in the short term can actually lead to students retaining more information in the long term.

10. Build relationships with colleagues and parents: A teacher’s professional behaviour, including supporting colleagues and talking with parents, also add a moderate impact on students’ learning. The report said that there may not be a direct link with these practices and student achievement, but to capture a broad definition of good teaching they should be included.