C.E. Jottings

"Conductive education: a revolution for families with children suffering cerebral palsy" a view from 2008

This is a translation from Russian, using Google Translate, of an article link posted by Andrew Sutton on Facebook, for which there is not otherwise an English language version. (https://www.facebook.com/conductive.world/posts/10225360546550893). Andrew, the author, comments on Facebook that the article, written in 2008, was “a little optimistic in the event”. For those who may be interested, the original article, with its accompanying photographs, can be found at https://www.ya-roditel.ru/upload/files/satton.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1E49YP1XFiORBjxmh6Vf8XagwcWL8BZwttryQkZDafo4UCOQYQLGbisGo Here is the article in English translation (with American spelling!): Andrew Sutton, psychologist,... Read more →

Déjà vu, all over again. The dysfunctional services that confront parents of children with cerebral palsy

Two news items earlier this week: the report in Charity Today “Children’s Disability Charity Launches New Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration Service” and the announcement by Action Cerebral Palsy of the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s report “Early identification, intervention and pathways of care of infants and young children with cerebral palsy: The case for reform and Investment”. Charity Today has this to say: “CPotential is a one-stop-shop of rehabilitation services for children with movement disorders. The charity also offers physiotherapy, conductive... Read more →

On blogs and blogging in conductive education

Conductive education seems almost wholly to have moved away from blogs as a means of sharing news and reflections. Not so in other areas of interest: Family History and Genealogy, for instance, or Disability, where there is still a wealth of must-read blogs. There's still much on Facebook that's worth reading; there are any number of websites and newsletters. Personally, I am tiring of Facebook - largely because of the incessant intrusions into my timeline but also because of a... Read more →

We do things differently in conductive education, it seems

West Ham beat Newcastle Untied 2-0 at the weekend. I watched the first half on TV. To be honest, I wasn’t terribly interested in either side and it wasn’t a top game. When West Ham went 2-0 up just before half-time, I switched the TV off. Nothing much happened in the second half, it seems. No goals anyway. Actually, I was only filling time, waiting for my grandson to contact me on FaceTime. He’d just got the results of an... Read more →

On Purpose ..... and lessons from Premier League Soccer

I wrote last about Trusteeship ... on Trustees' role as Guardians of the definition of success and how soccer clubs treasure "a sense of what they stand for, what they are and a respect for those who have 'gone before’" Another way of saying the 'definition of success' is 'Purpose'. So how about this from today's Independent? "Never underestimate the power of a purpose. From Klopp’s Liverpool to Warnock’s Cardiff, from Pep’s City to Pulis’s Middlesbrough, the modern club -... Read more →

"Air, Food and Experience" ... and Conductive Education

A moment ago, I was on Gill Maguire's Conductive Education Information website searching for something, and was reminded of this posting "Air, Food & Experience" by Judit Szathmary. If you've not read it, you should. If you did read it when Judit published it November, then I urge you to read it again, as I have just done. "There is a significantly different experience between mainstream special education combined with therapy and conductive movement pedagogy. Conductive movement pedagogy is about... Read more →

"It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools"

To the eye of this parent and English-trained teacher, the Petö Institute could be a challenging environment. One of the more curious features of conductive education as practised at Kútvölgyi út was the responsibility taken by Conductors for the equipment they worked with and the rooms they worked in, including responsibility at the end of one working day for cleaning and setting up their room for the next day's session. As I came to understand Conductive Education, or Conductive Movement... Read more →

Where's the Bowling Alley? Thoughts on the design for Paces Sheffield's new CE facility.

A week ago last Wednesday, I spent a very pleasurable and interesting 30 minutes at the presentation by Masters' students from Sheffield University Architecture Department, of a design for a new facility for Paces Sheffield "to create one of the leading purpose-built conductive education centres in the country." (Andrew Sutton's Facebook post "Something of wider significance at Paces Sheffield" has some useful links.) The students had clearly put a lot of work into their proposed design and presentation. The 3-D... Read more →

"We are also social animals." Motivation, the Group and Conductive Education

How important to motivation is the Group in conductive education? Consider: " The traditional view of motivation was individualistic. Humans were deemed to be rational maximisers of self-interest. If you want someone to do something, pay them. If you want them to try harder, increase the size of the bonus. This remains the dominant paradigm in business and, indeed, economic theory" "We are belatedly discovering, however, that humans are not economic automatons. We are not interested merely in self-enrichment. We... Read more →

Is one of the best jobs in SEND & conductive education in the UK the job for you? Act fast: deadline Feb 15 #CondEd

Is one of the best jobs in conductive education in the UK the job for you? Paces Sheffield is searching for a new Chief Executive. You'll have to move quickly - applications close on 15th February. More information: JDB People Management 07891 365288 [email protected] PACES SHEFFIELD JOB ADVERTISEMENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) Dates: Applications will close on Thursday 15 February 2018. Applications Process: Candidates will be required to submit an application form, covering letter and CVShortlisting will be on Friday... Read more →