Laughology

A practical guide to using laughter and humour as a thinking skill to feel better and communicate more effectively. This book will explain simple techniques that will improve the reader's ability to gain a more positive perspective in difficult situations and increase their happiness through adopting the techniques from the Laughology model.The key subjects covered are What is laughter;What is humour; The psychological connection;

Restorative practice is emerging in healthcare settings and systems as a highly effective means of improving relationships and enabling positive change. It consists of a set of theories, principles, skills and processes that shape our thinking around the way we interact with others. When restorative practice is adopted consistently within and between teams, it becomes 'the way we do things round here', a set of restorative practice 'habits' that we all recognise, use and refer to. Restorative Practice at Workidentifies a set of six complementary habits which will help to change and improve everyday communications, conversations and accountability in healthcare. These habits demonstrate how restorative practice can help toimprove day-to-day communications, in the form of behaviour, language and conversations, ease some of the daily challenges faced in healthcare and foster more effective working relationships, potentially leading to improvements in patient care and patient safety.They are: Navigating the Mountain: Looking beyond challenging behaviour Recognising Needs: Noticing, and responding to, needs and unmet needs Engaging Brains and Behaviours: Informing our responses to outward behaviours Remembering the Relational Window: Solving problems together Running Circle Meetings: An alternative meeting process Drawing on Restorative Enquiry: Processing incidents and problems Lesley firmly believes that restorative practice habits can ease the current pressures on the health service by enabling better relationships, improved communication and a focus on positive mental health. It can also be part of key solutions: staff engagement and retention, team cohesion, patient safety and care, culture change and improvement. The book offers practical and engaging takeaways to helpyou get started with restorative practice and includes reflective learning opportunities and transferrable lessons supported by evidence from case studies and contributions from experienced healthcare professionals. The aim of Restorative Practice at Workis to make a notable, positive difference to your daily workplace experience, whether you are a public-facing receptionist, member of a clinical team, administrator, manager, senior leader, cleaner or consultant, or, indeed if you have any other role in healthcare.This book will challenge and support your knowledge, understanding and thinking around restorative practice as a workplace philosophy in healthcare. Suitable for NHS leaders, managers, clinicians and staff and those in other healthcare settings such as researchers, academics, HR professionals and educators.

Do men and women laugh at the same things? Is laughter contagious? Has anyone ever really died laughing? Is laughing good for your health? Drawing upon ten years of research into this most common-yet complex and often puzzling-human phenomenon, Dr. Robert Provine, the world's leading scientific expert on laughter, investigates such aspects of his subject as its evolution, its role in social relationships, its contagiousness, its neural mechanisms, and its health benefits. This is an erudite, wide-ranging, witty, and long-overdue exploration of a frequently surprising subject.

Covering a wide range of topics, this collection of original essays deals with the consequences and challenges of our growing aging population on society. It emphasizes aging as a developmental process while addressing the future of the practice of geropsychiatry and geriatric psychotherapy. This book serves as a valuable resource to guide clinical training, practice, and research on aging into the next century and beyond.

An entertaining tour of the science of humor and laughter Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there any way to figure out what we really find funny? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what's happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. Beginning with the premise that humor arises from inner conflict in the brain, Weems explores such issues as why surprise is so important for humor, why computers are terrible at recognizing what's funny, and why cringe-worthy stereotypes make us laugh the hardest. From the role of insult jokes to the benefit of laughing for our immune system responses, Ha! reveals why humor is so idiosyncratic, and why how-to books alone will never help us become funnier people. Packed with the latest research, amusing anecdotes (and even a few jokes), Ha! is a delightful tour of why humor is so important to our daily lives.

TEACH YOUR STUDENTS TO READ WITH PRECISION AND INSIGHT The world we are preparing our students to succeed in is one bound together by words and phrases. Our students learn their literature, history, math, science, or art via a firm foundation of strong reading skills. When we teach students to read with precision, rigor, and insight, we are truly handing over the key to the kingdom. Of all the subjects we teach reading is first among equals. Grounded in advice from effective classrooms nationwide, enhanced with more than 40 video clips, Reading Reconsidered takes you into the trenches with actionable guidance from real-life educators and instructional champions. The authors address the anxiety-inducing world of Common Core State Standards, distilling from those standards four key ideas that help hone teaching practices both generally and in preparation for assessments. This 'Core of the Core' comprises the first half of the book and instructs educators on how to teach students to: read harder texts, 'closely read' texts rigorously and intentionally, read nonfiction more effectively, and write more effectively in direct response to texts. The second half of Reading Reconsidered reinforces these principles, coupling them with the 'fundamentals' of reading instruction—a host of techniques and subject specific tools to reconsider how teachers approach such essential topics as vocabulary, interactive reading, and student autonomy. Reading Reconsidered breaks an overly broad issue into clear, easy-to-implement approaches. Filled with practical tools, including: 44 video clips of exemplar teachers demonstrating the techniques and principles in their classrooms (note: for online access of this content, please visit my.teachlikeachampion.com) Recommended book lists Downloadable tips and templates on key topics like reading nonfiction, vocabulary instruction, and literary terms and definitions. Reading Reconsidered provides the framework necessary for teachers to ensure that students forge futures as lifelong readers.

Think for yourself before someone does it for you. The first in a new series by and for people who know how important it is to think for yourself. Written by Independent Thinking founder Ian Gilbert, this book is an invaluable collection of reflections, ideas and insights on the nature of learning, thinking, creativity and, drawing on Ian s experience in three continents, the role education has in changing not only people s lives but also entire societies. Combining articles published in the UK, Middle East and South America plus examples of his controversial online postings and Tweets with new observations and insights and at least 100 Twittered Thunks or Twunks this book is the informed ramblings of a passionate educationalist who has made a significant difference to classrooms for over 20 years and has earned the right to speak his mind.