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On Sunday, 13 May 2018 we honour our Mothers and any significant women in our lives.
On the morning of Wednesday, 9 May 2018 the College came together in the Parish Church to celebrate our Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunties and the many women who care for us and shape our lives. Mr Shelton, Director of Faith, began by highlighting the place of Mary, the Mother of our Church, our Mother, and the inspiration we can draw from her life as Mothers, sons and daughters.
In the Gospel reading of Luke 1:39-56, we heard of the happiness of two expectant Mothers as they meet, and the way Elizabeth’s baby “leaps for joy” in the presence of Mary who is bearing Jesus in her womb. What a joy it is to share in the events associated with having a baby. What a joy it is to bring new life into the world.
Mr Gooch prepared a wonderful video of students giving homage to their Mothers, with students describing the things they most valued about their Mothers. Particularly moving and inspiring was the refection on motherhood by the Pindolia family. We are grateful to Mrs Manisha Pindolia, Ashni and Dhirian, and Nana K for their courage in sharing their story of the love and respect they have for each other. There was a great buzz in the air when all students and their Mothers had the opportunity to share their own personal reflections on motherhood.
The angelic voice of Ms Emilie Reynolds accompanied on the piano by Ms Laura Goodwin created a reverent ambience for reflection.
Mothers and families were invited to make their way to the College Café to share in a light breakfast with their children. Each Mother received the gift of a chocolate heart as a symbol of love and respect and the high esteem in which they are held.
Thank you to Mrs Lewis and Mrs Vagg for providing a wonderful breakfast.
We wish our Mothers and all significant women in our lives a very happy Mothers’ Day and pray:
Heavenly Father, hold my mother close to your Heart
As we hold her close to mine. Let her know today and every day
How much we love her. Lord, comfort her mind and reassure her
that her motherly care was everything we needed and wanted
And that we love her dearly.
Amen.
The magic of Mothers
How Explaining Something To Mum Helps Children Learn
Does asking children explain something to their others make a difference to how well they learned it and whether they could apply their learning to a new situation? Children were divided into three groups: those in the first group were asked to explain the problem and its solution to their Mothers, who were instructed to listen and not prompt or correct; those in the second group were asked to explain the solution to themselves, (speaking into a tape recorder); and those in the third were asked to repeat the correct answer without explaining it.
What did the researchers find? Children who explained the problem to their mothers performed better than the other two groups when they were asked to solve another problem similar to the initial problems. And mum-explainers were significantly better able to transfer what they had learned to new and more challenging problems. By the way, children in the second group did better than those who weren’t asked to explain to anyone.
What does this prove? Explaining their thinking helps even very young child think through and absorb their learning. Explaining to another person enhances this effect, as long as the other person is listening, and we know that mums are good listeners.
Explaining to their mums may prompt children to be more explicit and to generate more generalisable rules. The presence of a listener may provide a natural context for helping children to stay motivated and to integrate knowledge across multiple dimensions of a problem.
The general lesson for children might be that if they are having difficulty in understanding something, they should try explaining it to their mum (or dad or sibling or grandparent).
Explaining to someone who is truly interested in listening to you is the key.
Ask your child to explain the lessons they are learning in school each day. Your listening may be the best way for them to understand and retain their new knowledge.
Acknowledgement: “Learning from Explaining: Does It Matter if Mum Is Listening?” by Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Megan Saylor, and Kathryn Swygert in Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2007 .