2 . In the workplace, we have to deal with different people, and the best way to do that is to find empathy to better understand them. Here are three fruit personalities and how best to deal with them.

Apple: hard core, doesn’t brulse easlly

Apple types are direct and don’t suffer fools. They are fast, logical thinkers who love to win and hate to lose control. They’ll get a result at any cost, but see conflict as sport.

Managing apples:

·Have your facts (or suffer the consequences)

·Always stand up to them.

·Get to the point.

·Be fast and logical.

·Watch and learn- they make great mentors.

Lemon: intense and concentrated

Lemons love structure, detail, order and rules. They are worriers who like safety, security and predictability. They love detail and are awesome at spotting gaps in a plan. But too many rules can be frustrating to others.

Managing lemons:

·Respect their need for space and time; give them plenty of notice.

·Slow your pace if you’re fast, quieten down if you’re loud.

·Don’t surprise them.

·Don’t threaten their security.

·Know you can never give too much detail.

Banana: sweet and soft

Banana types enjoy harmony in the workplace and shy away from conflict. They have loads of empathy. They are excellent in customer service roles, yet they can irritate people by being too nice.

When they’re too accommodating, they can be seen as indecisive.

Managing bananas:

·Don’t pressure them, but motivate.

·Encourage their opinions, and listen.

·Don’t overload them with your problems.

·Provide regular feedback opportunities.

·Be nice-that’s all they want.

4 . Being a people-pleaser(讨好型人格)is second nature to many people. We tend to calm those around us, often regardless of our own needs. Actually, it is unhealthy to do so.     1     Here are some tips one can follow.

Be sure of your own value.

You were created differently from every other human. Overcoming people-pleasing starts with clearly knowing the value of your thoughts and actions, and that your presence matters. By pleasing people at the cost of your own desires, you’re forgetting that you are here for a reason.

    2    

When something goes wrong, it’s quite natural for me to say sorry. It is pretty true of you if you’re a people-pleaser too. However, before words of apology trip from your lips, stop and look at the situation. Apologize sincerely and timely on condition that it’s really your fault. Otherwise just let it go.

Keep saying no.

    3     Indeed, getting over people-pleasing requires people to understand that you can say no and mean it. Saying no may be hard, but the more you say it, the more you understand how important it is to say.

Speak up.

People-pleasers like to agree with the masses. We are quiet, listening, waiting to agree on whatever decision is reached. Many times, I simply stayed quiet and agreed, even when I really didn’t like the plans at all. And bitterness surged when I was asked to deal with what I didn’t want.     4     Even sometimes you have to shout so as to be heard.

Without any doubt, it’s difficult to go against the nature that you tend to please everyone around you.     5     It’s the same with me. The best part is we get the grace of a new day to try all over again.

5 .

What do you see in the image? The image can be challenging to interpret, and most people need a clue to see the pattern. It shows a Dalmatian dog. An interesting aspect of this experience is that once you’ve perceived the pattern, you can’t unset the dog.

Whether we like it or not, our brains look for patterns in various contexts. Much of our everyday understanding is linked to the concepts we learn in school and through interaction with others. On top of this, there are learned cultural patterns to interpret works of art, music, poems, etc. Once we know the patterns, they profoundly influence how we perceive cultural products. So we see the world through patterns we have acquired.

These patterns can be applied in all forms of teaching. The great benefit of seeing a pattern in an area of knowledge is that it can be applied to new problems. A student who has understood a pattern can not only answer questions taken directly from the learning material but can use it in other types of tasks. The key question, therefore, is how a student can discover the relevant patterns and create real understanding.

There are different ways to highlight patterns. Analogies (类比) are powerful tools for creating understanding. An example is the number line (数轴) in elementary mathematics. When children learn addition, it is easy for concrete combinations of objects: three apples plus two apples make five apples. The same is true for subtraction (减法): If you have six apples and remove four, you are left with two.

But this doesn’t work when it comes to negative numbers. How do you explain that if you have three apples and remove five, two are missing? Then, an effective analogy is to see the number line as something you walk along — the line becomes a path. Addition with three is like walking three steps forward, and subtraction with five is like walking five steps backward. No wonder that if you walk three steps forward and then five steps back, you are two steps behind where you started.

In this way, the negative numbers acquire a meaning rooted in experience. More patterns of numbers can now be understood.

7 . Research suggests that confidence is important to health and psychological well-being. But developing and maintaining confidence isn’t easy and it’s an easy thing to lose when you feel like you’ve failed or made a mistake.     1    .

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Do you compare how you look to people around you? Or do you compare your salary to what your friend earns? Making comparisons is natural. But it isn’t likely to help boost your self-confidence.     2    . When you notice that you are drawing comparisons, remind yourself that doing so isn’t helpful. Everyone is running their own race and life isn’t a competition.

Surround Yourself With Positive People

The people you spend time with can influence your thoughts and attitudes about yourself, perhaps more than you realize.     3    . If you feel bad about yourself after hanging out with a particular person, it may be time to say goodbye. Instead, surround yourself with people who love you and want the best for you.

    4    

Self-talk that is optimistic can help you overcome self-doubt and take on new challenges. The next time you begin to think that you have no business speaking up in a meeting or that you are too out-of-shape to work out, remind yourself that your thoughts aren’t always accurate. Then find a way to turn those thoughts around into more positive self-talk.

Set Realistic Goals

The more you achieve your goals, the greater your confidence in yourself and your abilities. To set realistic goals, write down what you want to achieve.     5    . If the answer is slim to none, the goal may be a bit too high. Dial (调整) it back so it is more realistic and more achievable.

9 . 5 Proven Ways to Improve Your Concentration

We’re all suffering from poorer concentration nowadays.     1     Here are some simple habits to try.

Minimize distraction.

    2     Work in a different room if you can. If you find yourself sidetracked (转移目标) by digital devices, turn off notifications (通知) and train yourself to check them at set intervals. Set a timer.

    3    

Whether it’s music, white noise or even silence, you might find there’s a particular sound that helps you maintain your attention. This enhances alpha waves—brain waves that promote relaxation and are thought to play a role in cognition (认知) and, according to a small 2015 American study, make you more creative.

Focus on the right foods.

You might get help from certain so-called “brain foods”.     4     One of the best ways to keep your brain fit is to eat a healthy diet.

Move your body.

When you exercise, your heart rate increases, causing your body to release a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which aids nerve cell growth.     5    

Sleep well.

Who doesn’t suffer from brain fog after a bad night? Everyone needs different amounts of shuteye but aiming for seven to nine hours is considered the ideal.

10 . How do flowers know when to bloom? How do dogs know when to start getting their winter coats falling off? Phenology, the study of timings in nature, helps us understand how plant and animal life cycle events are influenced by seasonal variations and changing climate. Learn more about phenology and record the timings of nature near you!

MATERIALS

·Phenology bingo sheet

·Science notebook or paper

·Something to write with

PROCEDURE

·In your science notebook, write down 3 or 4 natural things you can observe that tell you what season it is.

·Print out the bingo sheet. Walk in your neighborhood and cross off as many of the items as you can.

·Are you able to get through everything on your bingo sheet? Do you notice a pattern with the items that you are/aren’t able to find? What time of the year would it be easiest to get through each item on the bingo sheet?

·Keep your bingo sheet and continue playing throughout the following months. Then you are able to discover various connections and patterns that affect our everyday life. For example, the appearance of flowers is a response to the local weather and climate.