The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, (AICPA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has announced the appointment of Babatunde Osho from Nigeria to the first Africa Regional Board with effect from August 2017.

The announcement was made public by the Regional Vice-President of the Association, Badibanga Promesse, saying, following a call for nominations and elections for the first Africa Regional Board under the Association, We are pleased to announce the appointment of Babatunde Osho and others from various countries to serve as board members for the next one year of extended term.

Promesse disclosed, I look forward to some exciting time under the Association and cannot wait to get things in motion and provide excellent services to our members and students in Africa.

Osho, a multi-functional business professional is currently Director / CEO MTN Liberia.

The Regional Boards serve as a key conduit between the customers, stakeholders and the CGMA Board of Directors. They serve as the eyes and ears of the profession from their individual and (geographical) representative perspective in identifying key macro and micro trends in the local marketplaces, impacting the customers and stakeholders understanding emerging issues with supply and demand of students, members, employers, universities and tuition providers.

The Boards understand the demand and potential value proposition of products and offerings along the entire value chain continuum, representing, engaging, presenting and advocating for the CGMA designation within the CIMA and AICPA membership bodies and the Association with members, customers, potential members customers, providing perspective into the development of the Associations and management accounting professional units three year strategic plan.

The Chairman and Vice Chairman will serve one year terms in such capacities with the Vice Chairman ascending to become the Chairman.

The members of the Regional Boards can serve a maximum of three consecutive one year terms to provide continuity while also creating additional opportunities for a large and diverse stakeholders.

Modestus Anaesoronye

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Babatunde Osho appointed Africa Regional Board member of AICPA, CIMA - BusinessDay (satire) (press release) (registration) (blog)

Ingenico Group, which has the worlds largest payment acceptance network, has singled out online skill-based games and education as new growth engines to better tap Chinas cross-border electronic payment business.

The company, a partner with Alibaba Group to help the Chinese internet giant expand the presence of Alipays mobile wallet in Europe, said it would continue to drive China-related businesses in the travel and retail sectors.

We see growth area in skill gaming which has largely remained domestic (business in China) until now, said Nick Tubb, Asia-Pacific chief of Ingenico ePayments. There are certainly opportunities here for us to pursue further growth of our businesses.

He added that online education would likely become another new bright spot in cross-border e-payment.

Last year, Alipay, an affiliate of Alibaba, signed a partnership with Ingenico, paving the way for hundreds of European retailers to accept payment by users of the mobile wallet app.

Chinese shoppers are able to use the mobile wallet to complete their transactions at hundreds of physical stores within Ingenicos processing platform when travelling abroad.

Alipay targets Chinese tourists with US payment deals

Ingenico also manages cross-border electronic transactions for Alipay when mainland shoppers purchase foreign goods via e-commerce.

The industry is so dynamic that you never know when the disruptions can change the business landscape, Tubb said, adding that Ingenico is taking an open attitude toward future business opportunities in China.

The total value of Chinas cross-border e-commerce, including both imports and exports, is expected to hit 7.5 trillion yuan (US$1.1 trillion) in 2017, up 19 per cent from a year ago, according to iiMedia Research.

The industry is so dynamic that you never know when the disruptions can change the business landscape

Nick Tubb, Ingenico

In the past 10 years, the number of Chinese online transactions processed annually by Ingenico has grown by a factor of 180, a result of soaring cross-border e-commerce in China.

Tubb predicted cross-border e-payment by Chinese people would increase at an annualised rate of 20 per cent to 25 per cent in the coming years.

Chinas e-sports businesses, driven by peoples obsession with games, have created a mammoth market for online game developers.

About 560 million people, or 70 per cent of the countrys internet population, play games, according to market intelligence firm Newzoo.

China makes up 57 per cent of the global e-sports audience, according to an IHS Markit research report.

Last year, about 3.5 billion hours of e-sports videos were viewed by Chinese audience and 11.1 billion e-sports streams were delivered to them.

But few mainland people engage in online games across the border.

Alipay is also expanding its mobile payment application service into the United States through partnerships with payment processors First Data and Verifone.

Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.

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Ingenico to tap Chinese cross-border spending on online games and education - South China Morning Post

WASHINGTON | Among the paintings and photographs that decorate Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sunlit, spacious office is the framed roll call from her Senate confirmation. Its a stark reminder of the bruising process that spurred angry protests, some ridicule and required the vice presidents tie-breaking yes vote.

Six months on the job, DeVos is no less divisive.

Critics see her as hostile to public education and indifferent to civil rights, citing her impassioned push for school choice and her signing off on the repeal of some protections for LGBT students.

Conservatives wish she had been less polarizing and more effective in promoting her agenda, noting that the departments budget requests are stalled in Congress and no tangible school choice plan has emerged.

DeVos is undeterred.

We have seen decades of top-down mandated approaches that protect a system at the expense of individual students, DeVos told The Associated Press. I am for individual students. I want each of them to have an opportunity to go to a school that works for them.

In her first comprehensive sit-down interview with a national media outlet since taking office, DeVos touched on some of the most pressing issues in K-12 and higher education.

She said Washington has a role to set a tone and encourage states to adopt choice programs without enacting a big new federal program thats going to require a lot of administration. At the same time, she confirmed that a federal tax-credit voucher program was under consideration as part of a tax overhaul. Its certainly part of our discussion, DeVos said.

DeVos, 59, appeared confident, but reserved during the 30-minute interview last week in her office, where photographs of her children and grandchildren and drawings and letters from young students are prominent. Large windows overlook the Capitol. Across the street, visitors lined up outside the National Air and Space Museum, which DeVos toured this year with Ivanka Trump to promote science and engineering among girls.

DeVos defended her decision to rewrite Obama-era rules intended to protect students against being deceived by vocational nondegree programs, saying that the last administration really stepped much more heavily into areas that it should not.

Liberals accuse DeVos of looking out for the interests of for-profit schools, and they point to Trump University, the presidents for-profit school that was sued for fraud. Supporters say the Obama regulations unfairly targeted for-profits and failed to track students long-term careers.

The decision by the departments of Education and Justice to roll back rules allowing transgender students to use school restrooms of their choice enraged civil rights advocates, who said already vulnerable children could face even more harassment and bullying. Conservatives saw DeVos fulfilling a promise to return control over education issues to states, cities, school districts and parents.

We really believe that states are the best laboratories of democracy on many fronts, DeVos said.

On the issue of school choice, DeVos was resolute. Another major flashpoint: charter schools, which are publicly funded but usually independently operated, and voucher programs that help families cover tuition at private schools. Theyre often criticized for a lack of transparency, and studies about their effectiveness have produced mixed results. DeVos disagrees.

I think the first line of accountability is frankly with the parents, she said. When parents are choosing school they are proactively making that choice.

For DeVos, who spent more than two decades promoting charter schools in her home state of Michigan, the closure of some low-performing charters was evidence of accountability. At the same time, there have been zero traditional public schools closed in Michigan for performance and I think thats a problem, she said.

DeVos got off to a rocky start in the Trump Cabinet.

She was satirized for some of her gaffes during the confirmation hearing, such as saying that guns are needed in schools to protect students from grizzly bears. Teacher unions accused her of seeking to privatize public education. Parents and teachers jammed Congress phone lines to oppose her nomination.

It took Vice President Mike Pences historic vote the first by a vice president to break a 50-50 tie on a Cabinet nomination to secure her position after two Republican senators defected.

DeVos is still sometimes met with protesters at public events, and her security detail has been bolstered at an additional cost of $7.8 million.

But DeVos isnt retreating.

She actively advocates for school choicce, once comparing education to ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, and saying that parents, like riders, need options. Of the 17 K-12 schools that she has visited so far, only seven were traditional public schools. DeVos didnt attend public school herself or send her children to a public school.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a recent speech that DeVos was a public school denier and quipped that DeVos can start talking about school choice even in reply to a simple greeting.

Conservatives say she may have oversold.

She has made things harder for herself by acting as the secretary for school choice instead of the secretary of education, said Mike Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute. She has missed the opportunity to make it clear that she wants to see all schools succeed.

Moderates are upset.

I have feared that in trying to rush in with a simplified notion of choice that she will love charters to death, said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a pro-charter group. At this point, six months in, I dont see any evidence that we are farther along on helping with achievement, equity, with moving the country forward.

Asked to name some of the strengths of public schools that she has observed in her job, DeVos said only that she is a very strong supporter of public schools.

But we also need to encourage schools, public schools that are doing a great job to not rest on their laurels but to continue to improve because unless youre constantly oriented around continuous improvement and excellence we know that theres going to be reversion to something less than that, she added.

DeVos proposal of a $9 billion, or 13.5 percent, cut to the education budget angered the left, but also drew criticism from top Republicans. The $20 billion school choice program that President Donald Trump promised during his campaign has so far failed to materialize. Last month, the House rejected his administrations plans for a $250 million private voucher program and a $1 billion in public school choice.

Petrilli said that was partly due to DeVos divisive rhetoric and problems filling senior positions at the department, as well as controversies plaguing the White House. Anyone in her position would be having a difficult time because of her boss, Petrilli said.

What grade should appear on DeVos report card after her first six months in office?

A very incomplete, said Patrick McGuinn, a professor of political science and education at Drew University.

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After 6 months on job, education chief still highly divisive - Online Athens

August 09, 2017

As online nursing education increases in popularity, researchers are finding institutional procedures may not be keeping up.

It is possible that institutional policies and practices that address support, resource allocation and faculty teaching have not kept pace with the rapid growth of online education, said Elizabeth Gazza, Ph.D., RN, associate professor at University of North Carolina Wilmington.

In a survey of 2,175 higher education faculty, 49% thought their institution did not provide enough technical support, and 48% thought they did not provide adequate support for course creation.

Gazza states online nursing education is not better or worse; it is just different.

Her research showed online instructors strived for the back-and-forth interaction necessary for teaching. In an online setting, teachers need to be available to students more frequently because students can work at virtually anytime.

Typically, instructors' workloads may be determined by credit hours. In online teaching, a better measure is class size. Institutions should evaluate this when scheduling faculty, along with workload allocation and compensation. A majority of study participants found online teaching takes longer than in-person teaching.

Results of Gazza's study appeared in the Journal of Nursing Education in June.

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Institutional procedures trail online education, study finds - McKnight's Long Term Care News

In the age of Instagram, self-help and wellness have never looked more glamorous and appealing, says inspirational speaker Danielle LaPorte.

But as she points out in her new book, White Hot Truth, sometimes the path to self-improvement can become self-destructive.

So much of the self-help space looks great. It looks liberated, progressive and great in yoga pants, she said recently over a vegetarian lunch in Venice. It looks like it is doing the right thing, and sometimes it is, but sometimes it isnt. It needs to be examined.

In many cases, she says, people are simply replacing one kind of addiction or problem for a better-looking one.

LaPorte chronicles hers and others stumbles along the path to enlightenment in her new book, as well as her prescription for doing it healthfully.

Here are four ways she sees self-improvement taking an unhealthy detour as well as strategies for dealing with them.

1. Spiritual bypassing

This term, coined by psychologist John Welwood, is defined as the use of spiritual practices and beliefs to avoid dealing with our painful feelings, unresolved wounds and developmental needs.

In short, LaPorte says, sometimes we do the right things for the wrong reasons. But instead of medicating with alcohol or drugs to feel better, she says, were doing it with macrobiotics and metaphysics. Of course, these habits wont land you in rehab, she says, just in more goddess workshops.

One prime example, she says, is that friend many of us know, with a not-so-loving relationship with her body, who maintains a strict health-food regimen and talks a good game about body positivity but is merely disguising a mild eating disorder as a holistic wellness routine.

The fix: Examine your motives as you journey down the spiritual path; spend some time in self-reflection and asking yourself what you are really seeking and why.

2. Lack of boundaries

In the quest to grow, LaPorte says, many people women in particular become way too tolerant of other peoples bad behavior, thinking they are acting from a place of spiritual acceptance and compassion. This may manifest in staying in an unloving relationship too long, accepting blame and criticism from narcissistic friends, or ceding too much authority to a spiritual teacher even if the instructors approach feels like manipulation or raises alarm bells.

The fix: You have to keep your antennae up, LaPorte says. She advises her own 13-year-old son to have an open heart but to guard it with a big fence that lets in only people who are respectful and interested and really, really loving.

3. Guilt

If your spiritual regimen includes a rewards system or punishment, its a bad sign, LaPorte says. You shouldnt have to meditate for an hour, practice yoga every day or eat 100% gluten-free and organic to earn that chocolate or get that pedicure youve been wanting. Thats not self-love or self-care, she says.

If youre constantly adding to your spiritual to-do list and feeling bad about falling short, or if you find yourself getting competitive about your yoga practice and healthy eating, that may be a sign that youre seeking approval as much as enlightenment.

The fix: With any spiritual practice, she says, You shouldnt have to feel guilty when you dont do it. Do it when you need it and you want it, she says. A really powerful question is: What if no one was keeping score, would you do it? Its not about brownie points, its about the sweetness and the freedom and the euphoria of being a loving person.

4. One-size-fits-all spirituality

Many think they need to adopt all the habits and practices of a spiritual teacher or self-help guru, whether its Deepak Chopra or Tony Robbins. A good teacher should be meeting students at their level and seeing what they need, rather than prescribing a spiritual formula. If mantras are your thing, great. If crystals seem too far out there, fine, she says.

There are a lot of paths and they all work for someone, she says. Like anything else, she says, finding a spiritual practice and path to self-improvement is like finding your own beliefs after you leave a small, one-church town.

The fix: You have to learn to think for yourself, LaPorte says, and that includes being willing to take a break from that meditation practice, Reiki habit or vegan diet to see if its really working for you.

READ ON!

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When self-improvement is self-destruction: The 4 warning signs - Gears Of Biz

Readers can renew their depleted book collections soon at the Friends of the Athens-Clarke County Library Summer Book Sale.

The Friends will host their semi-annual sale Aug. 23-26 in the Athens-Clarke County Librarys multipurpose rooms.

The sale will feature hundreds of gently used books, including fiction, non-fiction, childrens books, hardbacks, paperbacks, games, audio books, CDs and more.

The sale will begin with a Friends-only preview sale 2-6 p.m. Aug. 23. Shoppers can purchase a Friends membership at the door of the sale for $25 and then get first pick at the sale.

The sale will be open to the public 6-8 p.m. Aug. 23, then 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 24; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 25, and on Aug. 26.

Saturday is Bag Day, when shoppers can fill a large grocery bag for just $10. The Friends provide the bags.

All proceeds from the Book Sale benefit the Athens-Clarke County Library.

For more information, call (706) 613-3650 or visit http://www.athenslibrary.org/athens and click on Friends of Athens-Clarke County Library.

The Athens-Clarke County Library is located at 2025 Baxter Street in Athens.

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Athens library summer book sale coming up - Online Athens

I attended Tuesdays (August 8th) meeting of the Finance Audit Committee which met to discuss financing options for $20 million to rebuild the Menlo Park Library. The expected cost is $45 million, and John Arrillaga has generously offered to fund the balance after the City contributes $20 million.

When I first heard of this potential project to rebuild the library several alarms went off.

The Space Needs Study says, Because of time constraints, staff recommends that public input on the siting options be gathered through a design charrette process facilitated by staff and qualified consultants. However the report doesnt enumerate any time constraints, so whats the rush?

Duringthe initial public comments I addressed the panel on these topics:

A)There should be an accounting of projects that were accomplished through Measure T parcel tax. That there may be funds available in the third tranche of that parcel tax.

B)Menlo Park residents may have more pressing issues, like pension deficits, housing and traffic, and loads of construction already. I suggested that they punt this back to council to get a reality check.

C)I know a lot about libraries, and am a expert in library automation and cataloging; have designed, developed and marketed three library circulation, cataloging systems and full text indexing for NOAA, Tacoma Public Library, a third for a company for whom I was VP, and developed and licensed network software for library automation vendors. Two years ago I testified in a patent case on the nuances of Library of Congress cataloging details (i.e., the date when was a book publicly available).

D)From my experience in Internet trends, materials and queries, and public libraries that I visit, libraries are shrinking a victim of o- line technology cutting out the middle man. I cited recent visits to main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, which was bore little resemblance to its prior bustling stacks, but now had immigration services offices.

E)I failed to see any statistical data that the common metrics of a library operation and trends: circulation (borrowing) counts, turnstile counts, size of the collections, number of active patrons. No data was provided to show that growth on any of these trend indicators has grown to where a remodel is compelling.

Our library manager attended the meeting, and as the primary stakeholder, I expected a statement to the committee and public as an advocate the project. There was none. This is driven by other forces.

$45 million for a net 11,000 square feet is $4000 sq/ft?) Thats more than the cost of Athertons new civic campus. I read the use study of the Menlo Project, which suggests that this is more about public meeting spaces than libraries.

Excerpt from:
Why a library scrap and rebuild? - The Almanac Online (blog)

MAIN BRANCH: 32 Essex St.

PHONE: 978-921-6062

ONLINE: beverlypubliclibrary.org

FARMS BRANCH: 24 Vine St., Beverly Farms

PHONE: 978-921-6066

Email: ingalls@noblenet.org

Summer and Holiday Hours

Summer weekend hours are in effect for the main and Beverly Farms branch libraries. The main library is closed on Sundays, and the Farms branch is closed on Saturdays until October.

The main library and the Farms branch will be closed for the Labor Day holiday onMonday, Sept. 4. The main library will also be closed onSaturday, Sept. 2.

Main branch events

Get you solar eclipse glasses

The main library Children's Room will have a limited supply of free eclipse viewing glasses available starting on Aug. 14. There is a limit of one pair per individual, or three per family, while supplies last. There will also be an information sheet about safe viewing of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, which is a partial eclipse in New England. For more information, email mamorgan@noblenet.org.

Save the date --Mini Golf: A FUN-draiser

For two days in September, the Beverly Public Library will be transformed into an 18-hole miniature golf course. All proceeds will benefit the library's Teen Room renovation project.

- Adult Par-Tee (18-plus): Saturday, Sept. 23, from 7 to 9 p.m.Putt your way through the library after hours while enjoying music, refreshments and a cash bar (beer and wine). Cost to participate is $30 per person. Register online at http://www.beverlypubliclibrary.org/minigolf/.

- Fore! Families: Sunday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.A "hole" lot of fun for your mini-family members and folks of all ages Cost is $5 per person. Register online at http://www.beverlypubliclibrary.org/minigolf/.

Early registration is encouraged for both events - see more info on the library's online event page.

Ongoing

August Art

The August exhibit, which runs through Aug. 29, features Gyotaku (Japanese , from gyo fish + taku rubbing) prints by Beverly resident Peter Concannon. The artist is a launch operator at a local yacht club and a recreational lobsterman. He uses specimens he receives from yacht club members to create respectful portrayals of magnificent sea creatures. Concannon's work has won awards in regional juried shows, and has been featured in Artscope Magazine. The exhibit is free and open to the public during regular library hours, when library programs or community meetings are not in progress.

Monday Mornings Fall Series

The Monday Mornings Lecture Series' fall season begins Monday, Sept. 11. Programs run weekly from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. until mid-December (except on federal holidays and during the library's fall book sale). Light refreshments are available starting at 9 a.m. Programs are designed for senior adults, but all adults are welcome. The series is free; signup is not required. Keep a lookout for the fall schedule on the Monday Mornings web page, http://www.beverlypubliclibrary.org/monday-mornings/. For more information, contact flynn@noblenet.org.

Summer Sounds outdoor concert series:Enjoy Summer Sounds at the library each Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. on the Winter Street Plaza (rain location will be in the Sohier Room). Summer Sounds, the library's free outdoor summer concert series featuring local musicians,is sponsored by the Friends of the Beverly Public Library. The series is free and open to all. Concerts will run throughAug. 23.Learn more on the library's website.

Childrens Room

These events are held in the main library. For more information, contact Kate Carpine, childrens librarian, at carpine@noblenet.org or visit beverlypubliclibrary.org/kids.

A Little Night Music and Rhyme: Thursdays at 6:30, through Aug. 31.Join the library for musical rhythmic fun. For families and kids under 5 (or so). Signup is not required.

Teen happenings

Teen events are open to all teens entering grades 6-12. Events are held in the Sohier Room unless otherwise noted. For more information, contact Allison Babin at 978-921-6062 or visit beverlypubliclibrary.org/teens.

Anime Club: Tuesday, Aug. 15 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Eat snacks and have fun with other fans. Note: this event is not eligible for prizes.

Adult Book Discussion Groups

New members always welcome; no sign up needed. Copies of monthly book selections are available at the circulation desk, or they may be available in alternate formats. Search the catalog at beverlypubliclibrary.org or contact our reference staff at 978-921-6062 or bev@noblenet.org to find book-discussion books. The library is handicapped accessible. For more information, visit beverlypubliclibrary.org/book-groups.

LGBTQ Book Discussion Group: 7 to 8:30 p.m. every third Monday of the month. During holidays, the group meets on the fourth Monday of the month.

The group will meet on Monday, Aug. 21, to discuss "The Angel of History" by Rabih Alameddine.

Evening Book Discussion Group: 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month.

the group will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 15, to discuss "The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow.

Farms Branch Discussion Group: 7 to 8:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month.

The group will meet on Thursday, Aug. 17, to discuss "The Summer Before the War" by Helen Simonson.

Farms branch events

August Art: Painter & Photographer Exhibit

Watercolors by former concert artist Phyllis Kaplan, and travel photography (United States, the Middle East and South America) by Bruce White, will be on display in a collaborative show through Aug. 29. The exhibit and reception are free and open to all.

Upcoming programs:

Summer Concert with Dara: Thursday, Aug. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Lively music and movement for ages 18 months to 5 years.

"By the Seashore": Monday, Aug. 14, at 11 a.m. Registration is required. Kids, ages 3 1/2 to 5 years, will learn about critters that live along the shore through games, crafts and food.

Solar Scientists: Wednesday, Aug. 16. at 11 a.m. Registration is required. For ages 6 - 11. Get ready for the total solar eclipse with crafts and super solar activities.

Call the Farms branch at 978-921-6066 to inquire about other upcoming events or program details, including additional programs that require registration.

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Beverly Public Library news - Wicked Local Beverly

What is Self-Awareness?

Self-Awareness is the thinking skill that focuses on a childs ability to accurately judge their own performance and behavior and to respond appropriately to different social situations.

Self-Awareness helps an individual to tune into their feelings, as well as to the behaviors and feelings of others. For example, a child successfully uses self-awareness skills when they notice they are talking too loudly in a library where other children are trying to work, and then adjusts the volume or their voice to a more considerate level.

Video games allow kids to practice their Self-Awareness skills while in the midst of a fun and immersive gaming experience. Many games require that players think about their thinking in the game in order to overcome challenges, and multi-player games require interpersonal cooperation and understanding of ones teammates intentions.

Watch the video to learn more about how video games can help your child improve their Self-Awareness thinking skill.

Self-Awareness is vital both to a childs academic success as well as their social and emotional growth. This thinking skill facilitates a childs ability to accurately judge their own performance and behavior, as well as their ability to appropriately respond to different social situations.

These are some general strategies and ideas for helping kids to improve their Self-Awareness skills.

There is convincing research demonstrating how early training in thinking, executive, and learning skills improves long-term academic performance. The choice to teach thinking skills rather than academics to kindergarteners results in improved performance in mathematics and reading for middle school students and beyond. In other words, for children to grow up to become accomplished readers and mathematicians, more time should be spent teaching thinking skills to kindergarteners and first graders.

Self-awareness is an important skill in the capacity to assess ones academic performance. Carefully checking over ones work in math, taking the time to see that you have spelled words correctly while writing, and stepping back to make connections and inferences about what one has read are all important skills, particularly at higher levels of learning. Metacognition facilitates reflecting about what one has learned, and not simply memorizing a series of facts.

Playing video games, searching the Internet, trying out the newest app, or Facebooking a friend demands a variety of thinking skills. Proficiency with any of these digital tools requires the ability to apply skills such as Planning, Organization, Working Memory, or Self-Awareness. For children, the attraction of video games and technologies makes them an ideal teaching tool for practicing game-based skills and learning to apply them to school and daily activities.

Self-Awareness is a frequently applied thinking skill for video game players who are looking to improve their performance or simply share their game passions with other players. Players will often ask each other questions, explain their approaches to difficult parts of the game, and reflect on new ways they can use their digital technologies to help them in real-world activities.

The thinking skill of self-awareness is associated primarily with Dawson and Guares executive skill of metacognition. In the LearningWorks for Kids thinking-skills model, we have added the component of social thinking, which reflects an individuals capacity for understanding others feelings and motivations. This is consistent with newer theories of executive functioning, particularly those by Russell Barkley, in which the social component of executive skills is highly valued.

As an executive function, self-awareness refers to the capacity to understand the impact of ones behavior on others, as well as the capacity to connect and empathize with individuals in their environments. Self-awareness helps children to be reflective and think about their actions and behavior, as well as to step back and consider what others in their environment are experiencing. Self-awareness facilitates the capacity to learn from ones mistakes, accept criticism, and listen to and understand the feelings of others.

Assessing the executive function of self-awareness in children involves seeing how effectively they understand themselves and others. The Learning-Works for Kids Thinking Skills Assessment is based on the Executive Skills Questionnaire, which measures self-awareness primarily by childrens capacity to explain the rationale for their decision making, accurately assess their performance, and their capacity to take on other peoples perspectives.

Link:
What are Self-Awareness Skills? - LearningWorks for Kids

Through my research in emotional intelligence and brain function, Ive developed a model of the mind as a three-tiered building. The first tier is the foundation and where youll find the brain, the control center. The second tier contains the four realms of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skill.

And above that, at the top tier, are leadership competencies. These come from a methodology called Competency Modeling, one of the main developers of which was my mentor at Harvard, David McClelland. Following this model, we identify who will be best in a specific role by evaluating those who have excelled in that positionusing whatever metric appliesand then comparing them with people in the same role with mediocre success. This allows us to identify the competencies found in the stand-outs that you dont find in the average these are the leadership competencies were seeking. Then we hire people with those competencies.

In the decades since McClelland proposed this, it has become standard operating procedure for identifying leadership competencies in most world-class organizations. When I was conducting research for my book Working with Emotional Intelligence, I had access to about 200 competency models that companies use to identify star performers. These are all proprietary since they provide each organization with a competitive edge, but I was able to identify common themes. For example, emotional self-awareness is a leadership competency that shows up in model after model. These are the leaders attuned to their inner signals, recognizing how their feelings affect them and their job performance. They integrate their guiding values into their work. They can deduce the best course of action. They see the big picture and theyre genuine.

I had a discussion about this modeland particularly self-awarenesswith my colleague Daniel Siegel, whos a psychiatrist at UCLA and whose research informs much of my work in emotional intelligence. I asked what his research had to do with the parts of the brain that are self-aware. Ive paraphrased our conversation below.

Whats particularly exciting about this model is how it asks the question, How does emotional intelligence create a bridge between competence creation and the brain?

First off, people hear about the brain and they become glassy-eyed; they think its going to be too complicated. But I think there are some basic statements about the brain that can make us feel much more comfortable Remember that the brain is actually the social organ of the body. Everything that allows us to be social is mediated by certain circuits in the brain. Also, your experiencejust the subjective quality of being alivehas a lot to do with how you use your brain. Lets take self-awareness, as you mentioned. When someone is aware of how feelings affect his reasoning, thinking, and ways of interacting with other peoplehe has self-awareness. This is one component of emotional intelligence. And we know that there are circuits in the brain that allow you to be aware of your mental world that are distinct from the circuits that allow you to be aware of your physical world.

During medical school I knew certain professors who were aware of their internal experiences, and subsequently could also be aware of the experiences of their patients. So if someone was given a difficult diagnosis, they knew to stay with the patient and be attentive to their feelings. Other professors acted as if it was just a diagnosis. And it struck me then that some people could see their minds, and some people couldnt. I termed this ability mindsight.

So as I said, with self-awareness, we know there are certain circuits that map your mental life. These are very different from the brain circuits that map what you physically see, for example. Some people have cultivated these mindsight map-making areas beautifully and have great self-awareness, because its a learnable skill, and other people havent. Some mindsight may be innate, but studies also suggest that your experiences with your parents can generate the kind of reflective competencies upon which self-awareness depends.

Keep in mind that self-awareness isnt just navel-gazing. Its the presence of mind to actually be flexible in how you respond. It allows you to be centered, and know what your body is telling you.

The physiological state of your whole body can drastically affect how you respond in a given situation if you dont pay attention to it. (For example, a study in 2011 indicated that judges hand down stricter sentences when theyre hungry.)

This is also true when were threatened or challenged at work: The brain quickly judges people who are not like us in one certain way, and those like us in another way. If youre not aware of that as a leader of an organization, you may find yourself making all sorts of gut-based decisions that require more reflection.

Read my full conversation with Dr. Siegel in my new collection, The Executive Edge: An Insiders Guide to Outstanding Leadership. Or watch the interview in my video series, Leadership: A Master Class. Apply these concepts with Leadership: A Master Class Training Guide.

The L&D Primer

The Coaching Program

The C-Suite Toolkit

The Competency Builder

The EI Overview

Self-regulation: a star leaders secret weapon

How emotionally intelligent are you?

How leaders build trust

A relaxed mind is a productive mind

See the rest here:
Daniel Goleman: How Self-Awareness Impacts Your Work