The ESP Learning Hub

  The year 2020 marked the beginning of a new decade according to the Gregorian calendar and billions of people around the world had great hopes for this new start. Unfortunately, the year 2020 turned out to be a challenging year for all of us. Actually, it happened to be a turnaround point in recent human history mainly because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has brought hundreds of thousands of deaths, lockdowns, economic destruction, the failures of our social and health care systems, governmental mismanagement of the situation,   etc. For many of us, 2020 has been a lost year, in so many ways. On top of an enormous loss of human lives, the pandemic slowed down or even paused many people's progress on their short-term and long-term family and career goals. Thousands of people lost their jobs. Many sporting, cultural and entertainment events were canceled. We had a period of complete lockdown in spring of 2020. Our ordinary lives have changed in so many w

  The school's teaching and learning culture should be shaped in a way that it develops an ethical commitment to environmental conservation in students and exerts a powerful influence on students in regard to ecological sustainability and 'green' practices. Therefore, eco-friendly or 'green' teaching and learning programs about energy, climate change and green economy can engage and empower students to create positive change for our evolving world. Today, we are all uncertain about what the future holds for our planet. Global warming, pollution, industrialization, a shortage of fossil fuels, extinction of many plant and animal species, an increasing global population, etc., are just some of the issues that are likely to affect more seriously and directly the current cohort of school children than it has ever affected the previous generations. Thus, it becomes extremely important that we teach children to live more sustainably and cultivate some eco-friendly habits l

  Education reform is the process aimed at changing public education in terms of educational theory and practice. Therefore, the purpose of educational reforms is to transform school structures in order to raise the quality of education in a country. Educational reforms should be based on a holistic approach that encompasses the main reasons, objectives, application and expected outcomes for such a change in the education systems where they are implemented. Education reforms usually comprise any planned changes in the way a school system functions, from teaching methodologies to administrative processes. Education renewal refers to providing all students with the best education which will offer them the opportunity to explore their talents and develop to their full potential. At the same time, it should offer teachers the right support in proper equipment, good working conditions and positive working environments so that they could better guide students through their learning and makin

    Mindfulness is a state of active and open attention to the present. It means observing one's thoughts and feelings on purpose in the present moment, but without judging them as good or bad. Mindfulness encompasses two key concepts: awareness and acceptance. Awareness refers to the ability to focus attention on one's inner processes and experiences in the present. Acceptance relates to the ability to observe and accept, rather than judge or avoid, our thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness is rooted in Buddhist and Hindu teachings, within the concept of 'sati', which encompasses attention, awareness, and being present, which is also considered as the first step toward enlightment. The emergence of mindfulness in Western culture can be attributed to Jon Kabat-Zinn in the late 1970s, when it was first introduced for therapeutical purposes in the treatment of chronic pain and stress in medical patients. Nevertheless, the concept of mindfulness in its essence has nothi

  Tolerance can be defined as ' willingness to  accept behavior and beliefs that are different from your own, although you might not agree with or approve of them ' (a definition by  Cambridge Dictionary ) or as 'a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one's own' (a definition on  Thesaurus.com ). Or to put it in a simple way, tolerance is the ability to accept diversity and to live and let other people live. Follow these links to find out more about:  the etymology of the word 'tolerance' and related terms , and tolerance synonyms and antonyms .            If you are tolerant, then you are supposed to endure practices that you are not related to or that you do not approve of, and also to demonstrate an objective and fair behavior towards those whose ways of thinking or behaving differ from yours. If you are tolerant, you respect and learn from others, you are