chez Odile

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:35:00 +0000

After finishing writing my book for Nanowrimo I turn my head to my family and housekeeping. December is short days, waking up in the dark, finding presents that are worthwhile for the children. I found geometric puzzles for my son who now enjoys resolving them. The smile on his face is precious. My other son shows me the Cheops puzzle he managed to solve. He is our youngest child. He didn't need help to do it. The shop arabesk.nl is stopping this year. Where will I find the same quality of puzzles and toys? We are really enjoying our vacation. There is a pile of books on the table. The children brought books from school to read. Tomorrow a friend is comming to bake coockies with the children. A colleague from the USA is invited.
I feel so much better than last year and I'm very thankful for this.
In the back of my head I reread my book. I'm pleased with what I have written and don't think there is much I want to change...

Nanowrimo and exploring

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:48:00 +0000

Through writing this month about Nora who writes to Noam, I learned about the process that Nora is in, writing the letters and refining her character. I'm now sad about leaving Noam and Nora...

Nanowrimo gadget

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:51:00 +0000

On this gadget you can see how much progress I make with my Nanowrimo writing. You can also see my username, Schmiodile. If everything continues like this, I will finish my 50000 words early. I'm writing in Dutch. The story is about Nora, a mother, who writes letters to Noam, a captured soldier. Each letter starts with a virtue.

Humility is active

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:03:00 +0000

With my chevruta I'm learning about Humility. Humility is about doing. I have the tendency to shy away. This is not Humility. So a good exercise for me would be to practice Gevurah, Strength. Where can I better practice than with the children? I have to reread the chapter to see if I completely get the concept right. It is about the nuances.
I read that my wisdom as an adult can stand in between me and my children if I feel I'm better than them. If I have wisdom, I'm supposed to share it with them.
Thus it would be Humility to share my wisdom with my children with a humble heart, but with strength as well and acrively involved. And Joy!

starting to write

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:27:00 +0000

Nanowrimo 2011 is just around the corner. My husband warned me not to write more than is good for me. The idea to start a new book appeals to me. I will watch my energylevel, but what should I write about? I'm having trouble to stick to one idea. Time to search the web for help. In this article suggestions how to unleash my imagination and find good ideas. Maybe I will succeed writing, maybe not...

Simply Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:24:00 +0000

How can you be joyous in a difficult situation? Say my husband has a bad day, his mood is not pleasant. I can feel bad because he is too much in his feeling to pay me attention. I can also feel joy, that he is here with me. This really works. Just like I felt when we were in love, that same feeling actually helps in a bad mood day.
What would happen if I focus on giving joy?
I want to learn more about joy without artifacts. I guess it is about wanting what you already have, rather than expecting a fix through an artefact. I want to read more about it this year.

the silent observer (2)

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:20:00 +0000

This quiet and sometimes slow because reflective voice inside has been given more space to speak for some time now. I notice my words are kinder, more reflective, wiser. This has an effect on people around me. They become calmer, kinder, thoughtfuller themselves. Sometimes one of the children will react with acting out. Then the quiet voice combines well with strength.

Modesty, humility

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:30:00 +0000

The course of Ethics (Mussar) is nearly finished, we practiced all character traits in it and now we're back to Anavah. We (my chevruta and I) found that we need to be more present and say our thoughts more often, in contrast to others who can gain by being more silent. This is difficult because accostumed to being silent, I have difficulty hearing that silent voice within myself that has interesting things to say. I haven't been writing on my blog for some time, busy with daily chores, caring for my family. When we have a deeper discussion with the children, I enjoy that very much, so why don't we have that more often, instead of watching television or sitting behind the computer. Taking up one's space is an aspect of Anavah.

The zone of proximal development and me

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:45:00 +0000

What does the zone of proximal development mean in my life right now? How can I keep on learning? I can use internet and google to learn through exploring that what is related to what I already know and find out what I can add to what I already know. This is how I do it. I wonder about a problem, a concept, with no words yet for my idea. This idea shapes itself when I try to describe it in words. A new word arises, I search for what is written about this word or word combination. Sometimes I find out it doesn't exist as a combination in google yet in the language of my search. Then I try to find synonyms or a description. What someone else writes gives rise to a reaction. I can write about my reaction, leave a comment or buy a book on the subject of my new interest. What is interesting is like the fringe of a landscape of concepts. The building of an internal mindmap that covers the interests that I have. This even includes how to rearrange my house, what to do with the children. Finding something new to add to my knowledge, e.g. a new anecdote to help my ongoing character building and raising children, or something that saves time (lifehack), or a site with quotes, all this keeps me motivated to be a parent, to be a wife, to be myself.

Honour the silent observer

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:32:00 +0000

This week I'm practicing Honour. Today I'm honoring the silent observer inside myself and in others. My silent observer is not quick to comment. It is the non-reactive voice that computes quietly while I hear my desire and comments at the foreground, urging me to fullfill the needs of my ego, or just pleasant but unfocussed babbling. I'm going to observe the media and see what role is given to the silent observer, rather than the cry of impulse. When I think or speak, I'll try to let this part of me speak.

teach learning

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:47:00 +0000

Teach how to learn is often seen as a biproduct of education rather than a separate topic at the primary or secondary school of my children. Today I teached a friend how to learn a difficult section in a book about economics. We made a mindmap of the section, starting with that what she remembered after a first read. The structure of the text became apparent when we used different colours for different information. After making the mindmap, she remembered much of the text and in her own words. The associations help to retrieve the information.
The last paragraphs my friend didn't need my help, and she was surprised her memory worked!

Marvel at concepts

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:51:00 +0000

At this point I'm trying to integrate what I'm learning on my fresh course on ethics (Mussar) and what I know both from previous knowledge and experience. In science I learned not to be original except for the discussion part which was my prefered part. Originality I see as the fringe of knowledge, where knowledge has no shape yet for us to understand it. I guess like a child I like to marvel at concepts.
Is the meaning of the word that I think it is really true or is the truth slightly different? Would another shape explain it better? I like to compare my ideas to that of others.

Juggling with selfishness

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:00:00 +0000

What I regret most is that I've pushed others away and chosen to be selfish. It is healthy to put up boundaries between myself and others, but at the same time we are a unity of souls. I tried to retract from this. This paradox of the tension between healthy boundaries and healthy unity puzzles me. What is my place? Am I conscious of the world, am I humble? It feels as if I'm juggling with this in relationships and when I think of world news e.g. on poverty.
How can I be with boundaries and less selfish, open to the world at the same time?

scaffolding integrity and mindmapping with numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:05:00 +0000

The idea that logical thinking is a prerequisite for integrity was challenged when I tried my concept of scaffolding integrity using natural numbers and mindmapping. The child associated concepts with one and anavah, which means humble in Hebrew (humility,...). One exercise was to draw the number one in different sizes, from big to small. Then the child was free to draw whatever he wanted, and drew a war scene. A tank shooting at an individual. I asked him to write 'not modest' under it. He agreed.
We like to think children are unwritten sheets, but war may be in their mind.
Another child associated on bitachon, which means trust in Hebrew (relate,...). He drew a swann, because of the similarity of shape with the number 2, a road between two houses, two birds and a mirror. I didn't think of a mirror. It opened a thinking path for me. It made me think about the relationship with yourself as two.

integrity and numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:20:00 +0000

Thinking about scaffolding integrity and mindmapping with numbers I resolved to write a booklet for children that combines both. I had pages in my head but am afraid to forget what I imagined. I should sit down and write. It gives children useful concepts.

scaffolding integrity and the unconscious

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:59:00 +0000

What do you mean by unconscious, my husband asked this morning. The unconscious is not one thing. One is not homogenic, I thought, thinking of the complexity of an organism or a society. I think about integrity and ways to teach children about it when my unconscious gives topics that I don't associate with children like war. The unconscious is the realm of repressed feelings and thought and I'm busy with a spiritual make-over? So I started out trying to teach and find my own conscience on the way. First, how is it that we can communicate with each other? that we have a world of ideas to begin with. Are we not that discrete?
I try to understand how music can have meaning as if I was a child and it was explained to me for the first time.
The music is analogical to a story, music expresses or offers a projection screen for thought or visualisation.
In dreams and prethinking, themes arise, food for integrity. What choices have I made or will I make? Am I living up to my wishes of integrity in my fantasy? Or am I going in opposite directions. A plait consists of opposite directions and is nevertheless a unity. Is music a pleasant model for the building of integrity? Like perfume and belief systems?
Meanwhile a lesson synthesised itself in my mind. Maybe it helps to be artistic to show integrity.

école buissonière

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:21:00 +0000

More than a year ago I watched the dvd école buissonière that depicts a school between two world wars at the tipping point for letting children express themselves in the classroom. Today the expression of children in the classroom differs when schools increase working with standard materials and try to much to fix life on measures, leaving not enough room for the particular beauty of the momentary occurence not yet catched in words.

mindmapping with numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:20:00 +0000

A new schoolyear started with mindmapping and numbers. This time I left the books of numbertheory and mindmapping at home and gave my lesson à l'improviste to about thirty children. We divided in groups with different numbers. "Natural numbers" a child remembered from last year. Free association showed me that most associations with the numbers are in images, some are actually related to the number. Children learned how their brain remembers well concepts with which they associated freely. Hopefully this will help them learn. I don't know yet where to go from here. I have a week to decide what to do with the harvest, a pile of paper with free associations in children handwriting. I want to show a possible direction.
In my thoughts sounds 'logical reasonning', 'categories', 'nature', 'music', 'ethics'... but the child associates to four: cows.

scaffolding integrity

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:36:00 +0000

How can we practically scaffold ethics for children? is a question that lives in my conscience for a few years already. One of my posts tries to give an example of how to scaffold à la Vygotsky, this is to find the zone of proximal development and to elevate thinking accordingly. For a few years I have tried to work this on myself. My challenge was to translate a Mussar (Jewish ethics) course to Dutch and at the same time teach it to someone else. This way of keeping busy with ethics had a profound impact on myself. For every word I had to think if the meaning is what I think it is. It is interesting that in different languages different ideas exist because of language. Integrity doesn't have an adjective in English, it has in Dutch. Does this imply the Dutch percieve integrity as a quality someone can own whereas English percieve it as a state? On the site Integrious a new adjective is proposed : integrious.
Then I tried to teach my children, which is difficult because my own children are more sceptical towards me than children of others. The best result for getting their attention is to naturally blend it into other activities, such as walking & cooking. Another way is to discuss concepts. "What is integrity? Why is it important?" and give them the right books wich provide historical knowledge at the level that is just above their reasoning skills. For my dyslectic son this means I don't look at his technical level of reading but at his level of understanding spoken language and interest. He simply reads it slower. The younger children I explain what integrity is with an example and ask if they think it is good how someone acts, also when we watch television. I get the best result when I have joy doing it. But I keep observing that scaffolding integrity needs construction of logical thinking as well. How to divide sweets in a integrious way needs being able to divide numbers in equal parts. Letting children play with buttons or stones to learn about amounts may be a prerequisite for a more ethical society. The mindmapping of numbertheory is not that distant from scaffolding ethics, nor is playing with buttons and puppets.

yellow ribbon

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:23:00 +0000

A palace of images
In my country
remember Gilad and other prisonners

what is integrity?

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:16:00 +0000

When you hear someone say something about someone else, do you stop and check if the grounds are honest? Have you heard both sides of the story? Are the persons focussing on the negative or on the positive aspects of the other? Is the person neutral of tone or e.g. resentful? Who is listening and who is not? Who is curtuous?
The truth is not necessarily what most people say, remember how many used to think the earth is flat and were prepared to execute a scientist who said otherwise. Not the number of people defines integrity. I then asked myself what then defines it and came to the conclusion that when you don't know you need more information, when I don't know I refrain judgement until I have more knowledge about a certain question. Most of the knowledge I have of actuality is of oneliners, short items on the news and we know about bias that accompagnies those. I don't really know much, unless I read more in depth, and even then what do I know.

mindmapping with number theory (3)

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:35:00 +0000

Yesterday was the third day of mindmapping with number theory. We tackled mindmapping today. We wrote the number one in the middle of a piece of paper and read a difficult piece of writing about the number one. Then we tried to understand little by little what was written and decide what we wanted to write on the mindmap. This was difficult because the ideas in the text were difficult propositions like "discrete numbers cannot be divided by zero and this is similar yet opposite to the number one, all discrete numbers can be divided by one." Then we finished with trying to learn the four propositions that we found using a mnemonic strategy, using a list of rhyming words, and inventing images that are easy to remember with the proposition. The first one was of lots of groups of toes that could all be divided by one. I have fun doing this with children who have difficulties with different parts of learning and seing how they manage anyway.

teaching number theory as remediation and enrichment

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:46:00 +0000

Yesterday I had a difficult day, my brain was not working completely. Although I'm on medication I thought "I want a pill." But I still went on and gave my facultative lesson of number theory to four elementary school children that have each different challenges. Although the first thing that leaves me when my brain has 'one of those days' is order (I'm more disorganized) and one child immediately felt more disorganised, they still enjoyed talking about numbers. One couldn't remember what it was what we are doing. Maybe I should write it down for him. We talked about if it's possible to divide by zero and why not. We talked about that even scientists can make mistakes with numbers. I was afraid one of the children might find it too difficult, because I tried to raise the level, but they followed. I made it easy enough and difficult enough at the same time. Don't ask me to put it on paper...

remediation and enrichment

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:54:00 +0000

I've started helping at the new school, a creative school that gets the best results out of children, e.g. making music instruments from both professional (strings, plectrum) and waste material. What I'm doing is mindmapping with number theory and the result after one half hour is that all four children didn't want me to stop after half an hour. It remediates language, maths skills, creative thinking and memory at the same time. I can recommend it as enrichment, motivator, remediation and attention training at the same time in education. It seems to work. After I did a remediating math crossword puzzle and the attention of the children was very good. Of course it's fun to also include some history or funny examples.

baby morality

noreply@blogger.com (Odile S) — Thu, 06 May 2010 07:04:00 +0000

Do babies have morality? It seems they start not as an empty leave. In this research children react on puppets that act 'naughty'. They realize this. This would mean it is possible to inherit morality either through genetics, or through the soul or both. Parenting is then more fixing mistakes and changing pathways than really building from scratch. This means children can turn out good without good parenting, or bad without bad parenting. This means excellent parents can have morally challenging children, as indeed happens, and the worst parents can have morally excellent children.