Summer 2011 edition now online

All articles from the Summer, 2011 edition reproduced online.

Specialising in a specific sport too soon

We are seeing more and more children specialise in one or more sport at earlier and earlier ages. The myth is that to become a successful sportsman or woman, you need to specialise at an early age.

Servant leadership at Hilton College

In 1999, under the guidance of the Headmaster Mike Nicholson, Hilton College informed all its stakeholders of the imminent move from a prefect system of leadership to an allencompassing programme based on Robert Greenleaf ’s principles of ‘servant leadership’, to be implemented in 2000.

Solitude and leadership

Part three of a lecture delivered to the Plebe class at the United States Military Academy at West Point in October 2010.

Left behind?

Within the last 30 years, the United States under the reign of market fundamentalism has been transformed into a society that is more about forgetting than learning, more about consuming than producing, more about asserting private interests than democratic rights.

A rose by any other name…

His quiet wit provided evidence that there are still teachers out there who think of pupils as people – complex, idiosyncratic, illuminating and exasperating, not as statistics on some spreadsheet.

Managing the media

Consider how many years it’s taken for your school to build its impressive reputation. Now consider that in an online age, coverage of a crisis on campus – in the form of a photo, a video, a blog post, an e-mail or a news byte can be transmitted around the globe in six seconds.

Finding the balance

One of the greatest challenges a Head faces is ensuring that all his or her children’s needs are catered for, from the group too easily labelled ‘special needs’ to those often called ‘gifted’.

Getting to grips with our languages

If you’re feeling unloved, uninspired, ignored or just plain fed up, try greeting in an African language. Your world will light up, sparks will fly, it will be, quite simply, ama-zing!

Metacognition for minors

“It’s like thinking about your thinking,” said Liam (Grade 7), in a moment of realisation that he was thinking matacognitively. This was a giant leap for him . . . and I knew then that we were beginning to see real thinking taking place in our school.

No shoes and silly ‘sox’

Ashton International College received an e-mail invitation earlier this year to participate in the ‘A Day without Shoes’ outreach initiative. Excited Ashton students arrived at school on the appointed day without their shoes, which they had been invited to donate. Initially the goal was to collect at least 650 pairs of shoes.

Peace in our time: Independent Education speaks to Tali Nates

Tali Nates is passionate about many things – in particular, history as a powerful force for peace, and the ability of young people to craft a new kind of future for the world.

From good to great

Enigmatic at best, the statement is nonetheless challenging. In a global environment that has become increasingly competitive, education has had to focus on preparing young people to create their own niche in the marketplace.

Should children learn to read and write before five years of age? – Two ISASA schools weigh in

We know that some of them are able to learn these skills, but what is sacrificed when time is spent on these formal pursuits? The Grade 1 teacher will teach these skills in a fraction of the time when the preschool child is delivered to Grade 1 with all the necessary ‘pre-skills’.

Plugin developed by Jon Fox