Category Archives: Mindz in Schools

Mindz for Teachers, Mindz in Schools

Schools incursion / Teacher PD info for term 4, 2020

Updated October 7, 2020
School incursions and off-site Teacher PD will resume from October 6, 2020
This information may change according to Government advice.

School STEM incursions for all grades

  1. School stem sessions for all grades will re-start from October 6.
  2. Bookings or inquiries for term 4, 2020 or for 2021 can be made HERE.
  3. To help reassure students, the supervising teacher will use our infrared temperature gun to take the temperature of the presenter in front of any student group.
Read more
* There will be a distance of 2.5metres between the presenter and the first row of students.
*The presenter will wear a mask and use sanitiser before fitting headsets.
*Students being fitted with a headset will have their temperature taken and must also wear their own mask


Teacher PD

  1. Bookings for 2021 school-based (on-site) face-to-face teacher PD can be accepted from October 6.
  2. Sydney based ‘Understanding the Learning Brain’ off-site courses for small staff groups will begin again from October 6 on request. As these take place off-site, they CAN go ahead.
  3. To request a date for off-site teacher PD or make an inquiry for 2021 on-site PD, click  HERE.
    Read more
    *There must be a 2.5 metre distance between the presenter and the first row of teachers.
    *The presenter will wear a mask when fitting headsets.
    *The presenter will use sanitiser before each fitting.
    *Teachers being fitted with a headset will have their temperature taken and must also wear their own mask.

IMPORTANT NSW ADVICE:
The NSW Government has directed NESA to undertake an immediate review of their processes. While most activities are on hold, the instruction on the NESA website states: “NESA Endorsed providers can continue to develop and deliver NESA Registered PD under their existing scope of endorsement – business as usual.”
However, the NSW Government website states face-to-face on-site PD cannot begin again. We will only be conducting our off-site courses until this contradiction is addressed.

Mindz for Teachers, Mindz in Schools

The Myth of Multitasking

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The Myth of Multitasking: Implications for teachers and their students

Phil Dye: Founder of Mindz Brainplay

In all of our teachers’ PD, student sessions or corporate experiences, we stress the irrefutable fact that multitasking, once the holy grail of workplace behavior, does NOT produce good results.

Our brain experiences electrical changes throughout the day depending on what we’re planning, thinking, doing, hearing or experiencing. The brain state needed for multitasking involves our brain cells (neurons) being high in electricity. This is called ‘Beta’ and it’s where we do many things at once yet do none of these exceptionally well. There is immense brain work involved in trying to juggle many things at once and it’s exceptionally tiring. Teachers know that all too well!

Unfortunately, multitasking does not allow the brain to move into ‘Theta’, the low-electrical brain state necessary for mistake-free work or learning. Learning and focus comes with no distraction or pressure. It comes with quiet or at least limited sound dynamics.

It doesn’t come naturally after 20 minutes of playground play, rugby training or jostling up the stairs to get to class. It will never exist with office PA announcements during class, the sound of jackhammers, students calling out or the distraction of mobile phones. Mobile phones on silent are even worse as students constantly check for possible messages. Mobile phones in a locker at least 10 metres from a smart watch is the only answer.

It also follows that a student’s brain state is often a reflection of the teacher’s brain state. If a teacher is relaxed, controlled and focused, a majority of the class will reflect that. If a teacher is pressured, distracted and stressed, the class will usually be the same – an impossible state for student learning and a terrible state for teaching job satisfaction.

Understanding the learning brain not only equips teachers with a toolbox for creating the best learning zone in students, it equips them with knowledge about their own brain state. Not covered in any teacher training course, it’s vital knowledge for today’s teacher.

Mindz for Teachers, Mindz in Schools

The Learning Brain

A summary of points from ‘Understanding The Learning Brain’, a NESA and TQI Accredited presentation by Phil Dye . For more about the presenter, click HERE.

Please whitelist the mindz.com.au domain on your school email / web spam servers.
  • Brain basics and electricity: Click HERE
  • Brain myths and research: Click HERE
  • Getting to the Learning Brain: Click HERE

Phil Dye contact:
Phone: 0412 678 179
Email: phil@mindz.com.au

 
Mindz for Teachers, Mindz in Schools

NSW STAGE 6 Investigating science

FACT or FALLACY?

Fact or Fallacy is strictly for Investigating Science Students.

Fact or Fallacy  Students will conduct a series of mind-based EEG experiments to prove Fact or Fallacy on several common beliefs. A common belief is that lying down helps a person relax and creates ‘Theta’ brainwaves. Another belief is that heavy metal music creates ‘Beta or Gamma’ waves and cannot help a person relax. The session investigates these beliefs using our EEG headsets to see if they fit into the areas of Fact or Fallacy.  We train the students on EEG use.

This investigation is different to the ‘Working Scientifically‘ session in that students don’t design their investigation. All guidance is supplied. For the full session outline, click HERE.

Outcome Points: (relevant to all the sciences)
11/12-1, 11/12-3, 12-5, 1/12-6, 12-7, 11/12-2

Group size: We can cater for up to 20 students in a research session. However, we only supply 2 x headsets and 2 x laptops for up to 10 students to use. Schools with more than 10 students in the session need to provide laptops or tablets for extra groups. They will  also need to purchase 1 x headset per extra group at the cost of $240. We provide training and notes on their use. Most schools find these invaluable for use in further investigation or teaching students how to find their ‘learning state’.

For costs, syllabus points and extra information, click HERE.

To inquire or make a booking, see below…

Education Authorities sometimes treat the spelling of 'Mindz' as spam. This is why we ask for a 2nd non-school email address. Please allow email from us (mindz.com.au) in your school email settings and check your junk/spam box in case our reply has ended up there. We don't share any email addresses with 3rd parties.
This is important. It can be a school number or personal mobile. We don't share it with 3rd parties.

 

Mindz in Schools

Stage 6 Working Scientifically

NSW Stage 6 Working Scientifically

Mindz will guide classes through a 90-120 minute scientific exploration using EEG headsets we provide (up to 2).

The session is based around group scientific investigation, not lecture and presentation. After a 15 minute introduction, students will design an investigation and then collect, analyse and evaluate data following scientific method. They will then communicate this information to a specific audience.

For those new to science
If you have students new to the sciences, designing their own research project can be daunting. We offer an additional ‘practice session’ where students are guided through a research task using scientific method and our EEGs. This is a very step by step session which may not be suitable for advanced science students.

Outcome Points: (relevant to all the sciences)
11/12-1, 11/12-3, 12-5, 1/12-6, 12-7, 11/12-2,

Group size: We can cater for up to 20 students in a research session. However, we only supply 2 x headsets and 2 x laptops for up to 10 students to use. Schools with more than 10 students in the session need to provide laptops or tablets for extra groups. They will  also need to purchase 1 x headset per extra group at the cost of $214. We provide training and notes on their use. Most schools find these invaluable for use in further investigation or teaching students how to find their ‘learning state’.

For costs, syllabus points and extra detail, click HERE.

To book or inquire, see below

Education Authorities sometimes treat the spelling of 'Mindz' as spam. This is why we ask for a 2nd non-school email address. Please allow email from us (mindz.com.au) in your school email settings and check your junk/spam box in case our reply has ended up there. We don't share any email addresses with 3rd parties.
This is important. It can be a school number or personal mobile. We don't share it with 3rd parties.