Conversation Cafe references
Conversation Cafe comprises people who want to continue to make a difference that contributes to a world in which humanity flourishes. Members of the group work in diverse fields, such as health visitor, educational consultant, academic, community worker, and those of us who are not able currently to define a field of practice but still want to make a difference that matters in what we do. There are currently weekly meetings Friday 8am - 9am in the QuEST Center but we are also slowly developing our ability to connect in the virtual world - this site being one example.
At our meeting people are beginning to share what they are reading. If when someone has read something they write a brief review/ overview/ critique/ or a few words about what it did for them or they found useful/ irritating/challenging... and sent it to us we can build a resource for us all to access and benefit from.
Readings that have been interesting/ challenging/ inspiring...
Brown, B. (2013) Daring greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead. London: Penguin.
Also on http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html
Joao says that she doesn’t feel the Ted talk is as good as the book.
Brene Brown talks about vulnerability and how important it is to accept we are imperfect and learn to be kind to ourselves the way we are. He mentions scarcity: the never good enough problem - how we wake up in the morning and think we didn't get enough sleep, we don't have enough time to do everything we need, we are not good enough, not thin enough, not strong enough, not smart enough, not successful enough etc.
He also mentions how people see vulnerability as undesirable in ourselves but as courageous in others. Our shame and fear shuts us down and we loose the ability to engage and connect. This mainly happens when we feel unworthy. Brene makes the point of our role as parents, teachers, leaders is to develop a sense of worthiness and engagement. It's about learning to accept ourselves and be vulnerable so that we can be kind to ourselves and to others, it's about being courageous and dare greatly.
Silver, D. (2012) Fall down 7 times get up 8: Teaching kids to succeed. London: Sage.
A practical book written by Debbie Silver, a teacher with over 40 years experience. She brings research and practice together in an effective way. I liked the way she reflected on her own practice and accepted the mistakes she made. Fall down 7 get up 8 is a Japanese proverb. This book is about developing children's motivation, resilience and autonomy. I particularly enjoyed the chapter around rewards and giving feedback. Really looking at research that makes you think about what are we doing to kids with so much praise and rewards, something I personally think it is an issue. Really liked this quote:
"The reward of a thing well done is having done it." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Also:
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right." Henry Ford
I particularly enjoyed the way it made me think of developing children's independence and autonomy which I strongly believe in. And also the need for children to be motivated, what's the point of getting good marks if you don't know what to do with it. Made me reflect on how to give feedback and how hard it is to do it well.
Bailey, G. (2012) Emotional Well-being for Children with Special Needs and Disabilities. London: Sage.
Gail Bailey has developed a very practical guide with strategies for practitioners. She is a teacher and educational psychologist and has a vision impairment herself. She uses positive psychology. The book contains case studies and really helps us look at pro-actively promote emotional well-being. Easy to read and accessible.
Joao writes, I’ve found the following books really interesting – haven’t fully read the 2nd one from Antonio Damasio. They helped me understand the importance of emotions and how they can affect your behaviour. They have helped me understand both others and myself. I feel more confident when trying to understand why people behave or feel the way they do and how that influences group dynamics – really useful when having those difficult conversations with staff or mediating a situation between different professionals/parents.
Antonio Damasio (2000) The Feeling of What Happens: Body emotion and the making of consciousness
One of the world's leading experts on the neurophysiology of emotions, Professor Damasio shows how our consciousness, our sense of being, arose out of development of emotion. At its core, human consciousness is consciousness of the feeling, experiencing self, the 'very thought of' oneself. Brilliantly wide-ranging in his scope, Damasio illustrates his thesis with fascinating and illuminating neurological case studies that are both stimulating and provocative.
Antonio Damasio (2010) Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the conscious brain
Winner of the CORINE International Book Award 2011From one of the most important neuroscientists at work today, a path-breaking investigation of a question that has confounded neurologists, philosophers, cognitive scientists and psychologists for centuries: how is consciousness created? Antonio Damasio has spent the past thirty years studying and writing about how the brain operates, and his work has garnered acclaim for its singular melding of the scientific and the humanistic. In Self Comes to Mind, he goes against the long-standing idea that consciousness is somehow separate from the body, presenting compelling new scientific evidence that consciousness - what we think of as a mind with a self - is in fact a biological process created by a living organism. The result is a groundbreaking investigative journey into the neurobiological foundations of mind and self.
Richard J. Davidson (2012) The emotional life of your brain: How its unique patterns affect the way you think, feel and live… and how you can change them
“An eye-opener… replete with breakthrough research that will change the way you see yourself and everyone you know”
Davidson & Begley also show how we can retrain our brains through mindfulness and meditation to alter lifelong patterns of destructive or unhelpful behaviour. Practical and illuminating, this book expands our view of what it means to be human.
Susan Caine Quiet
I think that this can be read online at http://www.onread.com/book/Quiet-1466624/ but I dont know whether it is a safe site to visit.
Chris Argyris Teaching Smart People How to Learn by
Arthur Frank The Renewal of Generosity: Illness, Medicine and How to Live by
Adam Grant Give and Take:
The notion of people who give, take and match and the influence they have in their own lives and that of others. Simple yet fascinating and of particular relevance to me exploring the possibilities of living intrinsic values in practice. Draws on research in various fields of practice to exemplify the arguement being made. Have a look at his website http://www.giveandtake.com
Sue Gerhardt Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby's Brain.
How the interactions with care givers impact on brain development.
Maia Szalavitz The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: Bruce Duncan Perry,
Stories about traumatised children and the effects of on babies and children who experience extreme stress.
Charles Einsteinook Sacred Economics: http://sacred-economics.com/
Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth. Today, these trends have reached their extreme - but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great opportunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sustainable way of being.
Jack Shonkoff From Neurons to Neighbourhoods
This all needs refining and explaining but is a great resource for neuroscience and explanation of the complexity of what is needed because we are all involved in the future of children and society
Written in Adler's own hand and copied into the frontispiece of The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler: A systematic presentation in selections from his writings. Eds. Heinz Ansbacher and Rowena Ansbacher (1956) Basic Books : New York
Do not forget the most important fact that not heredity and not environment are determining factors.--Both are giving
only the frame and the influences which are answered by the individual in regard to his styled creative power.--
