This tailored language course focuses more on the trainees’ Achille’s heel. As a trainer, I have constructed a special test to determine the trainees’ level of language comprehension. After the assessment, the trainees are then being drilled intensively according to their level of understanding and capacity to learn- taking into account their personal ability, character, background and culture. Each learning scheme is uniquely design to fit the dress of the wearer.

After two consecutive months of intensive training with two different trainees, I honestly discovered that all roads lead to Rome. It is not at the end of the road yet, nevertheless, so far as I can tell, it has been a very fruitful journey for both the trainees and the trainer. 

Marco Bertolini proposes you a new workshop in the Hub Brussels : Mind Mapping Basics for Students.  This is all about how to improve your study skills by using the mind mapping techniques and an opensource mind mapping software : XMind.  Summarize books and documents, take better notes, give a better structure to your assessments, improve your memory, prepare oral and written examinations, and much more.

First, we’ll learn the basic principles of mind mapping :

- radiant and associative thinking

- hierarchy and structure

- keywords and pictures

- branches and space structure

MM workshop program

Then, you’ll design your first mind map on paper :

- about you and… No, we don’t want to tell to much now ! -We’ll explore together some ways to structure your documents, to take efficient notes, to analyze and organize your courses, to prepare your exams…    

We’ll use XMind

Which is a opensource mind mapping software that you can use during and after the workshop. Let’s discover how to organize things and events with the time and tasks features of this amazing sofware !

Bring along your laptop and we will give you the program for free !

Looking forward to learn together,

Marco Bertolini.

(Marco Bertolini has been working as a trainer and human resources consultant for more than 20 years.  Now,co-founder of the Lingua Franca Foundation, he dedicates his time and passion to innovative training methods such as mind mapping, visual thinking, framegames, etc.  He applies these awesome techniques to job search, business set up and learning efficiency.  He is also a member of the team which is currently translating the XMind software into French).

Practical information

On Saturday 25th September 2010 at from 9.30 AM to 5.30 PM

At the Hub Brussels – rue du Prince Royal 37

1050 Brussels – See Google Maps

Buy your Ticket here

More info on info@linguafrancaacademy.org

Discover also our conference on this subject !

]]> http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/08/29/our-new-workshop-mind-mapping-basics-for-students/feed/ 2 marcobertolini MM Workshop http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/08/29/improve-your-study-skills-with-mind-mapping/ http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/08/29/improve-your-study-skills-with-mind-mapping/#comments Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:10:57 +0000 Marco Bertolini http://linguafrancafoundation.org/?p=1594 Continue reading →]]> How can mind mapping help you to succeed with your studies ?  What advantage can visual thinking tools give you ?

These are the themes we will explore through a conference and a workshop at the Hub Brussels in September.

Firstly, let’s focus on the conference.

People usually say that we use 10 % of our brain capacities.  That is totally untrue.  The brain is an awesome organic machine that brings to work millions of neurones at the same time.  But we use it in different ways according to our genre, our age, our culture.

And we can use it in better ways !

Our brain is composed of two hemispheres but our education and our school training favors only one of them : the left brain.  Which is the rational, sequential and logical part of our brain.  But there is another part, the right one, which is more intuitive, associative and which grasps everything in one go.  The picture here below perfectly illustrates that partition of our brains.

Most of the time, men use their left brain, while women tend to use both hemispheres at the same time.  Mind mapping reconciles us with a more holistic use of our grey matter : with its very logical and hierarchical structure, its stimulates the left brain, while the use of keywords, pictures and colours tickles our right brain and enhances our creativity skills.

Mind mapping, with its radiant and associative thinking also helps you to memorize better, which for students is a real gift : with the support of mind mapping, visual and lateral thinking techniques, you will learn faster and remember for a longer time.  Isn’t that good news ?

During this conference, we will :

• discover together the principles of mind mapping
• find out why it works
• how students can best use it for :
  • taking efficient notes  
  • structuring documents,
  • memorizing courses
  • preparing exams

• see what you can get from mind mapping softwares
• And much more !

Practical informations

Buy your ticket here

More info on info@linguafrancaacademy.org

Discover our Workshop too !

Now, it is Dr Naif Al-Mutawa himself who is the invited speaker of a new TED talk about his own creation.

In this funny and fascinating conference, Dr Al-Mutawa shows how American superheroes were inspired by biblical myths and values, christian archtypes that resonated with the American society positive values.

He created the 99 with the same kind of idea in mind.  In fact, the superheroes embody the 99 attributes of God, Allah : mercy, generosity and so on.  For instance, Jabbar, The Powerful; Noora, The Light; Darr, The Afflicter; Jami, The Assembler; Widad, The Loving; Fattah, The Opener, etc.  So far, not all of the 99 characters have been unveiled.  Each of the 99 is living in a different country which makes the series a kind of universal story.

Another link with Western culture is the recruits Dr Al-Mutawa brought in his project : these are all aknowledged artists in the comic books industry.  There is Fabian Nicieza, writer of the X-Men and Power Rangers ; Dan Panosian, characters creator for the X-Men ; Stuart Moore, best known as the writer for Iron Man; June Brigman, illustrator for StarWars and Supergirl; Ron Wagner,  illustrator for Batman and DareDevil; and, last but not least, John Mc Crea, who was an inker for the late Spiderman…  No wonder if the drawing looks so familiar to the superheroes series readers !

What is fascinating in this series, is the combination of different cultural elements : the characters are Allah’s attribute, but the Noor Stones (the “Light” Stones, in Arabic) are the ones which chose you and not the opposite, and that’s what Dr Al-Mutawa calls the “King Arthur element of the story line”.  The medium itself, the comic book, is a Western form of art and the chosen artists are mainly of Western origin or background.  If the values conveyed in this series are inspired by Islam, they are actually universal : generosity, knowledge, tolerance, freedom.  Who on earth would deny such a set of values ? (Perhaps some extremists, who are likely to be found everywhere, in whichever society…). 

Amazingly, Dr Al-Mutawa’s the 99 readers include President Obama  who praised the the importance of these characters in spreading tolerance and open-mindedness.  He said about the 99 , as a response of his Cairo Speech to the Muslim World : “I have to say, perhaps the most innovative response was from Dr Naif Al-Mutawa, from Kuwait. [...] His comic books have captured the imagination of so many young people with superheroes that embodied the teaching of tolerance of Islam.”

The 99 are now a 26 episode animated TV series and Kuwait built a theme park called The 99 Village Theme Park.

But for Dr Al-Mutawa, the importance doesn’t lay in publishing success. Being responsible of a training program for the survivors of political torture in Bellevue Hospital (New York), he knows what intolerance means.  And for him, it is the spreading of positive elements about Islam and the understanding between cultures that matters.

You can download your free copy of the first episode, THE 99 Origins, just by cliking here.

Lingua Franca Foundation also launches another workshop in Rotterdam for those who are interested in Mind Mapping on the 21 July 2010

Please read here for more information regarding this workshop

For immediate booking, please click here

ENTER THE WORLD OF CREATiViTY

 MIND MAPPING BASICS WORKSHOP

is now in Amsterdam on 20 July 2010

INTRIGUE ? Please read here for more info !

For immediate booking to secure your place, you can also click here

Yes, Mind Mapping can do that… and much more !

It all began at the end of the sixties, when a young student in psychology searched for more efficient ways to jot down notes and to prepare for the exams.  Later on, he designed educational programs for the BBC and wrote an encyclopedia on the brain, still using and promoting the amazing technique that helped him so much as a student : Mind Mapping !

His name is Tony Buzan.  Now, he is a star, one of the most fashionable speakers and consultants throughout the world.

And his tool, Mind Mapping, is spreading around the world and is used by students as well as doctors, bank moguls, Boeing engineers and many more…

For a very simple reason : IT WORKS !

Why Mind Mapping ?

Today, we want to share this fantastic technique with you and that’s why we are organizing a workshop called “Mind Mapping Basics” in two cities in the Netherlands : Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

But before, let me tell you a couple of things about mind mapping…

Firstly, it is a powerful technique because it calls on the two sides of our brain.  Most of the time we use the left side of the brain, the rational one, the one that loves figure and logic and straight lines so much.  That is also the side that schools are favoring.  And we forget that we also have a right brain, the one involved in creativity, colours, sounds, sensations, organic lines…

With its strong hierarchic structures, mind mapping appeals more to our left brain.  But its images, its spatial disposition and its colours are more appealing to our right brain.  That is the reconciliation of both that makes it so efficient.

Mind Mapping Workshop

How does it work ?

As Tony Buzan puts it, Mind Mapping is a radiant thought : it starts from the center of the page – and not from the superior left corner – and radiates towards the edges of the blank sheet.  At the center of the page, firstly put your central idea, but do it with a picture rather than with words : that will help you to be more creative !

It uses no sentences, but keywords written on organic branches and associated with images.  This association of images and keywords is a wonderful guide to understand and to remember everything…

The place of each item on the page also provides a spatial marker which helps to memorize concepts.

Each branch constitutes a secondary idea, related to the central one.  Each branch is organic, is a flux, going thinner as the flow goes on…

This gives mind mapping its powerful structure : you can see everything in one glance at the page.  Or you can examine every minute detail on each branch.  It is a unique way to get the analysis and the synthesis of any project at the same time on the same device !

Try to do this with something else !

A mind map of Marion Chéreaux

Our Workshops in the Netherlands

The Lingua Franca Foundation is a member of the Hub in Brussels and collaborates with the other Hubs throughout Europe and beyond.  That’s why we decided to organize several workshops in Belgium (in French) and in the Netherlands (in English).

Mind Mapping Basics ? What will we do in these workshops ?

This workshop is aimed to teach you the basic principles of mind mapping.  So, we’ll learn how to draw our first mind map.  We’ll see how to associate words and pictures, how to reconnect with our own creativity, to feel the pleasure to draw and to write on the same page, to find out what are our deepest feelings and our unconscious thoughts.

We’ll also practice efficient notes taking with mind mapping : the grey linear notes are over, up with the full colour mind maps !  You’ll find out a very powerful way to jot down short but precise and useful notes, using only keywords, branches and small sketches of your own…

You’ll summarize a short text, written or spoken and you’ll see that it is much simpler and accurate that way.  You’ll discover that each participant has his/her own way to read or listen, his/her own way to understand, to remember and to summarize.   This is also part of our human richness…

You’ll structure some documents too : generally we are not too good at planning documents’ structures.  We tend to jump on the writing without paying too much attention to the general frame of our papers…  and, of course, our texts lack  any structure…  Forget about this and start giving a sturdy and impressive backbone to your future papers !

And, last but not least, you’ll design yourself some time management tools.  You’ll see, once again with mind mapping, it is simple, easy and strikingly efficient !

Taking notes during a workshop in Paris

Practical information

Our workshops will take place at the Hub’s Summerschool :

• In Amsterdam : on the 20th of July from 9 am to 5 pm.
• In Rotterdam : on the 21th of July from 9 am to 5 pm.

Address Amsterdam :

The Hub Amsterdam Westerstraat 187 1015 MA Amsterdam

Address Rotterdam :

The Hub Rotterdam Heemraadsingel 219,3023 CD Rotterdam

Prices :

For Hub Members : 190 euros including VAT

For non Members : 232.50 euros including VAT

All the material are provided by the trainer

Booking :

For Amsterdam : just click here !

For Rotterdam : just click here !

Stichting Lingua Franca Foundation realise the importance of  each client’s individuality and uniqueness. We acknowledge the existence of the client’s own specific needs and demands. We also acknowledge that each client needs to take total control on the development of his/her need(s) through out the entire course and everybody has his/her own pace to tackle the need(s) according to the level of understanding and acceptance.

Walking through the sand

We want the client to know that we actually understand their needs and the manner of wanting their needs to be fulfilled. Face-to-face interaction is one of the basic methods we use to penetrate the client’s true wish. Some people are afraid of spilling out what is truly in their hearts; thinking that others might make a mockery out of them. Some even think their needs and demands are too impossible to achieve. We are here to break that barrier of endless fear. We are here to assure them dreams can be realities if you work hard to achieve it. Dreams are not impossible. It is solely up to YOU to make the impossible possible.

Tailored Made Programme

The services offered by the Stichting Lingua Franca Foundation are specifically designed around YOUR NEEDS. Yes, YOUR NEEDS. We will propose to you a programme/service/workshop/course specially for YOU. A tailored made programme to solely suit YOUR EXACT NEEDS.  Considering all factors and wishes from YOU the client, the Foundation will evaluate seriously all levels of the individual’s potential and achievement. From there, we will create a course that you are comfortable with to enable you to  finally achieve your goals.

Personal Development and Performance

]]> http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/01/13/uniqueness-of-service/feed/ 0 Suziana Salleh walking through the sand personal development and performance http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/01/10/uuhh-uuuhh-mama-i-can-read/ http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/01/10/uuhh-uuuhh-mama-i-can-read/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:21:19 +0000 Suziana Salleh http://linguafrancafoundation.org/?p=880 Continue reading →]]> Have you ever witness little children who are able to read without having to teach them how to read the language in the first place? This is without sending them to a specific language school, or send them to special language class to enable them to learn to grasp the language and to fully understand the concept of the language itself. I am talking about literally putting a book in front of them and they start reading simultaneously, and surprisingly with almost no fault nor correction! I am not saying that you shouldn’t teach any language just by speaking alone, but believe me! It helps a lot in grasping the meaning and pronouncing the words faster than usual.

boy reading a book

I have been speaking English with my children since they were born. It’s not their only language since we speak more than three languages in the house. But to my astonishment, my children are able to recognise words and sentences from any English book and are able to read them fluently. All I know is that, all these years we never stop talking and practising the language. We speak English every single day.

One thing here that I feel the urge to mention is that I make sure the children speak proper English. Not any ‘broken’ English as most people put it. I have the tendency to keep correcting their sentences whenever there is the need for correction. This is because I know for a fact that it is crucial to speak the language correctly so that the person receiving the information will benefit from understanding fully what you want to relay in the first place – hopefully without having to repeat over and over again for clarity.

boy and girl reading a book

Now, it seems that my hard work has been paid off – slowly (I am waiting for a big fat cheque at the end of all this! Haha, just kidding…) Honestly, I am genuinely happy to see that my children are benefiting our endless effort all these years.   There are a lot of sweat and tears along the journey, however, I am more than satisfied with the fruitful result. Imagine that throughout the years,  it was I  who read the books to the children almost every night. And now? Now, it’s totally a different story altogether. It’s a total opposite, really!  The children are the ones who read pirate adventures books, or stories about beautiful princesses and the ever lasting Prince Charming. Or stories about little boys and girls, or stories about frogs and swans, gnomes and fairies and even funny comic books to me instead! You should have seen the look in their eyes once they start reading on their own. As if they have found the long lost treasure  from Treasure Island. They are so proud to tell me, ” I can read, mama…. I can read!”

With this, I am now teaching the children the proper structure of the language through writing. I do not have to start at the very beginning since this is no longer an unfamiliar territory.  I am sure that the children will have more pleasure in learning the language  thoroughly since I am already seeing signs of ‘having so much fun‘ while they are reading and writing English. I am entirely convinced that the children will be able to read, write, speak and hear the language in full gear in the very near future! Never under estimate the power of the mind of a child….

]]> http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2010/01/10/uuhh-uuuhh-mama-i-can-read/feed/ 0 Suziana Salleh boy reading book boy and girl reading http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2009/12/13/fruitful-future/ http://linguafrancafoundation.org/2009/12/13/fruitful-future/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:35:42 +0000 Suziana Salleh http://linguafrancafoundation.org/?p=692 Continue reading →]]> There is a new project buzzing around the local neighbourhood. I heard this through a contact of mine. We accidentally bumped into each other 2 days ago at one of the Youth & Family Development centres. The last time we spoke, I told her about my idea to propose a project in exposing children to multiple languages at very tender age.

Apparently that somehow caused some sort a chain reaction since, mysteriously out of the blue, she suddenly told me that she (and other colleagues) are in the process of trying to propose some sort of programme to develop children’s mind from birth till they are 4 years old.

Unfortunately we had to cut our conversation short due to appointments we both had to attend (but at different location with different people), but now it gives me a very strong impression that people do think the idea of teaching children and exposing them to new methods of learning, or a new language, etc. is extremely important in order to maximise the potential of the child’s mind and to gear it up to its fullest capacity. I have to say; I got excited! And I fully support this notion.

I have seen that plenty of kindergartens (pre-school) here are making groups therapy for little children to stimulate communication skills. This is mainly because the society is fully mixed structured with people coming from every part and everywhere on the planet. Not only that, mixed couples are considered very common nowadays that you can easily see the result of such mixed relationship walking and running practically almost everywhere.

Verbal communication not only derive from one source – I mean – not coming from only one language. There is no such thing as one language or the ‘master’ of all languages. If you are only capable of mastering just one language, the chances of you flying out of your nest are next to zero. You have clip your wings entirely.

Since plenty of children globally know more than one language since birth , it is important to keep encouraging them to continue using and practicing multiple language on a daily basis. This helps to stimulate the fluency of the language, and the importance of knowing how to use the language in the correct manner and grammar. Some parents tend to put one language above the other as being the dominant language. They stress the point that the dominant language has more significance compared to the other.

As a matter of fact, each language has its own unique identity. Nobody could claim that his/her language is superior to the other. Knowing and having the skill of mastering more languages enable all of us to better understand and respect one another despite of all the differences that exist in this world,  thus,  help us to live prosperously with each other.

Multi-lingual children are the children of the future. These children should be given the chance to blossom in the most cherishable fashion, therefore the future that we would like to create could be very fruitful at the end.