Re-launch of Virtual Conductive Education Library catalogue

In 2010 I started compiling a virtual catalogue of Conductive Education items available on, and via, the Internet. These early listings of items, arranged under subject headings, can still be found  posted on a blog  at 

http://virtualcelibrary.blogspot.co.uk/

This system was not very satisfactory and problems of  arrangement and classification soon arose.

So later that year a proper catalogue was created and items were listed in a traditional library format. This was made possible with the help of Ben Foulger who set up the necessary software and web pages in November 2010 on E-Conduction's website,  www.e-conduction.org 

Since then new items have been added as, and when discovered, until entries reached over 400 in number.

Now, ready for 2014, Ben has helped produce a new look for the catalogue. The format and layout of this virtual library have been updated and can now be found at

 http://www.e-conduction.org/virtuallibrary

This version has a clearer brighter format which is much easier to read, search and consult. The help page on searching and using the catalogue has also been extended, updated and now includes examples of searches. This can be found at 

http://www.e-conduction.org/virtuallibraryhelp

Please note that as before, this catalogue includes all papers, documents, reviews, bibliographies etc discovered on the Internet that are relevant to Conductive Education. Also  note that none of the items have been evaluated for quality. That is a job for readers: it is not the role of a library. Inclusion in this catalogue indicates solely their existence on the Internet.

I will continue to add to this and welcome any suggestions, links etc for inclusion. Please also let me know what you think of the new layout and help pages.

New Conductive Education services starting in January 2014

January 2014 sees the start of Conductive Education services in Bristol, UK.

 The Bristol CE Pilot Project is part of Megan Baker House's outreach services and will be run by Natalie Sanchez, a British conductor. This is a first for this part of the UK.

Services start  on 10 January with a parent and child group ( 6 months to 5 years) on Friday afternoons 1.30-3.30 and later in January a teenage/young adults with cerebral palsy group is being arranged..

Please contact  Megan Baker House for more information or contact Natalie Sanchez, who is running the service, on 07851143378.

I will post further information as I receive it.

Books from Conductive Education Press. Tell me what you think

In all forms of retail it helps to know what the market wants and needs, and what it is prepared to shop and pay for. More importantly who is doing the shopping. Conductive Education Press is no different.

Conductive Education Press was set up to provide a solid base of information about Conductive Education and put facts on record, create a body of books establishing the history, philosophy and development of the conductive world. Quite a big aim, but as Conductive Education teaches, you must try and achieve your goals in little steps if necessary. It is a slow process: since CEP began in 2009 seven books have appeared.

We have asked for feedback but have received very little, which is disappointing and frustrating. Reviews are important for us, and also those who are thinking of buying and reading our books.

The system of print on demand offers important advantages. With respect of information on sales, the printer, Blurb allows us to know how many books we have sold,  provides a record of sales month by month, and also maintains a  daily graph of hits for the site. Unfortunately for our purposes, however,  it does not tell us who and where the book orders are coming from, whether it is from the UK, Europe, US or Australia, China. We do not know whether it is individuals, organisations, charities, libraries, or centres who are buying. We are flying 'blind'.

Knowing what is wanted, and by whom, is bound to influence our plans and could indicate a gap not previously considered, that needs filling. Critical comments are also vital.

Readers' thoughts, positive or negative, can be sent by email, or published through any of the usual ways in which people access the Internet, such as a Comment under this to this posting.  CEP has a place for Comments at the foot of its own home page, and Blurb's site provides a place for comments on each of its pages for our specific books:

http://e-conduction.org/CEP/

http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/3695419-andras-peto#author-bookshelf

By the way, so far no second hand copies have appeared on the market which I hope is a good sign! 

Adult Conductive Education sessions in the US - update

On 7 November I posted information about the future sessions of Conductive Education being offered in the US for those with Parkinson's by Maria Heine.

http://www.gillian-maguire.info/2013/11/new-conductive-education-services-for.html

This included a link to a blog detailing the plans.

On receiving a note from an interested party telling me that the link was no longer live I contacted Maria and was informed that the URL had indeed changed and that the new location is

http://secondchancece-blog.com/

A link to the adult services in the US can be found at the bottom of the home page. This leads to  the following information:

4-DAY INTENSIVE SESSIONS:In 2014 we will be starting 4–Day Intensive Sessions, throughout the United States, in the following cities:

• Boston (MA)

• San Francisco (CA)

• Los Angeles (CA)

• Classes will run for 3 hours/per day, for 4x days

• To be offered at regular intervals, every 8-Weeks

• Instructed by Maria Heine

• Small class sizes will allow for individualized focus and development for each participant

• Open for Partners and Carers to attend and observe

 Contact details are also included.

Email hacking

Andrew Sutton's email has been hacked and people have been getting notes asking for money. This is a scam as he has posted on his blog at


http://www.conductive-world.info/2013/11/it-is-scam.html

It seems that it is getting harder to be safe from this,  but we must all be careful and change passwords etc regularly and check all such requests carefully.

Things that András Pető said

Over the years I have seen many quotes assigned to András Pető without any information about the source, or even who he said it to. Preparing the CEP quotationary of András Pető and his Conductive Education enabled me to collect remarks of  Pető and about him, give each one a source, and  hopefully clarify things for people. Sixteen sources were used and full references for these given at the back of the quotationary. There may be more sources and if so, I would love to know about them.

Today I came across a quote from András Pető that was new to me and wonder if anyone can tell me the source for that.

Ask me not what I can do for children with Cerebral Palsy, but ask me what they can learn to do for themselves. 

 If a second edition is produced new sources can be reviewed and included.

New Conductive Education services for adults in US

Today a link appeared in my email in box which led to an announcement by Maria Heine on her new blog. For sometime now she has been providing Conductive Education in the Home Counties of the UK and now she is starting up some services for adults in the US, commencing in early 2014.

For further information and contact details, see:

http://secondchancece.wordpress.com/us/

Adults have generally had fewer services to choose from and perhaps this will help to increase awareness and options for adults with neurological disorders in North America.

Some definitions of Conductive Education

I have seen today that Andrew Sutton has posted on his blog a piece about definitions of Conductive Education. Recently I have been investigating this very thing and compiled a list of definitions from various dictionaries which I had hoped to publish later, but will now do so here. 

As you will see some of the definitions are very brief and are often re-produced in various places.

Those that I have found are listed below:

Free dictionary online
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

conductive education
n

(Social Science / Education) an educational system, developed in Hungary by András Petö, in which teachers (conductors) teach children and adults with motor disorders to function independently, by guiding them to attain their own goals in their own way

Oxford dictionaries

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/conductive-education

Conductive education  noun

[mass noun] British  

a system of training for people with motor disorders, especially children, which aims to reduce their dependence on artificial aids.


wordreference.com
http://www.wordreference.com/definition/conductive%20education

conductive education n[oun]

an educational system, developed in Hungary by András Petö, in which teachers (conductors) teach children and adults with motor disorders to function independently, by guiding them to attain their own goals in their own way.

Collins English Dictionary

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conductive education

noun  

an educational system, developed in Hungary by András Petö, in which teachers ( conductors ) teach children and adults with motor disorders to function independently, by guiding them to attain their own goals in their own way

Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/conductive-education

a treatment for people with cerebral palsy that was developed in Hungary and that involves special physical exercises and learning methods

Dict.cc (german english dictionary)
http://www.dict.cc/english-german/conductive+education+CE+%5BPet%C5%91's+system%5D.html

conductive education  [Pető's system]

Petö-Therapie / Pető-Therapie {f} [konduktive Förderung nach Pető]

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conductive_education

Conductive Education,or CE, is an educational system that has been specifically developed for children and adults who have motor disorders of neurological origin such as cerebral palsy. It is based on the premise that a person who has a motor disorder may not only have a medical condition requiring treatment, but may often have a major problem in learning that requires special education. The spread of CE throughout the world has probably in large part been due to the advocacy of families who appear to have lost confidence in the existing systems of treatment. These families strongly regard CE as a potentially effective response to their needs. Because of the successes and interest in Conductive Education, other scholars have begun to examine the CE approach. Research studies of the efficiency of conductive education have been inconclusive, however.

International Encyclopedia of Rehabilitation
http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/encyclopedia/en/article/46/

This has quite a long piece, too long to reproduce here, but it concludes with:

To sum up, conductive education is a system that is established on the basis of scientific medical theory. It performs an active and effective function in treating children with cerebral palsy. The theory and techniques of conductive education comply with the rules of physical and mental development of disabled children and should be disseminated and promoted. In line with the continuing development of a civilized society, conductive education should be recognized, accepted, used and developed by more and more people. This will spur on the healthy development of the rehabilitation industry of disabled children. At the same time, we should acknowledge that there is a large gap between the ideals and practice of children's rehabilitation and that the road is very long.

Make of these what you will. 

Perhaps a new statement is needed that not only explains exactly what Conductive Education is (clearly and succinctly, if that is possible) but also includes links to sources with more detailed and accurate information.

Anybody willing to have a go?

Problems with keeping Workplace map up to date

The introduction of the Conductors' Workplace Map has been generally welcomed and gets regular visits which is good to know. Since it was first posted earlier this year I have attempted to add new places and note any changes in the details of those already entered so that it is useful. 

Out of date information is no good to anyone.

I asked  you all to help with this by letting me know openings and closures of places and I have had a number of responses which allowed me to up date information on the map. As much information as possible  - name of centre, contact person, postal address, website and email, services for children and/or adults - makes it easier to include.

To insert a pin in the map for a place, I need to know the full postal address so that map co-ordinates can be found to make sure the pin goes in the right place. In most cases this has been provided and the pin duly inserted. Recently a lady from New York advised me that she was involved in a new centre about to open and I hoped to put a pin in the map for her, but I cannot do this without the necessary information. Hopefully she will send it soon.

I realised the other day that the website of the Cork Centre for Conductive Education was no longer up on the Internet and I have no email to try and contact them. Does anyone know if it has moved,  still operating, or closed?  I am about to note it as closed on  the map and will be delighted to put it back if it is still 'alive'. 

Please keep helping me with updates so I can make the information as current as possible.

I cannot do it without you.

Conductive Education Press books 20% off until 31 October

All titles published by Conductive Education Press have 20% off until 31 October. All you have to do is enter the code OCTOBER20 when asked if you have a promo code.

Just go to  http://www.blurb.com/user/store/cepress

and make your choice from the seven books listed there. It is possible to look at the first dozen pages to get an idea of the contents of each title. Just click on the cover of a title and then on 'preview'.

Happy reading, and don't forget to let us know what you think. Feedback  is possible on the CEP bookstore on Blurb - click on a itle and then on  'comments' 

 or on CEP's page of Conduction's website.

www.e-conduction.org/CEP

Conductive Education Press would like to know what you think

Authors and booksellers worldwide find comments and reviews of their books extremely useful as indications of popularity of authors and possible sales. 

Conductive Education Press is no different. 

CEP publishes materials to make Conductive Education, its history, background and philosophy clearer and more accessible. So far CEP has published seven books the latest being the CEP Quotationary of András Pető and his Conductive Education and Never, never quit! by Ralph Strzałkowski.

CEP would appreciate  feedback from those who buy and read them.

Please do feel free to comment  on Blurb - all titles can be found at  http://www.blurb.co.uk/user/cepress  

Just click on  view all, select a particular title and then click on 'Comment'

 e,g Select  CEP quotationary of András Pető and his Conductive Education, and you are taken to    http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/4627506-cep-quotationary-of-andras-peto  

     Select 'comment' and write what you think.

You may also comment  on relevant  postings on
 Conductive Education Information  and Conductive World 

e.g.

http://www.conductive-world.info/2013/10/like-it.html

http://www.gillian-maguire.info/2013/10/another-new-book-from-conductive.html

World Congress 8 in the news

 

Over the past week I have been keeping an eye on the media for any items about the 8th World Congress for Conductive Education.  I know a press conference was held on the first day.

 

I have been able to track down the following items, one from the US, and the rest from  Germany.

 

 If I have missed any, especially in German (as my German is not very good), please let me know.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1499020

http://www.inar.de/in-den-startlochern/

http://www.ovb-online.de/rosenheim/inklusion-wichtiges-thema-3152547.html

http://www.alligator.org/news/local/article_58563028-322d-11e3-86db-0019bb2963f4.html

Not as much as would have been hoped.

Book event at the World Congress

A number of publications will be announced at the 8^th World Congress for Conductive Education in Munich at the book event on Friday.  These are in three languages – English, German, Spanish,  and come from England, Mexico and Germany.

It is wonderful to see so many additions to the Conductive Education literature from  all over the world.

The publications are:

CEP Quotationary of Andras Peto and his Conductive Education. Birmingham: Conductive Education Press  
£12 plus p & p

Strzałkowski, R. Never, never quit; My Conductive Education. Pieces of mind, memories and opinions from the desk of Ralph Strzałkowski, Esq. Lawyer on Wheels. Birmingham: Conductive Education Press.

£12 plus p & p

Both available from www.e-conduction.org/CEP

McDowell, G. George's Travelogue. Nürnberg: CN Press

10 euros

Bugya, É. Conductive cookery book.  Nürnberg: CILA
10 euros

Both available from small66711@aol.com


Fermin, C., and others, Guia práctica de la Educación Conducida. (Practical guide on Conductive Education)  
Price not known

Available from  sermara@aol.com

Elliott, A. Challenge me cards (in German) Originally published in English by Jessica Kingsley in 2009. 

Already launched in a separate event at the Congress:

Tatlow, A. Konduktive Förderung für Kinder und Jugendliche mit Zerebralparese

Originally published in English in 2005 by SAHK as  Conductive Education for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy .

 

I do not have more details for the last three.

 

If there are any others, please do let me know.

 

 

 

Savings on books from Conductive Education Press

Until 31 October a 20% discount is available on orders for books from Conductive Education Press using the promotional code OCTOBER20 at the appropriate point in the checkout system.

 

This  applies to the two new titles published this month.

 

Books can be ordered by clicking on the Book badges in the right hand column of this blog or going to www.e-conduction.org/CEP

Enjoy!

Another new book from Conductive Education Press

                        

Never, never quit
My Conductive Education                                                                  
Pieces of mind, memories and opinions
From the desk of Ralph Strzałkowski, Esq.
Lawyer on Wheels

Birmingham: Conductive Education Press

 ISBN 978-0-9569948-6-8     £12.00

 

 I am very pleased to announce the publication of another book by Conductive Education Press.

Ralph Strzałkowski has cerebral palsy. He went to the Pető Institute as a child and is presenting a paper about his conductive childhood at the 8th World Congress this week.

 

Ralph is now living in the US and working as a lawyer. He became involved on the Conductive Education centre set up in Gainesville, Florida and this led to the start of his blog at

http://blog.lawyeronwheels.org/.  

Never, never quit is a collection of  postings from this relating to his experiences and reminiscences of Conductive Education.

As the back of the book explains further:

Rafał (now Ralph) Strzałkowski was born in 1979, in Warsaw, Poland, with cerebral palsy, ten years before the fall of the Iron Curtain. From 1986 to 1990 he attended the Pető Institute in Budapest, Hungary, as a weekly boarder. After that it was back to school in Warsaw, then law degrees at Warsaw University, and the University of Florida. Today Ralph is an attorney admitted to law practice in Florida and in Washington DC.

He is also an activist. This year he inaugurated DAAF, the Florida Disability Access and Awareness Foundation.

This book is a collection of 53 postings from his blog Lawyer on Wheels, selected for the unique light that they throw upon Conductive Education as remembered from the experience of a child, reflections upon his adult life that bear the stamp of his particular upbringing, and some of his further Conductive Education experiences in the United States.

A view of Conductive Education from someone who has experienced it is very rare and Ralph's memories provide a very interesting account of what it is like to be a recipient, live with a disability and manage it.

This is available for £12 plus postage & packing  from

www.e-conduction.org/CEP

or by clicking on the book badge on the right hand side of this blog.

Also available is the recently published CEP Quotationary of András Pető and his Conductive Education.  as mentioned in my previous posting.

http://www.gillian-maguire.info/2013/09/new-book-from-conductive-education-press.html

This collection of quotes from him, about him, and his work, helps us to a greater understanding of both the man and his system.

On Conductions' website www.e-conducion.org quotes from the book appear, a different one each time you open the front page of the website.

Enjoy and do let us know what you think. Feedback is very welcome.

New book from Conductive Education Press

   

CEP Quotationary of András Pető  and his
Conductive Education

Birmingham: Conductive Education Press. £12

   

ISBN 978-09569948-5-1

 

Yesterday the latest publication from Conductive Education Press was released on Blurb and can be found at 

 

http://blur.by/1dNtUxs

 This collection of quotes  reveals thoughts, experiences and various interactions with András Pető aimed at increasing knowledge of his work and about the man himself.

 

As stated on the back of the book:

András Pető left two inheritances.

One was the practice of conductive pedagogy, variously konduktív nevelés, Conductive Education, konduktive Förderung – an uncrystalised Chinese whisper that has since mutated down generations and across societies. Some such practices may have much in common with András Pető's and his associates', some very little – all are concrete activities, practised, or experienced, observed and analysed. They are what you see.

The other is the heritage of recollections of András Pető himself, what he did, how he was, and perhaps what drove him. Who was this Will-o'-the-Wisp, András Pető, what words of his echo down to us? How did people at the time understand that mystery in their midst? This second inheritance is far harder to find, to separate from myth and fantasy in what you hear and what you read.  

This quotationary's 307 quotations contribute some distilled essence, including 48 sayings or reported sayings from the man himself, plus vivid direct reports from friends and associates, and the observations of some of those who have tried to nail his fleeting shadow.

These quotations come from 40 named sources, and are referenced to 15 different texts.

Originals were in German, Hungarian and English, all are presented here in English translation. 


A preview may been seen by clicking on the book badge in the right hand column of this blog.
 
As always your comments on this book will be very welcome. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorary conductors for 2013 announced

Since the first World Congress of Conductive Education in 1990, the names of those who have been made honorary conductors are announced and presented with an award during the Congress. This will happen at the  8th World Congress that is taking place in Munich, 9-12 October and the recipients have now been announced..

The criteria for this award  are:

The College Senate of the András Pető Institute of Conductive Education gives the Honorary Conductor Award. It was established in 1990 to recognise the work of non-conductors in the field, which is well known both in the homeland and internationally. Nominations are initiated by leading persons and are submitted to the International Pető Association (IPA) Executive Committee. Final nomination is submitted to the Senate of the András Pető Institute which is authorized to make a final decision about acceptance.

I was lucky enough to be made one in 2010 and went to Hong Kong to receive my award. It was a huge surprise and wonderful to be selected.

The recipients for 2013 have been announced and there are only two people this time.

Beate Höß-Zenker (Germany) and Norman Perrin (UK).

Very well deserved, congratulations to them both!


A list of past honorary conductors can be found at

http://www.ce-worldcongress2013.org/default_en.asp?mid=64&iid=168
 

Live seminar presentation from Paces, Sheffield

Today  a Special Educational Needs seminar is being broadcast live over the internet from Paces Sheffield.

 

 

http://www.paces-school.org.uk/

 

 Speakers include :

 

Janine Wigmore/Amanda Goulding  of Calderdale Parents and Carers

 

Debs Aspland  who is a co-author of the blog Special Needs Jungle and a mum to three children with various Special Education Needs.

 

Sarah McKimm, a solicitor working with IPSEA (Independent Parental Special Education Advice), a national charity which advises parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

 

Two seminars are planned and the next one is 25 September.

 

The chance to 'be there' is  a new thing for me and just shows how accessible the Internet has made everything, offering opportunities  to 'participate' in events that it is not possible to physically go to.

 

Such a system would be a valuable resource in  Conductive Education, where it is difficult to bring people together, and enable better and more frequent communication. Maybe the World Congress organisers are considering it for next month!

 

No doubt costs and technology will be important factors in making this possible.

Some cheery news

A centre in the North West of England is hoping to expand if they can raise some more money.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/big-wish-help-more-kids-6026676


Stick 'n' Step set up in 2002 and currently offers two free sessions a week to over 70 children from nine months to 18 years from the North West and Wales. Two of their 'graduates' are now at university despite their doctors' expectations.

http://www.sticknstep.org/


In these difficult financial times it is good to know that a centre could expand and develop its services for even more children with just a bit of extra money. 

News source for Pető Institute

 Stories about the Pető Institute's financial situation  have been circulating in the Hungarian media for a couple of weeks now and I have managed  find a source that links to them all.

 

http://www.hirkereso.hu/search?q=Peto+Intezet&timelimit=10000&archivum=-1&x=23&y=4

 

 

 

Hirkereső legnagyobb hir portál (Biggest news portal)  lists 134 items in newspapers and television right back to March 2013, with the latest being yesterday. Numbers 1-117 cover August and September 2013, so there are quite a lot to look at, but  a lot consist of  repeat information, rather than new 'facts'.

 

It provides  a very good way of tracking new reports and keeping up with the situation.

 

Translation facilities for non-Hungarian speakers can be found on the Internet.