Learning for a Small Planet

One of the things that has brought me back to blogging is that I recently submitted my reflective journal for a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Technology-enhanced Learning (T-eL). This was, in part, supposed to capture my learning journey on the PGCert over the past year so don't tell anyone that I actually wrote (revised and edited) many of the blog posts in the month or so before I submitted it... If you're interested in T-eL, e-learning, or learning and teaching in general, please feel free to take a look.

It's clear that T-eL is now very much a central part of learning and teaching at all levels, and will only become more so in the years to come. Etienne Wenger-Trayner is a key theorist in this space (as they say) and it is from him I borrow the title of this post.

Cough... splutter...!

That's the sound of a blog limping back to life. This blog has been in a bit of 'suspended animation'...  a 'hiatus' if you will, for well over a year. It's about time I attempted to breathe a little life back into it. What I'm saying is, my intention is that I will start blogging again. Big deal, you say. (Big assumption that there is a 'you' that is reading this!)

Ah well, that's the aim anyway. Time will tell. 

How to be happy?

 

Today is the UN International Day of Happiness! That's right, 20th March is a day on which you are 'officially' encouraged to pursue happiness. You might not think you need the encouragement of an 'official' day to help you prioritise your own happiness, even for just one day, but many of us don't actually do this. Surprising, seeing as the one thing we would most want for our children is for them to 'be happy'!

With this in mind, it gives me great pleasure (dare I say it makes me happy!) on this day to tell you about 'positive psychology', a fast-growing sub-discipline within academic psychology dedicated to the study of what makes life worth living, optimal human functioning, and within this: happiness. I feel very fortunate to be involved with one of the few MSc Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) courses in which students can study this subject at university at a postgraduate level. In fact, the course is one of only two MAPP courses in the UK, and one of only around ten in the world!  The students this course attracts are an impressive and diverse group who travel far and wide to take the course with a view to applying what they learn in their own personal and working lives. In fact, the 'word-cloud' above represents the 'language of positive psychology' as expressed by our students over the past week when capturing their thoughts in relation to the course.

One way in which we are marking the International Day of Happiness is through one of our MAPP students, Lesley Lyle, who (amongst other things) is the author of a new book Laugh Your Way to Happiness (published by Watkins books). Over the last year or so, Lesley has been sending out 'Laughter Buddies' (see picture) to encourage people to spend more time doing things they enjoy (with their Laughter Buddy or LB), photographing their LB mid-activity, and sharing these through a dedicated Laughter Buddies Facebook page.

On 20th March 2014, we are sending 10 extra special Laughter Buddies out into the world (well, High Wycombe...) with the instructions to their initial owners to do something fun (they love to have fun!), take a photo, post it on the Facebook page, and then pass their LB on to a friend they can trust to do the same. We will follow the travels of these Laughter Buddies over the coming year via the Facebook page until next year's International Day of Happiness. How far will they travel? And who will be touched by their uncanny ability to bring a little joy and laughter into people's lives?  In the meantime, if you would like to find out how you can get involved (of course you do!), then you can contact Lesley via the Laughter Buddies Facebook page.

Even without a Laughter Buddy by your side, there is plenty you can do on this Day of Happiness (or any day) to boost your own wellbeing. So, with thanks to leading positive psychologist and author of The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky, I'll leave you with some quick tips on how to increase your happiness, all of which have been shown to have lasting effects upon levels of personal happiness:

1. Express gratitude: Encourage yourself to stop and think of three things for which you are grateful. Gives an immediate boost to your wellbeing! 

2. Practice acts of kindness: Go and do something nice for someone. It will make you both happier. 

3. Nurture social relationships: Connect with a friend. Phone one you haven't spoken to in a while and wish them a happy day of happiness! 

4. Increase 'Flow': Do something you love doing, where you lose all sense of time. Do it more often. 

5. Get yourself a Laughter Buddy: OK, I added this one and the evidence may not be there yet. But having a good laugh does release oxytocin in the brain, a neurochemical associated with trust and empathy. i.e., laughing is good for the soul.

It was 20 years ago today

It was one of my students who reminded me that today was the 20th anniversary of the death of Bill Hicks. Amazing that 20 years has passed so quickly and that he was only 32 when he died. Hicks was simply one of the funniest and most powerful comics I have seen perform. He is dearly missed and clearly his routines still resonate with young adults today. Click on the 'Bill Hicks' label below for more blog posts on the great man and clips of some of his performances. Or don't. Your choice.

[In fact don't... for some reason, clicking on this label will only show you this post. It doesn't find earlier posts with this label. You can search this blog for 'Bill Hicks' instead if you're really interested.]